Stormwater Pollution Prevention

Make a Difference

Chesterfield residents and businesses can make a positive impact protecting our waterways and preventing stormwater pollution by using best management practices at home and at work. Residents and businesses can also participate in our volunteer programs.

At-Home Best Management Practices

  1. Household Hazardous Waste and Litter

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Household Hazardous Waste and Litter

Household products that we use every day can accumulate over time and may no longer be useful. Some of them can be hazardous and cannot be disposed of in your household trash. These include oil-based paints, pesticides, herbicides, solvents, cleaners, automotive fluids and batteries. These materials need to be disposed of properly to protect your health and property and the environment.

Such materials cannot poured on the ground where rain can cause them to runoff to waterways and they can never be poured into storm drains. Chesterfield County offers free disposal services for a variety of household hazardous wastes at its convenience centers.

View more information in the managing household hazardous waste video:

View more information in the managing litter video:


  1. Pet Waste
  1. Rain Barrel Workshops
  1. Rain Gardens
  1. Virginia Conservation Assistance
  1. Washing Cars
  1. Yard and Lawn Care

Businesses Best Management Practices

  1. Automotive Repair and Food Service Establishments

Automotive Repair and Food Service Establishments

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 emailing the environmental outreach coordinator.

  1. Commercial Pesticides Application
  1. Golf Course Resources
  1. Virginia Conservation Assistance

Volunteer Opportunities

  1. Chesterfield WaterTrends

Chesterfield WaterTrends

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. View the program video.

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.

Equipment and Data Field Sheets

To obtain reagent refills and replacement equipment, please email Chesterfield WaterTrends.

Contact

Email the environmental outreach coordinator for more information.

  1. Storm Drain Marking