Virginia Stormwater Management Program

Virginia Stormwater Management Program
Name	Virginia Stormwater Management Program
Formation	1992
Jurisdiction	Commonwealth of Virginia
Headquarters	Richmond, Virginia
Parent agency	Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Contents

Virginia Stormwater Management Program The Virginia Stormwater Management Program provides statewide stormwater policy and implementation under the Clean Water Act, administered by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and coordinated with localities such as Richmond, Virginia, Norfolk, Virginia, Fairfax County, Virginia, and Henrico County, Virginia. It integrates technical standards from the Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook with regulatory authorities including the Virginia Administrative Code, the Chesapeake Bay Program, the Environmental Protection Agency, and state statutes like the Virginia Stormwater Management Act. The program affects infrastructure planning in jurisdictions including Alexandria, Virginia, Arlington County, Virginia, Loudoun County, Virginia, and regional bodies such as the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.

Overview

The program sets statewide stormwater criteria while coordinating with municipal actors such as the City of Virginia Beach, City of Roanoke, City of Charlottesville, and county governments including Prince William County, Virginia, Suffolk, Virginia, and Chesterfield County, Virginia. It aligns with federal initiatives from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, regional partnerships like the Chesapeake Bay Program, and multistate agreements involving Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Key implementing documents reference technical guidance from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, engineering standards promoted by the American Society of Civil Engineers, and conservation programs operated by organizations such as the Nature Conservancy and Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Regulation occurs through provisions in the Virginia Administrative Code and permits issued under the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System administered by the Environmental Protection Agency and delegated to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Local ordinances in places like Alexandria, Virginia, Williamsburg, Virginia, and Fredericksburg, Virginia implement site plan review consistent with state laws including the Stormwater Management Act of Virginia and coordinate with agencies such as the Department of Transportation (Virginia), the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, and metropolitan planning organizations like the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

Components include technical manuals such as the Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook, best management practices adopted by the American Society of Landscape Architects, green infrastructure projects in jurisdictions like Norfolk, Virginia and Richmond, Virginia, low-impact development methods promoted by the U.S. Green Building Council, and retrofit programs coordinated with utilities such as Dominion Energy (Virginia). Practices range from bioretention and permeable pavement used in Charlottesville, Virginia to constructed wetlands and stream restoration implemented by the Tidewater Soil and Water Conservation District and the James River Association.

Implementation involves reviews by local agencies including Fairfax County, Virginia planning staff, inspections by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and enforcement actions that reference precedents from cases in federal courts such as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Coordination occurs with infrastructure agencies such as the Virginia Department of Transportation, regional authorities like the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, and municipal departments of public works in Suffolk, Virginia and Newport News, Virginia. Enforcement tools mirror administrative actions used by the Environmental Protection Agency and civil remedies litigated in state courts such as the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Funding derives from state appropriations overseen by the Virginia General Assembly, grants via the Environmental Protection Agency, loans from the Virginia Resources Authority, and incentive programs administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Local funding mechanisms include stormwater utility fees adopted in Alexandria, Virginia, Norfolk, Virginia, and Portsmouth, Virginia, capital improvement budgets in counties like Loudoun County, Virginia, and federal funding through programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Monitoring is conducted through water quality monitoring networks coordinated by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, citizen science projects hosted by the James River Association and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and academic research from institutions such as the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion University, and the College of William & Mary. Outcomes are evaluated against Chesapeake Bay nutrient reduction targets set by the Chesapeake Bay Program and compliance metrics reported to the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Geological Survey. Adaptive management draws on studies published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and modeling by regional entities like the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

Origins trace to state responses to federal water quality mandates established by the Clean Water Act and subsequent state legislation in the early 1990s, coordinated with multistate efforts such as the Chesapeake Bay Agreement and technical assistance from agencies including the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior. Major milestones include revisions to the Virginia Administrative Code in the 1990s and 2000s, incorporation of Chesapeake Bay nutrient reduction commitments, and modernization influenced by academic research from Virginia Tech and policy analyses by the Virginia Office of the Attorney General and the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget.