By Mark Debord – July 2025

Do you have an erosion issue caused by excess stormwater runoff? The Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) may be able to help. VCAP’s primary program goal is to reimburse homeowners for the cost of installing stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) that reduce nutrient and sediment runoff. As we all know, reducing the nutrients and sediments entering the lake makes a healthier water system.

Among others, BMPs under the VCAP program include conservation landscaping, green roofs, rain gardens, impervious surface removal and vegetated stormwater conveyance. Depending on the type of practice involved, VCAP can reimburse up to 80% of the costs of a program, subject to dollar limits. New construction is not eligible for VCAP funding, only retrofitting of existing conditions.

VCAP is administered through local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD). Depending on your location on the lake, you will be in the Thomas Jefferson SWCD (Louisa), Tri-County SWCD (Spotsylvania) or Culpeper SWCD (Orange).

Applications are considered on a competitive basis, and funding is limited. Once a homeowner submits an application, SWCD staff will review and determine if a site visit is appropriate. They will then work with you to determine the most appropriate BMP and help plan the design. The application then goes to the SWCD board and VCAP staff for review and approval.

For more information, please visit the VCAP page of your local SWCD. Below is a link to the home page for the VCAP program in Virginia. In addition to a description of the program and types of issues it is meant to address, it contains links to each of the local SWCDs.

Landowner Next Steps for VCAP - Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts

mark.debord@lakeannavirginia.org