County receives federal water quality grant

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has awarded Chesterfield County $19,942 in federal funding through the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants Program.

"I am pleased that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is providing Chesterfield County with funding to protect and improve water quality," said Congressman J. Randy Forbes. "These improvements will assist in the restoration of clean water to the area and to the Chesapeake Bay."

Chesterfield County will use these funds to protect and restore the land bordering waterways, known as riparian buffers, which play an integral role in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Research on riparian buffers will utilize modern technology and improve data collection methods to determine the relationship between protected buffers and effects on water quality. This data will be collected via aerial photography and field investigations and used to predict buffer effects on future water quality. The project will also maintain and expand the citizenbased riparian buffer monitoring program.

Project partners include the Virginia Department of Forestry, the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.