Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook Update  Read more
	NEW! Environmental Permitting Guide for Economic Development in Virginia Read more
	Credit Card Payment Option Now Available! Read more
	Last Call for 2025 Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grants Read more
	Beyond 2025 Public Feedback Opportunity  Read more
	DEQ 101 Webinar & Interest Survey! Read more
	The More You Know: Solar Panel Best Practices Read more
	Tips to Keep Your Underground Storage Tanks Safe with EPA’s Tank Flood Guide Read more
	DEQ Receives Millions in CPRG Grants From EPA Read more
	Nansemond Indian Nation Removes Abandoned Vessel from Tribal Property Read more
	Pollinator Smart Program Encourages Pollinator-Friendly Solar Read more

Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook Update 

The Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook (VSMH) provides information on stormwater management, including erosion and sediment control, and offers guidance for implementing water quality and quantity criteria outlined in the Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Regulation (9VAC25-875). DEQ, after public comment and review, has made Version 1.1 of the VSMH effective as of Aug. 21. Version 1.1 makes technical corrections and updates to Version 1.0 and can be found here.

The Technical Review Committee met on Aug. 12 to maintain the Handbook as a “living document” as per section 1.4.2 of the VSMH and work continues on Version 1.2. The principal purposes of the committee are to study and review subjects that present technical problems, review comments from Handbook users, develop recommendations for action, and advise DEQ.   

A full list of revisions and the VSMH Version 1.1 PDF are available under the “Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook, Version 1.1” banner on the DEQ website.

NEW! Environmental Permitting Guide for Economic Development in Virginia

There are many reasons why Virginia is #1 for business - and that includes DEQ's commitment to providing easy-to-follow information on environmental permitting. With DEQ's newly released "Environmental Permitting Guide for Economic Development in Virginia," you can find information on permit timelines, permit thresholds, and descriptions of which permits are applicable to your project. 

Credit Card Payment Option Now Available!

Did you know that you can now pay DEQ bills and fees online? Our new online payment system is live and accepting payments! The simple system just requires you to provide your account and/or permit number and accepts credit cards as a method of payment. If you need details for making a payment, please give DEQ a call at 804-698-4000. 

Last Call for 2025 Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grants

DEQ is still accepting applications for 2025 Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grants. Applications must be submitted by August 31. Awarded proposals are expected to perform project activities between January 2025 and December 2025.  
 
Volunteer water monitoring groups collect data to help inform communities about the health of our waters throughout the state. From 2015-2020, volunteer monitoring data was used to assess 3,174 miles of streams/rivers, 64 square miles of estuary, and 33,347 acres of lakes! This data helps DEQ assess the health of local waterways, as well as develop and prioritize clean-up plans. 
 
These grants can be used to purchase water quality monitoring equipment, train volunteers, pay for lab analysis costs, and promote stream monitoring efforts in locations where DEQ is not currently collecting water quality samples. For more information, visit the program webpage, email citizenwater@deq.virginia.gov, or call Meighan Wisswell at 571-866-6494. 

Beyond 2025 Public Feedback Opportunity

Below are some helpful tips on putting together and submitting your thoughts on the draft recommendations. 

How do I submit feedback?
Specific instructions on how to get your input to the Beyond 2025 Steering Committee are included in the request for public feedback, coordinated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA will be accepting comments via email to comments@chesapeakebay.net through 11:59 pm EST on Friday, Aug. 30. However, commenters are highly encouraged to submit their comments prior to that date.  

What should my comment include?  
Describe the nature and extent of your interest or that of people you represent. Explain how and to what extent such interest would be directly or adversely affected by the proposed recommendation you are commenting on. Where possible, include specific references to terms and conditions of the recommendation, with suggested revisions. 

What are some common mistakes when providing feedback?  

• Submitting outside the feedback period. All comments must be received by EPA during the open feedback period. The EPA will be accepting comments via email to comments@chesapeakebay.net through 11:59pm EST on Friday, Aug. 30. Commenters are highly encouraged to submit their comments prior to that date. 
• Feedback is not specific to a proposed recommendation. 
• Asking questions rather than outlining a specific flaw. Outside of an open feedback period, questions are always welcome – but questions are not considered comments during a feedback period. 
• Submitting form letters rather than individual input. Organizations sometimes submit form letters to express concern about a particular recommendation or action. However, it is important to remember that the feedback process is not a vote, and specific individual comments can carry more weight than a volume of form letters. Form letters will count as a single comment, regardless of the number of letters received. 

DEQ 101 Webinar & Interest Survey!

Throughout 2024, DEQ is hosting a webinar series to share information about programs and resources available across the Commonwealth. Our next webinar on Aug. 27 will provide a general DEQ overview of its programs. These webinars are designed for a general audience and are free and open to the public. Please visit the Education Series webpage to learn more about future webinars.  
 
Are there other topics you are interested in learning about from DEQ that you don't see listed? We want to hear from you! Please use the survey link below to send us your ideas for future webinar topics. DEQ Education Series Survey 
 
Feel free to share the opportunity with your networks! 

