City of Charlottesville Receives Federal Grant from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to Conduct Stormwater Management Study

Charlottesville, Virginia - The City of Charlottesville announced today that it has received a $35,000 federal grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to conduct a stormwater management study, Stormwater Stewardship on Public Lands. The City hopes to start the study by next year. The Study will examine City-owned properties, particularly parkland and public school campuses, and develop strategies for the implementation of innovative stormwater management techniques. Many of these public lands contain large buildings and other infrastructure improvements with impervious surfaces, such as streets, roofs and parking lots, which significantly contribute to the volume and quality of stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff can carry pollutants such as sediment, heavy metals, excess nutrients, pesticides, fertilizers, trash, pet and animal waste, oils, and greases that can harm local and state water quality. Since the City’s storm drains do not connect to water treatment facilities but into untreated local waterways, pollutants are carried along with stormwater runoff directly into local creeks, streams, the Rivanna River, then via the James River into the Chesapeake Bay. The Study will focus on stormwater management techniques that aim to improve water quality through the removal of pollutants, increase groundwater recharge, and decrease stormwater volume and velocity. In addition, the Study will include recommendations for public education and outreach opportunities on water quality and stormwater issues that will educate the general public, school children, City neighborhoods, and the development community.

The project will be a collaboration between the City’s Environmental Office, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Neighborhood Development Services, and Charlottesville City Schools. Other community partners in the project include the University of Virginia’s Institute for Environmental Negotiation, Albemarle County’s Water Resources Department, the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District, the Rivanna Regional Stormwater Education Partnership, and the Rivanna Conservation Society. The Stormwater Stewardship on Public Lands study will continue to advance the City’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability.