Regional Initatives
- Details
- Parent Category: Content
- Category: Regional Initatives
The Central Virginia Planning District Commission has been awarded a $500,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Region 3. The 3-year grant has EPA funding committed to September 2025. This grant will be used by the CVPDC and its member partners to conduct Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), to support property reuse and remediation planning and economic development and revitalization in the region.
EPA’s Brownfields Program empowers communities and property owners to work together to assess, characterize and develop a foundation with which to plan redevelopment and reuse of properties that may have a complicated condition or history preventing use.
100% of all ESA work on eligible private property will be funded through the awarded EPA Brownfield Assessment grant. All of the CVPDC EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant funding will be expended within the CVPDC planning footprint.
Brownfields – Tell Me More
What is a Brownfield?
A brownfield is any real property, that expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. A brownfield, thus, can potentially be any property, including a residential property, where at some point, hazardous substances (e.g. pesticides, cleaning fluids) might have been used.
Is my property a brownfield?
Possibly. If you can answer yes to the following questions, you may own a brownfield.
- Is my land or property vacant, dilapidated, or less productive than it has been in the past?
- Are there concerns about contamination or other environmental conditions that are impacting the value or use of the property?
Who will conduct the Environmental Site Assessments
The CVPDC has secured the consultant services of Environmental Standards, Inc. Environmental Standards is a nationally recognized firm leading brownfield programs from the Phase I and Phase II environmental assessment through the property redevelopment phase.
Access more information about the CVPDC program and Brownfields here:
Obtain Funds for Your Property
Do you own a property in the CVPDC planning area (anywhere in Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford or Campbell County) that is underutilized, not providing financial benefit, and for some reason, has environmental or redevelopment concerns? Conducting an Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) may help. The CVPDC grant can, for program eligible properties, fund the Phase I and Phase II evaluation process.
CVPDC Brownfield Program Contacts
Central Virginia Planning District Commission (434) 818-7604
- Details
- Parent Category: Content
- Category: Regional Initatives
Three segments of the Falling River were listed on the Virginia’s 1998 303(d) Total Maximum Daily Load Priority List and a forth segment was listed on the Virginia’s 2002 303(d) Report on Impaired Waters. Each of four segments were listed impaired due to violations in the State’s water quality standard for E.coli bacteria. The total four segments, all located on the Falling River mainstream combine for a total segment length of 10.49 miles.
The TMDL study was developed by George Mason University and The Louis Berer Group Inc, Washington D.C. consulting firm and approved by EPA on July 9, 2004 and the Virginia State Water Control Board approved the study on December 2, 2004. After approval, a TMDL Implementation Plan (IP), or watershed management plan, was developed to identify corrective actions needed to meet the TMDLs water quality goal.
Completed in 2008, the Falling River Implementation Plan was developed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, in partnership with local stakeholders. The TMDL Implementation Plan (IP) for the approximate 151,150 acre Falling River watershed located in Campbell and Appomattox counties outlines activities and actions, often known as best management practices, to be taken by citizens, local governments, farmers, and land that will be necessary reduce bacteria sources of bacteria within the Falling River, the benefits of these activities, and the associated costs of implementing the activities.
Project Documents
Falling River TMDL Implementation Plan: A Plan to Reduce Bacteria in the Falling River Watershed
Falling River Implementation Plan (Bacteria TMDL) Technical Report
- Details
- Parent Category: Content
- Category: Regional Initatives
In 2007 Region 2000 Local Government Council assisted Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality, DEC, in developing a TMDL, or pollutant load, study for seven stream segments place on the Federal 303 D list of impaired waters list for E.coli bacteria. The seven streams targeted in the study included: 18.43 miles of James River; 5.37 miles of Ivy Creek; 5.9 miles of Tomahawk Creek; 3.47 miles of Burton Creek; 10.55 miles of Judith Creek; 5.45 miles of Fishing Creek; and 10.24 miles of Blackwater Creek.
