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James River Soil & Water district outlines rain‑garden, cover‑crop and cost‑share work in Chesterfield
Summary
The James River Soil and Water Conservation District told the board about programs to reduce nonpoint source pollution, distributed cost‑share funds to local producers and announced rain‑barrel workshops and youth competitions.
The James River Soil and Water Conservation District told Chesterfield supervisors it is focusing on nonpoint source pollution, suburban conservation practices such as rain gardens and permeable surfaces, and agricultural best practices including cover crops and manure storage.
"This kind of pollution is called non point source pollution," said Brianna Moring, district manager for the James River Soil and Water Conservation District, summarizing why the district emphasizes rain gardens and other practices.
Moring described the district as locally led and nonregulatory. She said the district is staffed by four people and guided by a six‑member board, and it receives state funding through the Department of Conservation and Recreation alongside local government support. She outlined suburban and agricultural programs that provide technical assistance and cost‑share funding to landowners.
Program details cited to the board included distribution of more than $1 million to local producers through the agricultural cost‑share program over the past year; approval of 18 suburban conservation practices that received more than $100,000 in cost share (including six rain gardens, eight conservation landscaping projects, three permeable paver driveways and one dry well); and support for construction of Virginia’s first equine manure storage facility, which the district said provides covered storage for up to six months to reduce runoff.
Moring described outreach and youth engagement work: the district hosted the Area 6 Envirothon at Pocahontas State Park, and Chesterfield teams went on to the state competition. The district also added two scholarships to fully cover attendance at an agricultural youth conservation camp at Virginia Tech and runs a statewide poster contest in which Chesterfield students placed at state and national levels.
Moring read a schedule of four rain‑barrel workshops to be held in Chesterfield in 2025, with dates and locations provided for July 12, Sept. 9, Oct. 21 and Nov. 1. She invited board members and residents to join the district’s social media and newsletter for updates.
The district presentation was informational; no formal board action was requested during the update.
