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Make a Difference
- Golf Course Resources
- Rain Barrel Workshops
- Rain Gardens
- Storm Drain Marking
- Automotive Repair & Food Service Establishments
- Virginia Conservation Assistance
- Chesterfield Water Trends
We encourage golf course operators to use fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals in a manner that limits the pollution that can be caused by such products. Stormwater runoff carries these pollutants to storm drains and waterways which can lead to public health risks and habitat damage. The following resources can help golf course operators manage their facilities in an environmentally sensitive manner:
Every spring we collaborate with numerous community partners to offer a popular series of rain barrel workshops. Workshop participants learn about the benefits of rain barrels and will construct their own rain barrel to take home. This is a very popular series so early registration is suggested!
Location
Chesterfield County Fairgrounds
10300 Courthouse Road
Chesterfield, VA 23832
Spring 2019 Workshop Schedule
- April 6, 10:00 A.M.
- June 15, 10:00 A.M.
Contact
Email the Environmental Outreach Coordinator for more information.
Workshop Partners
- Chesterfield Cooperative Extension Office
- James River Soil and Water Conservation District
- Virginia Department of Forestry
The Environmental Outreach Coordinator explains how to build a rain barrel on Virginia This Morning in the video below.
We encourage residents to protect waterways by employing conservation practices at home. A rain garden is like other flower gardens with one important difference – it collects and treats rain water so it will not become polluted runoff.
Workshops
We partner with county libraries and the Virginia Cooperative Extension to offer rain garden workshops. Attendees lean about design and installation and create demonstration gardens at each location. View the rain garden workshop presentation (PDF).
At Home
Most residential rain gardens can be created as a weekend project. Native plants require little maintenance and provide year-round color and habitat for wildlife such as song birds and butterflies. To learn how to create your own rain garden, download the rain garden installation and design guide (PDF).
Contact
Email the Environmental Outreach Coordinator for more information.
Do you know what happens to stormwater after it goes down the storm drain? It goes straight to the nearest creek! Encourage residents not to pollute by applying storm drain markers in neighborhoods.
These markers display the message "No Dumping" and identify the local creek that receives the runoff. This short-term project can be accomplished on your own schedule. Environmental Engineering provides all the maps, signs, and supplies to complete the project.
Contact
Email the Environmental Outreach Coordinator for more information.
We encourage restaurants and automotive repair establishments employees to conduct business in a manner that can prevent pollution from entering the storm sewer system. Stormwater runoff carries pollutants to storm drains that discharge to natural waterways without treatment, which may cause public health risks and degrade the environment.
Pollutants
Automotive repair establishment pollutants
- Antifreeze
- Battery Acid
- Detergents
- Fuel
- Metals
- Motor oil
- Paint
- Solvents
Food service establishment pollutants
- Cooking Oil
- Degreasers
- Detergents
- Disinfectants
- Food Scraps
- Grease
- Mop Water
- Trash
All of these pollutants can have an adverse impact on water quality in streams, lakes and rivers and degrade habitat for wildlife. We have developed stormwater pollution prevention and spill response plans for automotive repair and food service establishments that describe simple ways to prevent pollutants from entering into storm sewers or waterways.
Request pollution prevention plans
Request a pollution prevention plan by email for automotive repair establishments or food service establishments.
We encourage residents to protect Chesterfield County’s water resources by employing conservation practices at home. Practices such as conservation landscaping and permeable pavers reduce stormwater runoff that enters storm drains and natural waterways.
About the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP)
The Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) is an urban cost-share program that provides financial incentives and technical and educational assistance to property owners installing eligible Best Management Practices (BMPs) in Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Many practices are eligible for 75% cost share and some practices are eligible for a flat rate incentive.
Contact
Visit the James River Soil and Water Conservation District for more information and to apply for assistance.
Chesterfield WaterTrends is Chesterfield County’s official citizen water monitoring program. Volunteers perform a variety of water quality tests that gauge the overall health of the county’s waterways.
Volunteer Training
Volunteers learn to monitor a basic suite of parameters that include:
- Dissolved Oxygen
- pH
- Temperature
- Turbidity
Volunteers may also conduct bacterial monitoring. Volunteers receive an Orientation and Training Manual and monitoring equipment at no charge.
Contact
Email the environmental outreach coordinator for more information.
Resources for Current Monitors
To obtain reagent refills and replacement equipment, please email Chesterfield WaterTrends.