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Get help with water-related issues from Conservation Assistance Program

Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District is now accepting site visit requests for both the Conservation Assistance Program (CAP) and the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP). Do you have a drainage and erosion problem? Are you interested in improving water quality in local watersheds and the Chesapeake Bay? Funding may be available for you to pursue these types of environmental projects at your home, Homeowners’ Association, or place of worship.

See details here to see if you qualify for either the Conservation Assistance Program or the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program.

Seven Myths About Rain Gardens

A rain garden is a great way to handle runoff on your property, but it is important to do it right. Rain gardens serve the dual purpose of improving landscape aesthetics and draining stormwater in an environmentally friendly and natural way. Whether you are planning to install a rain garden at home or simply curious about the process, Fairfax County’s Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District teaches about some common myths and misconceptions about rain gardens.

Lead a storm drain education project

Volunteering to lead a storm drain labeling project is a fun way to give back to the community and help protect our natural world. Each project focuses on a neighborhood, informing people who live there about the dangers of dumping anything into a storm drain. Storm drain labeling is an effective, low-cost method of educating residents about water quality problems in our streams, lakes, rivers and the Bay. The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District is currently recruiting volunteers to lead storm drain labeling projects. Click here for more information.

July Green Breakfast: The Revitalize, Restore, Replant Program

Join the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District for a hot buffet breakfast and an illuminating talk by ecologists from Fairfax County’s Stormwater Planning Division. They will discuss their Revitalize, Restore, Replant Program, an initiative to turn schoolyard stormwater management facilities into hands-on, outdoor classrooms. The cost is $10, payable at the door. Cash preferred and no RSVP needed.

Location: Brion’s Grille, 10621 Braddock Road, Fairfax, in the University Shopping Mall

Saturday, 14 July 2018

8:30 – 10 am

Green Breakfast: Harnessing the Power of Stormwater: Micro-turbines in GMU Storm Drains

Saturday, 10 March, 8.30am
Brion’s Grille, 10621 Braddock Rd, Fairfax, VA 22032
Get ready to look at stormwater in a totally different way.  George Mason University’s Dr. Jennifer Sklarew, of the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, and STEAM Undergraduates for Renewable Energy will be placing two hydropower micro-turbines in the stormwater network on GMU’s Fairfax campus. Coupling the turbines with battery storage, the project will analyze the potential for small-scale clean power applications on a university campus, for use in cell phone charging stations and emergency lighting. This project will contribute to Mason’s sustainability goals and it is hoped that the lessons learned from this project can create other uses for this renewed energy source in other ways.
Dr. Jennifer Sklarew, George Mason University Department of Environmental Science and Policy
Nathan Moravitz, President, GMU’s STEAM Undergraduates for Renewable Energy