On behalf of the State Water Control Board, the Department is presenting its revised Guidelines for the Agricultural BMP Loan Program for public review and comment. The public review and comment period will end on October 30, 2020.

In order to reduce agriculture non-point source pollution of Virginia’s waters, the Virginia General Assembly in its 1999 session amended Chapter 22 of the Code of Virginia by adding § 62.1-229.1 which expanded the activities of the Virginia Water Facilities Revolving Fund (the Fund) to the Commonwealth’s agricultural producers for implementation of specific agricultural best management practices. This Code section was amended in 2019 to add a grant funding option, to expand eligible applicants, and to expand eligible practices to include riparian buffers and renovation, improvement or equipping of facilities and the Department updated the Program Guidelines to incorporate these code changes last year. After implementing the guidelines for over a year, the Department has identified additional opportunities to improve the program and has updated the Program Guidelines to incorporate those improvements.

The draft Program Guidelines are now available for public review and comment at: https://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/CleanWaterFinancingAssistance/AgriculturalBMP.aspx.

Comments should be emailed to CWFAP@deq.virginia.gov or mailed to:

Clean Water Financing and Assistance Program

Department of Environmental Quality

PO Box 1105

Richmond, VA 23218

Questions should be directed to the contact person below.