Virginia DEQ
Home MenuDEQ News Vol. 3 No. 7
July 10, 2024
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Tangier Island Receives Funding for Critical Environmental Projects |
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Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook Update |
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Applications Open for 2025 Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grants
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2024 Sustainability Partners Announced |
VEEP Northern Region WorkshopRead more |
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Beyond 2025 Public Feedback Opportunity |
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DEQ 101 Webinar & Interest Survey! |
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DEQ Sponsors 2024 Virginia Brownfields Conference |
Tangier Island Receives Funding for Critical Environmental Projects
DEQ recently awarded a $2.3 million grant to Tangier Island, a unique and vulnerable Chesapeake Bay community. The funds will be used to plan and implement several important environmental protection and mitigation projects. The primary project involves protecting Tangier’s only petroleum storage facility, which is exposed to flooding and will benefit from additional environmental controls to prevent petroleum spills. Additionally, the grant will fund the purchase of critical equipment and spare parts for the Town’s wastewater treatment plant. Read the press release.
Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook Update
A 30-day public comment period for VSMH Version 1.1 will begin on July 15 and end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Aug. 14. Notice of the public comment period will be published in the Virginia Register of Regulations and posted on Virginia Regulatory Town Hall. Written comments may be submitted through the Town Hall website, or by mail or email to the contact address provided with the Town Hall notice. Electronic submission of technical comments through enCodePlus (the host for Version 1.0) will not be available for VSMH Version 1.1 until it becomes effective after the 30-day public comment period.
DEQ began accepting applications, plans, specifications, and other submissions developed using the VSMH Version 1.0 and Version 4.1 of the Virginia Runoff Reduction Method (VRRM 4.1) beginning July 1, concurrent with the effective date of the Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Regulation. As previously announced, to allow time for the regulated community and other stakeholders to transition to the VSMH, where DEQ is the Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP) authority, any stormwater management plan submitted and deemed complete (9VAC25-875-110) before July 1, 2025, may use either specifications in the existing manuals, handbooks, and guidance, in conjunction with Version 3.0 of the VRRM, or the VSMH and VRRM 4.1.
Because VSMH Version 1.1 is limited to updates and technical corrections and does not include any changes to the BMP specifications, going from Version 1.0 to Version 1.1 is not expected to impact plans that have been submitted or are in progress based on VSMH Version 1.0. Learn more about the VSMH and VRRM 4.1 at our free DEQ sponsored training.
Applications Open for 2025 Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grants
DEQ is now accepting applications for 2025 Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grants. Applications must be submitted by August 31. Awarded proposals are expected to perform project activities between January 2025 and December 2025.
Volunteer water monitoring groups collect data to help inform communities about the health of our waters throughout the state. From 2015-2020, volunteer monitoring data was used to assess 3,174 miles of streams/rivers, 64 square miles of estuary, and 33,347 acres of lakes! This data helps DEQ assess the health of local waterways, as well as develop and prioritize clean up plans.
These grants can be used to purchase water quality monitoring equipment, train volunteers, pay for lab analysis costs, and promote stream monitoring efforts in locations where DEQ is not currently collecting water quality samples.
A webinar for interested applicants will be held on August 8, 2024. You can register using this link to attend the webinar, or receive a recording of the webinar if unable to attend.
For more information, visit the program webpage, email citizenwater@deq.virginia.gov, or call Meighan Wisswell at 571-866-6494.
2024 Sustainability Partners Announced
We're excited to announce this year's Virginia Environmental Excellence Program (VEEP) Sustainability Partners! The VEEP Sustainability Partners track is designed to encourage large organizations, in both the public and private sectors across Virginia, to make environmental sustainability part of their culture through leadership, innovation, and continual improvement. Organizations must demonstrate this commitment through measurable and verifiable conservation efforts, leading to direct and indirect improvements in energy usage, water usage, waste generation, and other environmental benefits. Welcome to our 2024 Sustainability
Partners:
- Alexandria Renew Enterprises
- City of Charlottesville
- Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program
- Liebherr USA Co.
- Prince William County Government
- Prince William Water
- U.S. Army Fort Gregg-Adams
- Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc.
VEEP Northern Region Workshop
Join us for a FREE workshop in Warrenton on Aug. 15 at 9 a.m. about developing and strengthening a successful Environmental Management System (EMS) and pollution prevention program. Mark your calendars and join DEQ's Office of Pollution Prevention and businesses from around the region for a day of learning and networking.
You'll hear about creating programs that encourage employee buy-in, re-energizing your EMS, DEQ regulatory requirements, and how to find pollution prevention opportunities. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together facilities that want to develop or continuously improve their EMS and pollution prevention programs.
If there’s a specific topic that you are hoping to learn more about, send an email to VEEP@DEQ.Virginia.gov.
