General Assembly:
“Concerning stormwater, the House provides $38 million from
the Virginia Public Building Authority (VPBA) for the stormwater grant program
contingent upon the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) providing a grant
to improve statewide digital orthography files (state mapping). The Senate
shifts the $20.0 million in VPBA bond funding from the second to the first year
and amends language to more clearly focus local stormwater grants on implementation
of local best management practice capital projects.
The Senate also includes just over $31.4 million for
agriculture best practices and $2 million for maintenance for SWCD district
dams. It includes language requiring local governments imposing a stormwater
utility fee to provide an annual report to DEQ on the programs being funding by
the fee and the nutrient and sediment reductions expected to be accomplished by
the programs. The Senate also directs a review of stormwater management program
fee structure.
The Senate provides $2 million for the Dam Safety Program to
address repairs needed for certain flood control dams maintained by Soil and
Water Conservation Districts. The House reduces dam funding by over $1 million.
A House budget amendment provides $300,000 each year to
support the eradication of hydrilla on Lake Anne, Lake Gaston and Smith
Mountain Lake.”
~ David Blount, TJPDC
Legislative Liaison
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