Stormwater runoff from urban and suburban areas is the fastest growing source of pollution to our water and the main reason many of our urban streams are impaired. This growth is largely caused by the expansion of our built environment and the impervious surfaces — parking lots, roofs, and roads — that carry more polluted runoff to our waterways. With more intense rainfall events on the horizon as a result of climate change, untreated stormwater may exacerbate dangerous and costly flooding. Virginia’s plan to clean up the Chesapeake Bay calls for strong investments in better stormwater control to protect clean water and frontline communities.

Virginians rely on local waterways for clean drinking water, vibrant communities, and strong economies. In fact, three-out-of-four Virginians depend upon healthy headwater streams for their drinking water.¹ Our Commonwealth is the largest seafood producer on the East Coast, with 50 commercially harvested species.² Our outdoor recreation industry is booming, providing 197,000 direct jobs and $1.2 billion in tax revenue.³

75% of Virginians depend upon local, healthy headwater streams for their drinking water.

Despite our reliance on healthy waterways, polluted runoff — the muddy stew of stormwater, dirt, bacteria, toxins, and plastic waste that runs off streets, parking lots, and other hard surfaces — continues to threaten our local creeks, streams, and rivers. It remains the fastest growing source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay,⁴ undermining Virginia’s goal to restore local streams and the Bay by 2025.

Much of our urban and suburban infrastructure was built before we fully understood how stormwater degrades local streams. Now, many larger localities are required to reduce the nutrients and sediment that they contribute to Virginia’s waterways. Implementing programs to achieve these reductions — like projects to retrofit older infrastructure — can be expensive. But for years, low income communities have been among the least likely to receive state funding to support this work. Cities and towns, churches and schools, homeowners and developers — everyone has a role to play in keeping nutrient and sediment pollution out of our stormwater. The state can and should encourage pollution reduction practices by providing strong, equitable funding support and protecting our existing stormwater management regulations.

STORMWATER LOCAL ASSISTANCE FUND (SLAF)

To help with expensive stormwater projects, the Virginia General Assembly created the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF), a state and local matching grant program to protect and improve the health of our waterways. This fund has recently been improved to provide additional attention to fiscally stressed communities and improving resilience to climate change. Over its lifespan, SLAF has authorized $95 million in grants for 216 projects across Virginia, and demand for this program continues to grow.⁵ In 2019, localities submitted proposals for nearly twice the amount of funding available. Virginia’s initial needs assessment for SLAF estimates that the state needs to invest approximately $80 million annually. The General Assembly provided $75 million in the most recent two-year budget and substantially bolstered the states ability to address these issues. Still, sustained funding is critical to ensure progress can be sustained.

VIRGINIA CONSERVATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

The Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) provides cost-share assistance for smaller-scale residential and commercial projects to improve drainage and reduce erosion such as rain gardens, conservation landscaping, and permeable driveways. Since the program began in 2012, Virginia’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts and their partners have installed over 720 projects. However, there are 35 project applications — worth $173,020 — in a backlog awaiting funding. Last year, the General Assembly included $1,000,000 to support VCAP projects across the state, but only allotted $500,000 the year before. Consistent, stable funding is an important part of encouraging property owners to participate.

1 Assault on Clean Water Threatens Virginia, Southern Environmental Law Center (March 2019), https://www.southernenvironment.org/uploads/petitions/VA_CWDI_Factsheet_0319_F.pdf

2 About Virginia Seafood, Va. Seafood (accessed June 23, 2021). http://www.virginiaseafood.org/about-virginia-seafood.

3 Virginia’s Outdoor Recreation Economy, The Office of Outdoor Recreation (accessed June 23, 2021). https://www.governor.virginia.gov/outdoor.

4 Stormwater Runoff, Chesapeake Bay Program (accessed June 30, 2020), https://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/stormwater_runoff.

5 Stormwater Local Assistance Fund, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (accessed June 23, 2021). https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/cleanwater-financing/stormwater-local-assistance-fund-slaf