Beyond 2025 Public Feedback Opportunity
The Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership’s Beyond 2025 Steering Committee wants to hear from YOU about the future of the Chesapeake Bay Program!
Over the past year, the Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership’s Beyond 2025 Steering Committee has worked to draft recommendations for the future of the Bay. These recommendations highlight proposed next steps for meeting the goals identified in the 2014 Watershed Agreement and beyond. The current watershed agreement and Virginia’s Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP III) guide our work through 2025, but the direction of the Partnership is uncertain beyond that point; these draft recommendations include a recommendation that the Partnership reaffirm its commitment to meet the goals of the current Agreement, as well as seek expertise to review and revise the Program’s governance structure.
That’s where you come in! There is an opportunity to provide feedback on the draft recommendations. The public feedback period runs from July 1 to August 30. All comments received will be reviewed, however you may not receive a direct response or follow-up to your submitted statement.
Find out more about how you can make your input known by clicking here.
Tips on Making & Submitting Public Feedback
Below are some helpful tips on putting together and submitting your thoughts on the draft recommendations.
How do I submit feedback?
Specific instructions on how to get your input to the Beyond 2025 Steering Committee is included in the request for public feedback, coordinated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA will be accepting comments via email to comments@chesapeakebay.net through 11:59 pm EST on Friday, Aug. 30. However, commenters are highly encouraged to submit their comments prior to that date.
What should my comment include?
Describe the nature and extent of your interest or that of people you represent. Explain how and to what extent such interest would be directly or adversely affected by the proposed recommendation you are commenting on. Where possible, include specific references to terms and conditions of the recommendation, with suggested revisions.
What are some common mistakes when providing feedback?
Submitting outside the feedback period. All comments must be received by EPA during the open feedback period. The EPA will be accepting comments via email to comments@chesapeakebay.net through 11:59 pm EST on Friday, Aug. 30. Commenters are highly encouraged to submit their comments prior to that date.
- Feedback is not specific to a proposed recommendation.
- Asking questions rather than outlining a specific flaw. Outside of an open feedback period, questions are always welcome – but questions are not considered comments during a feedback period.
- Submitting form letters rather than individual input. Organizations sometimes submit form letters to express concern about a particular recommendation or action. However, it is important to remember that the feedback process is not a vote, and specific individual comments can carry more weight than a volume of form letters. Form letters will count as a single comment, regardless of the number of letters received.
Additional Information
The public is invited to provide feedback on this draft report prepared by the Beyond 2025 Steering Committee, which reflects not only their thoughts and expertise, but also that of the many people who volunteered their time to help develop these recommendations. The report may be revised based on the received public feedback, prior to being presented to the Management Board and Principals’ Staff Committee, as established in the Governance and Management Framework for the Chesapeake Bay Program. The revised report will aid the Principals’ Staff Committee in providing recommendations to the Chesapeake Executive Council, fulfilling the charge established in October 2022. Click here for additional information on the Beyond 2025 Steering Committee.
DEQ 101 Webinar & Interest Survey!
Throughout 2024, DEQ is hosting a webinar series to share information about programs and resources available across the Commonwealth. Our next webinar will provide a general DEQ overview of its programs. These webinars are designed for a general audience and are free and open to the public. Please visit the Education Series webpage to learn more about future webinars.
Are there other topics you are interested in learning about from DEQ that you don't see listed? We want to hear from you! Please use the survey link below to send us your ideas for future webinar topics. DEQ Education Series Survey
Feel free to share the opportunity with your networks!
DEQ Sponsors 2024 Virginia Brownfields Conference
On June 25-27, DEQ sponsored the 2024 Virginia Brownfields Conference at the historic Virginian Hotel in Lynchburg. Over 150 participants attended the conference, which included a mobile workshop of brownfield sites throughout Lynchburg, a hands-on brownfield site design workshop, technical and plenary sessions, networking socials, and a keynote presentation by Adam Ortiz, Regional Administrator for EPA Region III. The event celebrated Lynchburg's successes in brownfield redevelopment such as Lynchburg Grows urban farm. The completed Voluntary Remediation Program site now provides fresh, local produce to the Lynchburg community and long-term employment opportunities. Attendees learned about both Virginia and EPA Brownfield grant investments across the Commonwealth, including highlights from an economic impact analysis of Virginia Brownfields Assistance Fund (VBAF) grant sites. The analysis demonstrated the initial VBAF investment supported two to 30 times increase in property values after redevelopment. Administrator Ortiz celebrated $2 million in new EPA grant awards for the Town of Dublin and City of Dumfries. These investments and DEQ’s ongoing efforts to support grant-funded sites and associated communities demonstrate continued commitment to revitalization efforts across the Commonwealth.
The event was a huge success thanks to the collaborative effort by the planning committee that included DEQ staff, EPA Region III partners, the City of Lynchburg Economic Development Authority, and the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center. We look forward to gathering again next year!