Link to Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1639095199522147421   

The More You Know: Solar Panel Best Practices

Today, Virginia generates about seven percent of its electricity from renewable energy. This growing industry provides clean energy for Virginia residents. Do you have questions about solar panel developments or what happens to the panels once they've exhausted their use? American Clean Power has provided helpful information sheets on the safety of solar panels in communities and best practices for the recycling and disposal of decommissioned solar panels. 

Tips to Keep Your Underground Storage Tanks Safe with EPA’s Tank Flood Guide

Tropical Storm Debby may have passed, but the 2024 hurricane season is still well underway and could potentially bring future flooding impacts to Virginia. Please take some time to review the EPA's Underground Storage Tank Flood Guide (also contains tips for Aboveground Storage Tanks). It includes information about preparing your facility for flooding, and what to do if your facility were to flood.

If you observe a significant pollution incident that presents an imminent threat to human health or the environment, report the pollution incident to the local 911 and to the Virginia Emergency Operations Center at 1-800-468-8892.

DEQ Receives Millions in CPRG Grants From EPA

On July 22, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded DEQ a $99.9 million grant and a $421 million multi-state coalition grant through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program.  

“Priority Methane Reduction Projects in Virginia” is a coalition grant with the Virginia Department of Energy (Virginia Energy) that will fund three programs to undertake greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and comprehensively reduce methane emissions from targeted sources across the Commonwealth. 

Program 1 is an $80.8 million subaward to Virginia Energy to implement coal mine methane capture and re-use. This program aims to work with an existing active network of coal mines or abandoned mine properties in Southwest Virginia that either do not have capture technologies or would be upgrading technology for improved capture. After sites are selected and permitted, a competitive process will be held to select a subrecipient/contractor to install the coal mine methane project(s). DEQ, Virginia Energy, and the subrecipient/contractor will conduct regular community outreach and data reporting throughout program implementation. 

Program 2 is a $9.6 million award to DEQ to establish a state program to reduce methane emissions from Virginia landfills through capture and/or beneficial use systems. DEQ will provide 1-3 competitive grants to landfill sites. Sites already identified by EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program as high-potential candidates for future projects and landfill projects in federally designated Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities will be prioritized for consideration. This program will benefit historically marginalized communities through improved air quality, clean energy use, offset energy costs for municipalities, creation of quality construction and maintenance jobs, and generation of a new revenue source for facilities in these communities.  

Program 3 is a $9.6 million award to DEQ to invest in edible food recovery and composting programs to offset the amount of food waste going into Virginia’s landfills. DEQ will provide 15-20 competitive grants to colleges, universities, and Commonwealth agencies, including funding for two distinct program requirements within each grant: an Edible Food Project and a Food Waste Composting Project. In addition to reducing landfill emissions, this program will improve food availability, food affordability, consumer awareness, and soil health. 

The second award, totaling $421,238,074, will fund a four-state coalition led by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. This coalition will allocate funds to the Maryland Department of the Environment, the South Carolina Office of Resilience, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and Virginia DEQ. DEQ will receive $50,000,000 to protect and restore wetlands and forests on natural and working lands, with these projects being implemented by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and the Virginia Port Authority, with an aside for projects on tribal lands. $47,237,677 of TNC’s funds will be used to implement additional carbon sequestration projects in Virginia. 

For more information about our CPRG application, you can visit our CPRG webpage here. 

Nansemond Indian Nation Removes Abandoned Vessel from Tribal Property

DEQ’s Virginia Coastal Zone Management (Virginia CZM) Program is proud to promote the success of the Nansemond Indian Nation in recently removing an abandoned and derelict vessel (ADV) from their Tribal headquarters at Mattanock in Suffolk. The multi-step project was facilitated through collaboration between the Tribe, Virginia CZM, Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), and the Elizabeth River Project.  

Before the vessel was removed on July 9, partners first needed to track down the last known owner of the vessel before the Tribe could file for ownership. The Tribe then secured state funds to cover the costs of removing the vessel, which also required environmental permits. Virginia CZM staff were able to guide the Tribe through each step of the removal process. Obtaining funding for removal and disposal was the most critical step in the process. The Tribe, eligible for VMRC’s Abandoned or Derelict Vessel Program, secured $26,000 for vessel removal.

For the Tribe, the removal of an eyesore that had for many years impacted the viewshed of the Mattanock property was significant in demonstrating their commitment to environmental stewardship. The vessel had been abandoned in a tidal marsh along the Nansemond River, impacting benthic inhabitants such as oysters and likely leaking fuel undetected over the years.

Pollinator Smart Program Encourages Pollinator-Friendly Solar

The emerging solar power industry holds in its hands an extraordinary opportunity as decision-makers, engineers, and designers consider the impact of their facilities on the landscape. Expertly crafted mixes of native plants can transform a solar facility into a thriving ecosystem that supports pollinator species, birds, and other wildlife, while enhancing facility economic efficiencies. 

DEQ and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation have developed the Virginia Pollinator-Smart Program, an ecologically responsible program to encourage pollinator-friendly solar energy developments throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Learn more about the benefits of native plants on solar sites.