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

Agriculture

  • Free Technical Assistance for Traditional Ag. and Horse Farms

  • Conservation Plans

  • Nutrient Management Plans

  • Soil Sampling

  • State Cost-Share/ Tax-Credit Programs

Youth Education

  • Conservation Capsules (Classroom Education)

  • Farm Field Days

  • Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE)

  • Arbor Day

Water Quality

  • Adopt-A-Stream

  • Water Quality Monitoring

  • Floatables Monitoring

  • Plastic Pollution

Home Owners

  • VCAP

  • Gardener's Gold

  • Pollinators Corner

Want to show support for water quality projects? Then check out the Chesapeake Bay License Plate! Click here for an application.

Is This a District Question?

We get lots of questions every day and we want to make sure you are guided in the right direction!

​

  • For services the District provides, click here. This will tell you who from District staff can help you out!

  • 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!

  • 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!

?

Latest Newsletter - Summer 2021

Annual Report for FY 2021: 
July 1, 2020- June 30, 2021

Calendar: Board Dates and Upcoming Events

Hot Topics
News
Click on the orange link below for more info.

​


Interested in Volunteering? Click here!

?

World Soil Day

 

World Soil Day is on December 5th! Come learn about the importance of soil health by attending any of the following events:

​

Tuesday Nov. 30th, 6-7pm (via zoom)

Soil Health on the Farm: A Panel Discussion

Hear from farmers across Virginia talk about the importance of soil health!

​

Wednesday Dec. 1st (podcast)

“4 The Soil: A Conversation” Special Podcast Release: The Wisdom

and Soil Health of Ira Wallace and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

Podcast will focus on seed saving and heirloom varieties.

​

Friday Dec. 3rd, 2-3pm (via zoom)

Soil Health in the Urban Context: A Panel Discussion

Hear from a variety of experts across Virginia discuss the importance of soils, including our very own Duane Mohr!

​

For more information about these events or to sign up, please go to: https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/post/world-soil-day.

 

Virginia Agriculture Cost Share (VACS)

Back to top

​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 help:​

​

  • decrease soil erosion on crop and pasture land

  • exclude livestock from waterways

  • implement nutrient management plans

  • adopt new precision nutrient application technology

  • establish tree plantings or vegetated buffers along streams

  • plant cover crops

  • construct manure storage or chemical storage facilities

  • construct feed lots/sacrifice areas

  • continue to practice no-till planting

 

In order to qualify for cost-share, your farm must meet the following:

  • Property has/had a water quality concern (e.g. livestock has/had access to a waterway, manure is washing into a waterway, there are no cover crops when main crops aren’t growing)

  • Property must have at least 5 consecutive acres

  • Property has been in agriculture production for the past 3 years (previously was 5 years)

  • 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.)

  • Property is located in Prince William County (if your farm is outside Prince William County, 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

Jay Yankey - jayyankey@pwswcd.org

Mike Miller - conservation@pwswcd.org

Duane Mohr - conservationtech@pwswcd.org

Nicole Slazinski - nicoleethier@pwswcd.org

​

Want to learn more? Then go to our cost-share page!

Horse grazing in a field
Alternative watering source (ball water trough)
Stream crossing
 

Back to top

Tax Credit Updates

The state has made some significant changes to the tax-credit program available for the purchase and installation of conservation tillage and precision agriculture equipment and for our cost-share practices.

​

For more information on these changes, please watch this video (~38 minutes). If you have any questions, please contact us at 571-379-7514 or e-mail nicoleethier@pwswcd.org. Please note that the Soil and Water Conservation District cannot provide any tax advise, but we can assist you with the program and answer any questions you have on the program.

Back to top

 

12th Annual Occoquan River Cleanup Results

 

On September 11, 2021 263 volunteers from Angels Cleanup Group, Troop 1363, Troop 1364, Troop 1607, Troop 295, Girls Scout Junior troop 18081, Northern Virginia Geocaching Organization, Merrimac Farm Master Naturalists, Church of the Latter-Day Saints (Lake Ridge), George Mason University – Sustainability and Advocacy Students, Potomac HS, Forest Park HS, Osbourn Park HS, Woodbridge HS, Gar-field HS, Antietam ES, and German Foreign Exchange Students collected 234 bags of trash from over 25 miles of the Occoquan River and its tributaries. This annual cleanup event is jointly organized by the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District and the Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition.
 

Thank you to these fantastic folks who helped keep 1,540 pounds of trash out of the Chesapeake Bay!                                            

Hooes-Run-jon-boat-reduced.jpg
Hooes-Run-LS.jpg
Riverview-2.jpg
Riverview-3.jpg
IMG_4026.jpg
Hooes-Run-trash-pile-2.jpg
 

Back to top

Market Maker from Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE)

As more and more people want to buy their food fresh and locally, Market Maker is an upcoming way to connect farmers with their customers. Market Maker is an online portal where customers can search for farms, farmer's markets, specific agriculture products, etc. that are near by. Farms can also sign up on the portal so customers can better find them. Market Maker is free for both farmers and customers.

​

For more information on Market Maker, go to: https://ext.vt.edu/agriculture/market-maker.html.

 

Back to top

Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (VASWCD) Education Videos

Being unable to hold public events at this time, the VASWCD has compiled a YouTube channel for kids and adults containing videos across the state on a wide variety of topics including Agriculture Best Management Practices, Watersheds, Septic Systems, Soils, and more!

​

Check out their channel by clicking here!

​

Did you know we also have a YouTube channel? Check out our channel by clicking here! (New videos recently added!)

Computer Monitor
  • YouTube
 

Back to top

Become a Certified Water Quality monitors in Biological Monitoring!

Are you interested in becoming a Certified Water Quality monitors in Biological Monitoring? If so, visit: https://www.iwla.org/water/stream-monitoring/upcoming-water-monitoring-workshops/online-certification to start your online identification training!

Please ensure to fill out this registration form: https://forms.gle/NRir3RFUiX1pDkNK6 so that the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) can follow-up on your progress. After your online training, please e-mail Veronica Tangiri to start on Part II: Field Practical Test and complete certification.
 

 

Back to top

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:

​

  • Work with your nutrient management planner to develop a plan that can be implemented easily

  • Keep application and yield records

  • 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.

  • Share this record-keeping system with your planner.

  • Update your plan as changes occur on the farm.

  • 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:

​

 

Calendar

Back to top

The Board meets monthly at 8033 Ashton Avenue, Manassas,Conference Room B (due to COVID, all public meetings have been moved to 12801 Hazelwood Dr, Nokesville, VA 20181 until further notice). Citizens may have a voice in local natural resources issues by attending these meetings and taking part in District programs.

​

For a .pdf version of our calendar, please click here.

Please note: The 2021 calendar may change; it is a draft and hasn't been officially approved by the BOD at this time.

TRC = Technical Review Committee (reviews conservation plans, cost-share practices, VCAP, etc.)    BOD = Board