Engineering Concepts, Inc., an engineering firm from Newcastle, Virginia, was hired perform the necessary hydrologic modeling and watershed analysis for the project. The TMDL study was through broad stakeholder participation.
The first project Public Meeting was held on July 17, 2006 and the second, and final Public Meeting, were the draft document was made available and began a 30 day public comment period, was held on May 3, 2007. The TMDL was submitted to EPA for review on September 7, 2007 and approved by EPA on December 4, 2007.
Project Documents
Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load Development for the James River Basin, 2007
Amendment to the TMDL document titled, Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load Development for the James River Basin (submitted to VADEQ August 2007)
- Details
- Parent Category: Content
- Category: Regional Initatives
In 2011 DEQ completed James River and Tributaries TMDL Implementation Plan: A Plan to Reduce Bacteria in the James River and its Tributary Watershed. The IP, or comprehensive watershed management plan to reduce sources of E.coli bacteria in a number of streams which drain from portions Bedford, Campbell, and Amherst counties and the City of Lynchburg. The IP, presents a menu of actions or activities, commonly referred to as Best Management Practices (BMPs), that when implemented over time will assist in meeting water quality standards. The Implementation Plan (IP) presents a menu of BMPs, a description and benefit of the BMPs, an overview of the local partners and stakeholders that will be instrumental in implementing identified land and water management practices, a timeline to achieve measurable water quality goals, and the associated costs of implementing identified activities. Examples of BMPs include activities such as repairing failing septic tanks, ensuring regular pump out of septic tanks, fencing livestock from access to streams, and establishing vegetated buffers along streams.
The eights streams portions include: 18.43 miles of James River, 5.37 miles of Ivy Creek, 5.9 miles of Tomahawk Creek, 3.47 miles of Burton Creek, 10.55 miles of Judith Creek, 5.45 miles Fishing Creek, 10.24 miles of Blackwater Creek, and 8.5 miles Beaver Creek.
MapTech Incorporated, Blacksburg, Virginia, developed the IP under local stakeholder guidance. The James River IP was initiated as a result of a MDL, or pollutant load study, on a number of the same streams in 2007.
The James River Implementation Plan was initiated as a result of a TMDL, or pollutant load study, on a number of the same streams in 2007.
Project Documents
James River at Lynchburg Implementation Plan (Bacteria TMDL) Technical Report
- Details
- Parent Category: Content
- Category: Regional Initatives
The Local Government Councils continually seeks ways to “…promote the orderly and efficient development of the physical, social and economic elements of the district by planning, and encouraging and assisting localities to plan for the future.” The Council often coordinates studies and formulates plans that are most often created with input from citizens, business owners, local officials and other stakeholders intended to strengthen the region. Such efforts can, and many do, greatly assist local governments in their own future planning, create opportunities for significant economic opportunities for the region’s businesses and its citizens, and provide cost savings to local governments in planning and program implementation.
- Details
- Parent Category: Content
- Category: Regional Initatives
Virginia Chesapeake Bay Phase III Watershed Implementation Plans (WIP)
Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) serve as a roadmap for how the Chesapeake Bay states and the District of Columbia, in collaboration with federal and local governments, will achieve the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Recently, the Bay states partnered with local stakeholders to develop the third phase of their WIPs.
The Phase III WIPs include updates to state and federal strategies and the identification of new pollutant reduction strategies, with a strong emphasis on sustained local engagement.
In Virginia, the TMDL mandates a 20.5% reduction in nitrogen, a 25.2% reduction in phosphorus, and a 20.8% reduction in sediment entering the bay. The goal is to implement cleanup practices, known as best management practices (BMPs), by 2025 in order to achieve a clean Chesapeake Bay and local waterways that meet established water quality standards. For additional information, you can access the Chesapeake Bay Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP).
CVPDC Partners with DEQ to Advance Chesapeake Bay Phase III WIP
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has contracted CVPDC to coordinate the region’s Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP). The CVPDC is working in partnership with the Virginia DEQ and other stakeholders to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads affecting the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). This collaboration involves providing educational resources to the region and offering technical assistance to local governments and other stakeholders.
