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

  • Free Technical Assistance for Traditional Ag. and Horse Farms

  • Conservation Plans

  • Nutrient Management Plans

  • Soil Sampling

  • State Cost-Share/ Tax-Credit Programs

  • Conservation Capsules (Classroom Education)

  • Farm Field Days

  • Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE)

  • Arbor Day

  • Adopt-A-Stream

  • Water Quality Monitoring

  • Floatables Monitoring

  • Plastic Pollution

  • 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.

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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!

  • 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!

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Is This a District Question?

 

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.

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It is important you READ THIS first for instructions on payment, collecting samples, picking up your kit, etc.

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Kits will be available for pickup on Saturday, August 29th from 9am-12pm at the VCE office.

Samples can be dropped off on Wednesday, September 2nd, 6:30am-10am at the VCE office.

 

Poster Contest for K-12

Where would we BEE without Pollinators

Why are pollinators important? Pull out those markers and crayons, and tell us in a poster!

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Posters are evaluated on 4 factors: the Conservation message, the Visual effectiveness, Originality, and Universal appeal. Submitted posters must be created by a student (not a group).

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For more information on the contest and an application form, go to: https://vaswcd.org/poster-contest. Posters can be dropped off at our office at 8850 Rixlew Lane,  Manassas, VA 20109. Please call before you come to make sure someone will be there; our office number is (571) 379-7514. For questions on the contest, you can contact Alice Markiewicz at education@pwswcd.org.

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Posters and applications are due to the District by September 30, 2020.

Virginia Agriculture Cost Share (VACS)

​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

  • 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 facilities (more options available)

  • construct feed lots/sacrifice areas (New!)

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, no manure storage system, 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 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 outside of Prince William, contact your local soil and water conservation district; to find your district, click here.)

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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

Nicole Slazinski - nicoleethier@pwswcd.org

Duane Mohr - conservationtech@pwswcd.org

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For more information on our specific cost-share programs, click here.

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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.

 
 

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.

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For more information on agriculture disaster assistance, go to https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/disaster-assistance-program/disaster-designation-information/index .

 

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

  • 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

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You can also call the DCR Warrenton Regional Office at 540-351-1501 or
540-351-1570. For more information, click here.

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Below are some record-keeping sheets to further assist you:

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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.

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

TRC = Technical Review Committee    BOD = Board

Freedom of Information Actl
Rights of Requesters and the Responsibilities of the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act: The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), located § 2.2-3700 et. seq. of the Code of Virginia, guarantees citizens of the Commonwealth and representatives of the media access to public records held by public bodies, public officials, and public employees.
To request records from our District, direct your request to the FOIA Officer, Jay Yankey. He can be reached at 8850 Rixlew Lane, Manassas, VA 20109, phone (571) 379-7514, email jayyankey@pwswcd.org.
 

Prince William Soil & Water Conservation District, 8850 Rixlew Lane, Manassas, VA 20109

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