Will your construction site be in compliance on July 1, 2009?

The answer to this question depends on the steps you take now! All Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP) General Permits for Discharge of Stormwater from Construction Activities (DCR01) will expire on midnight of June 30, 2009; thus, if you are not prepared, your site will not be in compliance and you will be susceptible to fines.

In the past three months, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has held two votes regarding proposed changes in water quality regulations. The first vote in February 2009 recommended the voluntary adoption of the base Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act regulations over reinstating the River and Stream Corridor Overlay District. The second vote on April 7, 2009 approved the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act Work Program and Stakeholder Roundtable Participant List developed by Loudoun County Staff.

If you have a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) State Program General Permit (SPGP) that was issued prior to June 1, 2007 that is set to expire and you need more time to complete the work authorized by this permit, you will need to request a new permit.

On March 30, 2009 the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing to discuss the proposed creation of a Stormwater Service District and establishment of a tax rate on all real property within the Stormwater Service District. The proposed Stormwater District will include all of Fairfax County except for Fort Belvoir for the purposes of creating a dedicated funding source for stormwater management, which would include:

• Reinvestment in the existing stormwater systems;
• Design and construction of new systems to improve the stormwater quality; and
• Restoring County streams. 

Fairfax County has decided to take a long look at its Environmental Quality Corridor (EQC) policy to determine whether or not to allow "trade-offs" for encroachments within the EQC during the rezoning and special exception process. During the Board of Supervisors' February 23, 2009 board meeting, Chairman Bulova moved that "…staff, in conjunction with the Planning Commission, Environmental Quality Advisory Commission, and other stakeholders, conduct a thorough review of the EQC policy so that the County has a policy that remains both functional and true to the spirit of environmental preservation and restoration."

WSSI archeologists figured prominently in the preservation and protection of the Jeffrey Rockshelter and Jeffrey Village sites, earning a commendation letter for their efforts. Although WSSI archeologists spend most of their time assisting private developers and governmental agencies with regulatory compliance for cultural resources, preservation of archeological resources is also an important part of cultural resource management. This is particularly true for unique resources such as the Jeffrey Rockshelter. This rockshelter was used repeatedly as a way station by prehistoric peoples from as early as the Early Archaic period through the Late Woodland period - spanning over 10,000 years of prehistory.