Inspiring Personal Responsibility for our Environment and Natural Resources.
The Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District (PWSWCD or District) is focused on protecting and enhancing our water and soil resources by providing leadership in the conservation of soil, water, and related resources to all Prince William County citizens through technical assistance, information, and education.
Services
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Free Technical Assistance for Traditional Ag. and Horse Farms
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Conservation Plans
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Nutrient Management Plans
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Soil Sampling
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State Cost-Share/ Tax-Credit Programs
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Conservation Capsules (Classroom Education)
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Farm Field Days
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Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE)
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Arbor Day
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Adopt-A-Stream
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Water Quality Monitoring
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Floatables Monitoring
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Plastic Pollution
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VCAP (Applications are now open!)
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Gardener's Gold
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Pollinators Corner
Want to show support for water quality projects? Then check out the Chesapeake Bay License Plate! Click here for an application.
News & Upcoming Events
Latest Newsletter - Summer 2019
Annual Report for FY 2019:
July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019
Calendar: Board Dates and Upcoming Events (Updated 12/19/19)
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Disaster Declaration for Prince William: If your agriculture land was impacted by the 2019 drought, there is assistance available
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Prince William Drinking Water Clinic
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POSTPONED
Find out what's in your well water!
Date To Be Determined
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Youth Conservation Camp
Applications due April 15
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Cost Share: Looking for applicants!
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VCAP: APPLICATION PERIOD IS OPEN until April 30, 2020.
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Nutrient Management: A Message for Producers: Important info. on protecting the Chesapeake Bay
Interested in Volunteering? Click here!
Is this a District Question?
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We get lots of questions every day and we want to make sure you are guided in the right direction!
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For services the District provides, click here. This will tell you who from District staff can help you out!
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For services the District does not provide, click here. If your question is not on the list, contact any of us and we'll do our best to help!
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Got questions, but not in Prince William County (or City of Manassas)? Click here for information on how to contact your local soil & water conservation district!
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Disaster Declaration for Prince William County
Prince William County is now part of the Disaster Declaration for Virginia due to the drought that began on August 1, 2019. Click here for more information.
For more information on agriculture disaster assistance, go to https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/disaster-assistance-program/disaster-designation-information/index .
2020 VCE - Prince William Drinking Water Clinic
Do you know what’s in your well water?
Public water supplies are tested daily for contaminants but most private water supplies, like wells, are rarely tested. Well owners are encouraged test their water at least annually for bacteria and nitrates. Regular well testing allows you detect and correct problems early.
The Virginia Household Water Quality Program (VHWQP) tests water samples for iron, manganese, nitrate, lead, arsenic, fluoride, sulfate, pH, total dissolved solids, hardness, sodium, copper, total coliform bacteria and E.coli bacteria. All for the low cost of $65.
The Water Clinic has been POSTPONED. Stay tuned for future date.
Youth Conservation Camp 2020
For over 40 years, the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (VASWCD) has sponsored a week long summer conservation camp for Virginia high school students (currently enrolled in grades 9-12) on the campus of Virginia Tech. The program brings together about 70 interested students for a week of learning about Virginia’s natural resources from conservation professionals and faculty from Virginia Tech. Most of the instruction is hands-on and outdoors.
This year, the Youth Conservation Camp will be from Sunday, July 12 - Saturday, July 18, 2020.
For a 2020 Youth Conservation Camp application, click here.
Applications are due to the District by April 15th and can be dropped off or mailed to:
PWSWCD
Attn: Conservation Camp
8850 Rixlew Lane
Manassas, VA 20109
You can also e-mail your applications to education@pwswcd.org.
Cost Share Projects
Cost Share funding is available from the District! These funds provide financial assistance for agricultural landowners and operators to implement best management practices on their properties in order to improve soil and water quality. If you have a natural resources concern on your farm, now is the time to talk with district staff about developing a plan to address these concerns! We can provide cost-share funding for practices to address:
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soil erosion on crop and pasture land
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exclude livestock from waterways
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implement nutrient management plans
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adopt new precision nutrient application technology
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establish tree plantings or vegetated buffers along streams
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plant cover crops
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construct manure storage facilities
In order to qualify for cost-share, your farm must meet the following:
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Property has/had a water quality concern (e.g. livestock has/had access to a waterway, no manure storage system, no cover crops when main crops aren’t growing)
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Property must have at least 5 consecutive acres
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Property has been in agriculture production for the past 5 years
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Property has produced at least $1,000 worth of agriculture products/year (agriculture products include crops, hay, and livestock, such as cattle, equine, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, etc. Horses solely for personal use are not considered as agriculture products.)
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Property is located in Prince William County (if your farm outside of Prince William, contact your local soil and water conservation district; to find your district, click here.)
If you feel you have a need to implement these practices on your farm, or have any questions about the cost-share program, please contact us:
(571) 379-7514
Nicole Slazinski - nicoleethier@pwswcd.org
Mike Miller - conservation@pwswcd.org
Jay Yankey - jayyankey@pwswcd.org
For more information on our specific cost-share programs, click here.
If you're already doing everything you can on your farm to best protect the soil and water, consider signing up for a voluntary practice! Contact Nicole Slazinski - nicoleethier@pwswcd.org for more information.
We will be accepting VCAP applications from Jan. 2, 2020 - April 30, 2020!
For more information, visit our VCAP page by clicking here.
Rain Garden: Example of a completed VCAP project in Prince William
Nutrient Management: An Important Message for Producers
The 2025 Chesapeake Bay cleanup goals are here, and we need every farmer's help! We need documentation of implementation of every nutrient management plan in Prince William County. Here's what you can do to help:
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Work with your nutrient management planner to develop a plan that can be implemented easily
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Keep application and yield records
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Put in place a record-keeping system so you can justify application and yield data.This must include required elements such as dates, field locations, loads, bales, bushels, gallons of manure, tons of litter, etc.
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Share this record-keeping system with your planner.
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Update your plan as changes occur on the farm.
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Be prepared at the end of the growing season to evaluate how well you were able to follow your plan.
If you have questions, please contact your nutrient management planner:
(571) 379-7514
You can also call the DCR Warrenton Regional Office at 540-351-1501 or
540-351-1570. For more information, click here.
Below are some record-keeping sheets to further assist you:
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Nutrient Management Records (All of the records above combined)
The Board meets monthly at 8033 Ashton Avenue, Manassas,Conference Room B. Citizens may have a voice in local natural resources issues by attending these meetings and taking part in District programs.
TRC = Technical Review Committee BOD = Board