Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater And Conservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Colonial Soil & Water seeks increased local support to expand VCAP outreach in Williamsburg
Summary
The Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District briefed council on residential stormwater programs and requested an increase in city funding for FY26 to meet rising demand for the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program.
The Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District asked the City Council for increased support for residential conservation programs after reporting rising demand from Williamsburg homeowners.
District staff member Robin Woolsey presented the district’s work across Williamsburg, James City County, York County and New Kent and highlighted two residential programs: the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) and the Turf Love lawn‑management program. Woolsey said VCAP helps landowners address stormwater and erosion problems with cost‑shared practices such as rain gardens, conservation landscaping and permeable pavement; most VCAP practices are cost‑shared at 80 percent up to program caps and require 10 years of maintenance.
Woolsey said the district has provided just over $49,000 in VCAP cost‑share funding to city residents since fiscal year 2020 and that demand for services has surged in recent years. The district reported it received $6,000 from the city for fiscal year 2025 plus $2,000 to administer Turf Love, for a total of $8,000. For FY26 the district requested an increase to $10,000 to support the rising workload and to staff outreach and application assistance.
Woolsey highlighted a recent public VCAP project at Williamsburg Baptist Church that addressed erosion in parking‑lot medians with native plantings and said visibility of that public project generated more inquiries. The district also described Turf Love, which pairs soil sampling and tailored lawn plans with public education events such as Turf University and Super Turf Saturday; the district works with Master Gardeners on that program.
Council members thanked the district for its outreach and programs. One council member asked how outreach to homeowners had improved; Woolsey credited a recent outreach specialist hire and local contractors who promote the program to clients. Council members posed no objections to considering an increased funding request during the budget process.