2025 Water Relief Mini Grant Program
The CVPDC Water Relief Mini Grant is a reimbursement grant program that offers up to $4,500 in funding for the completion of ready-to-implement Best Management Practices (BMP) projects to improve water quality and reduce runoff in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Funding is available to localities and organizations within the four-county CVPDC region within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until June 30, 2025, or until all grant funds have been exhausted. Projects must be fully completed by December 31, 2025, to qualify for reimbursement.
The 2025 Water Relief Grant Guide: This guide details the grant's goals, requirements, eligible activities and timeline.
Download the 2025 Water Relief Grant Application:Submit the application and requested attachments to Deputy Planner Kelly Hitchcock at kelly.hitchcock@cvpdc.org. Important grant deadlines are below:
- Monday, June 30, 2025 – Final day to submit applications.
- Tuesday, December 31, 2025 – Project construction must be completed.
- Wednesday, January 7, 2026 – Project Completion Report submission deadline.
Grant Materials
2025 Water Relief Grant Application
2025 DEQ Webinar Series
The Virginia DEQ hosts free educational webinars throughout the year to share information about programs and resources available across the Commonwealth. Details and registration for each upcoming webinar can be found on the DEQ’s website under Education Series.
Upcoming Webinar
2019 CVPDC WIP Activities
DEQ Host BMP Warehouse Training Webinar – June 17, 2019
DEQ led a training webinar designed to introduce to local staff and citizens information on the DEQ BMP Warehouse, a tool that records programs, activities to reduce pollutant loads.
Region 2000 (PDC 11) WIP III Workbook - from CAST (August 2018)
2018 CVPDC WIP Activities
See Content Archives for Meeting and Presentation documents.
- Details
- Parent Category: Content
- Category: Regional Initatives
The CVPDC works with its member localities and local stakeholders to facilitate conversation, planning and projects that advance the responsible stewardship of our region’s natural land and water resources. We provide assistance ranging from facilitation and communication with local and state agencies, assist with project compliance, facilitate region-wide water quality supply planning, stormwater management planning, and stream and watershed planning and implementation studies to achieve resource quality goals.
Watershed Planning
The CVPDC has facilitated and provided guidance in a number of watershed projects including, development of studies and plans to restore and maintain water quality within local, regional, and state waterways.
Developing a strategy to restore identified substandard or “dirty” streams to required water quality standards begins with the development of the TMDL study. A TMDL is a numerical measure of a particular pollutant load a water body can hold and still meet water quality standards. After a TMDL has been developed, a strategy to meet the water quality measure, or a TMDL Implementation Plan (IP) is developed. A TMDL IP is a summation of activities or actions that over time will assist in meeting water quality standards.
TMDLs and TMDL Implementation Plans are developed through an extensive public outreach and stakeholder coalition process that include local citizens, farmers, local government officials and staff, and local and state agencies.
Currently the CVPDC, along with PDCs across the Commonwealth, is partnering with DEQ to advance strategies to meet the Commonwealth’s Chesapeake Bay Phase III WIP nutrient reduction goals. Throughout 2019 CVPDC will lead activities.
Past TMDL projects include:
-
James River and Tributaries Lynchburg, VA Bacterial TMDL Revision
-
James River and Tributaries Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation Plan
-
Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load Development for the James River Basin
Infrastructure Planning & Development
The CVPDC assist in both regional and locality water and wastewater planning and project implementation
Region 2000 Water Supply Plan
In compliance with the State Water Control Board’s regulation 9 VAC 25-780, Local and Regional Water Supply Planning, the Region 2000 Local Government Council Water Supply Plan (Plan), revised in April 2011, is a functional sustainable water supply plan that supports growth and economic development. The regulation establishes a comprehensive water supply planning process for the development of local, regional and state water supply initiatives. The plan was developed to:
- Ensure adequate and safe drinking water is available to residents throughout the region;
- Encourage, promote, and protect other beneficial uses of the region’s water supply;
- Encourage, promote and develop initiatives for alternative water sources; and
- Promote conservation.
