Loudoun Soil & Water Conservation District

In May of this year, the District welcomed Charlotte DeMolay as our part-time Education Specialist. Charlotte comes to the District with an extensive background in environmental education.  She is a wonderful addition to our SWCD staff.  Charlotte has recently developed a conservation education newsletter highlighting the programs of the District , a summary of lesson plans, and other opportunities for teachers.  We hope you find this newsletter beneficial.  If you would like more information or to schedule a program, please contact Charlotte at 571-918-4530, ext. 109.

Governor McAuliffe has proclaimed September 18-22 to be SepticSmart Week throughout Virginia. https://governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/proclamations/proclamation/2017-septicsmart-week/. Proper septic system use and routine care are vital to protecting public health, preserving our groundwater, lakes, streams and waterways, and avoiding costly repairs that can result from neglect.

The Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District thought this would be an appropriate time to announce our pilot “Septic Tank Pump-Out Rebate Program”. The program will provide a $50 rebate to Loudoun landowners towards the pump-out of their septic system. A limited number of rebates are available. The landowner must have an approved application form from the District, and the pump-out must be reported to Loudoun County Health Department by an approved hauler, before the rebate can be issued.  Septic pump-outs prior to September 21, 2017 are not eligible.

The funds used to start this pilot project come from the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program, or “VCAP”. VCAP is a program of the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts which allows non-agricultural landowners the chance to receive cost share funds to install conservation practices.

For decades, Loudoun farmers have been able to take advantage of the Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost Share Program to help protect soil and water resources, and now with VCAP, suburban, urban, and other residential and business property owners are able to install practices such as rainwater harvesting, conservation landscaping, and a host of other initiatives.
Through fiscal year 2017, ten VCAP practices have been signed up which have included meadow plantings, tree plantings, rainwater harvesting systems, and a vegetated stormwater swale. The project sites have included homeowners’ lawns, as well as HOA open space parcels, and a school property.

Districts that participate in VCAP, earn $500 in technical assistance money per VCAP practice completed. The funds can be used at the District’s discretion. The Loudoun SWCD Board felt strongly about using these funds to put more money for conservation into the community. At a recent District Board meeting, the Board voted to use these funds to assist in the launch of a local septic tank pump-out project. Loudoun SWCD is appreciative of being able to make those VCAP dollars go even further for conservation on the ground in Loudoun County.

Mini-Grant funded project at Frederick Douglas Elem. School

The Loudoun Soil & Water Conservation District is offering a limited number of mini-grants of up to $500 to Loudoun County teachers. The Mini-Grants are intended for projects that integrate soil & water conservation into any curriculum.

Criteria for Mini-Grant:
Addresses soil and water conservation and environmental education objectives.
Increases awareness about natural resources.
Presents a specific, feasible plan of action to accomplish well defined, short term and long term results.
Develops new or expands use of existing educational resources.
Offers the potential to serve as a model for use in other schools or classrooms.

Funding Guidelines/Timeline:

The LSWCD Board of Directors will review mini-grant proposals and award funding to successful candidates.

Notification of grant awards will be made as soon as possible.

Grant recipients must complete the proposed project within the timeline stated in their grant proposal and recipients must submit a mid-year report by
April 13, 2018, and a final report outlining their project achievements by June 30, 2018.

Procedure to Apply:

Complete the Loudoun SWCD Mini-Grant Program application form. All applicants must use the format provided on the 2017-18 Mini-Grant Program Application Form.

ALL PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY:
5:00 PM, FRIDAY, November 17, 2017

Send the completed application form to: Loudoun SWCD, Attn: Charlotte DeMolay, Education Specialist, 30 Catoctin Circle, SE., Suite H; Leesburg, VA 20175 or email: charlotte.demolay@lswcd.org.  Proposals can also be sent through the county inter-office mail system to: Loudoun SWCD, MSC#95.

Project Funding Now Available to Homeowners!

Through the statewide Virginia Conservation Assistance Program, the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District provides financial incentives to Loudoun County homeowners and business owners to create more watershed-friendly landscapes.  Eligible practices include: conservation landscaping, rain gardens, impervious surface removal, porous pavement/pavers, cisterns, dry well, vegetated swales, bioretention, and infiltration trenches.  For more details about the program, see our VCAP fact sheet.

(l to r) Jeff Smith, Facilities & Grounds Manager; Wendy Taylor, General Manager; Kevin Turner, Board President – South Riding Proprietary; Chris Van Vlack, Conservation Technician, LSWCD; Supervisor Matt Letourneau, Dulles District; James Christian, Chairman and Chris Simmons, Vice Chairman-LSWCD.

August 13, representatives from the South Riding community, Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District, Loudoun County Government, and Dulles Supervisor Matt Letourneau gathered to celebrate the successful completion of three acres of riparian tree planting in South Riding.

The funding that Loudoun SWCD utilized to assist South Riding in planting their three acres of riparian buffer originated with the Loudoun Board of Supervisors.  The District received $70,000 to plant 10 acres of riparian area that was not eligible for planting through our state agricultural cost share program.

After the county decided not to pursue the enactment of the Chesapeake Bay Act Local Ordinance, the Board was looking for some voluntary measures that could help achieve some water quality improvements.

The Board of Supervisors  required as a condition of receiving the funds for planting that the sites planted have a Declaration of Restriction placed on them and recorded at the courthouse, insuring that the area planted would be protected from clearing.

The District worked closely with Dana Malone and Laura Edmonds from Loudoun County Government as well as Virginia Dept of Forestry Forester Bryant Bays.  Dana and Bryant created an extensive list of species that interested HOA’s and landowners could draw from to design their plantings.  The only requirement was that there be a variety of species and that there were some canopy and some understory trees included in the plantings.

In 2012 approximately six acres were planted at three sites utilizing the funds.  These sites included Exeter in Leesburg, Four Seasons condominiums in Ashburn, and Eco Village in Taylorstown.  The remaining funds were used this year to plant the three acres in South Riding, and an additional one acre on a private landowner’s property in Waterford.

All of 2012’s planting sites have been inspected and have passed their 75% survival requirement.  Although no funds remain to pursue further non-agricultural riparian planting projects currently, Loudoun SWCD stands ready to continue to the program if Loudoun County chooses to continue the program.

If you are looking to build a barn, enter into open space or agricultural land use taxation, or just want to get some ideas managing your farm, LSWCD has a new revised Conservation Farm Plan which is now more tailored to specific different types of farming operations in Loudoun.  Farm plans are required by Loudoun County for the building of barns, entering the Land-Use Tax Program,  as well as for grazing livestock on parcels under five acres.  Small acreage grazing plans are developed by the District and Loudoun Cooperative Extension to help landowners manage livestock on small properties.  Contact LSWCD at (571) 918-4530 to schedule an appointment to create a farm plan for your operation.