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Soil-and-water district offers new state cost-share program for Poquoson landowners
Summary
Robin Wolsey of the Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District briefed council on the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP), a state-funded cost-share program for stormwater best-management practices with caps up to $30,000 for living shorelines, retroactive eligibility rules, and maintenance commitments of five to ten years.
Robin Wolsey, a conservation specialist with the Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District, presented the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) and invited Poquoson landowners to apply for cost-share help addressing stormwater issues.
Wolsey said VCAP is administered through soil-and-water districts and offers financial assistance for a set of best-management practices (BMPs) that address erosion, runoff and standing water. The program most commonly funds conservation landscaping (native plants), permeable pavement for driveways and patios, and living shorelines for tidal properties. Wolsey noted the program is often retroactive: applicants must document an existing resource concern; new construction is typically ineligible except in limited cases.
VCAP payment caps Wolsey highlighted include up to $7,000 for conservation landscaping, up to $20,000 for permeable pavement projects and up to $30,000 for living shorelines. She also warned that payments above $600 are taxable income for recipients, though the program can pay contractors directly to reduce that tax burden and it can advance up to 50% of the landownercost share to cover deposits or materials. Practices generally require maintenance commitments (commonly five or ten years) and periodic inspections; the district works with applicants through site visits and the approvals process.
Wolsey encouraged interested homeowners, businesses, schools and churches to contact the district for a free site visit; final approval requires both the district board and a statewide VCAP steering committee review, though Wolsey described the turnaround as generally quick. She also noted state- and federally-owned lands are not eligible. Materials and slides from the presentation will be posted on the city's website.
Council members asked follow-up questions about bioretention features, permeable asphalt and other material types; Wolsey confirmed a number of permeable surface options are eligible and that most common installations have an underlying stone reservoir to promote infiltration.