REGIONAL WATER SUPPLY PLAN
Links for Additional Information
- Details
- Parent Category: Content
- Category: Regional Initatives
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires localities develop and maintain a plan that examines the risk and impact of natural disasters and establishes strategies to mitigate, or lessen, human and property impacts. To ensure FEMA mitigation grant fund eligibility, the mitigation plan must be updated every five years.
Regional Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Plan
The Central Virginia PDC region, through grant funding provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) and area localities, has updated the region’s pre-disaster or Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act requires that a pre-disaster or mitigation plan be developed and adopted as a condition for eligibility for federal pre-disaster and some post-disaster funding.
Mitigation is defined as “the action of lessening in severity or intensity”. The Draft Central Virginia Planning District Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies area susceptibility to hazards (e.g. flooding, severe weather), establishes goals and objectives, and presents strategies, or actions, that can be taken to lessen hazard impacts and build community resilience. The CVPDC contracted with the Virginia Tech Center for Geospatial Information Technology (CGIT) to guide the pre-disaster planning effort. The CGIT team, which includes contribution by SOBIS, Inc, in partnership with local stakeholders or Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to develop the pre-hazard mitigation plan.
Learn More About Hazard Mitigation Planning
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Planning
Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM)
For more information contact Kelly Hitchcock
Related Documents
2012 Region 2000 hazard Mitigation Plan
Region 2000 Hazard Mitigation Plan
FEMA Approved November 11, 2012
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
Community Profiles
Planning Process
Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA)
Mitigation
Implementation and Plan Maintenance
Appendices
- Details
- Parent Category: Content
- Category: Regional Initatives
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires localities develop and maintain a plan that examines the risk and impact of natural disasters and establishes strategies to mitigate, or lessen, human and property impacts. To ensure FEMA mitigation grant fund eligibility, the mitigation plan must be updated every five years.
Region Undergoing Hazard Mitigation Plan Update
The CVPDC has contracted with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) and area localities to update the region’s Hazard Mitigation Plan update. The plan that will identify and rate potential hazards and establish hazard and locality-specific mitigation activities to reduce human and property impact. Funding for this project is provided by VDEM, FEMA, and CVPDC localities.
The CVPDC has contracted with the Virginia Tech Center for Geospatial Information Technology (CGIT) to guide the pre-disaster planning effort. The CGIT team, which includes contribution by SOBIS, Ince, in partnership with the Hazard Mitigation TAC will coordinate to develop the pre-hazard mitigation plan.
Hazard Mitigation Plan Update: A Public Input Strategy
A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), comprised of local and state emergency, planning, resource management professionals, business, college, agency, and VDEM staff, and local citizens will coordinate to review and evaluate data, develop strategies, and guide the plan development. The pre-disaster plan will be developed through a public process.
Public Meeting Webinar: June 25, 2020
Participate to learn about the pre-disaster plan, hazard data and resource information for our area, review draft regional mitigation strategies, and learn how to view and provide comment.
Draft Regional Hazard Mitigation Strategies
These represent a summary of a menu of strategies, or actions, that can serve as the foundation by which area localities will establish individual locality mitigation actions. Residents may provide comments on the goals, objectives, and strategies to Kelly Hitchcock by July 10, 2020.
CVPDC Hazard Mitigation Plan Draft Plan & Website
The Draft CVPDC Hazard Mitigation Plan website will be available to the public in late July. Please check back at this page at that time for updates. The CVPDC HMP website will allow for interactive viewing of the full draft plan and individual chapters, regional hazard data and vulnerability maps, the planning process, the regional and individual locality pre-disaster mitigation strategies, and the planning overview and guidance process individual hazard maps, data.
Learn More About Hazard Mitigation Planning
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Planning
Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM)
For more information contact Kelly Hitchcock
Related Documents
2012 Region 2000 hazard Mitigation Plan
Region 2000 Hazard Mitigation Plan
FEMA Approved November 11, 2012
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
Community Profiles
Planning Process
Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA)
Mitigation
Implementation and Plan Maintenance
Appendices
