VA Stormwater Management Program Updates

VSMP Continuing Updates

In order to enhance the county's ability to effectively administer a fully compliant program, the following technical and procedural updates have been implemented since adoption of the county's Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP) on July 1, 2014, either as a result of additional guidance received from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) or input from the land development and home building community.

VSMP Technical & Procedural Newsletter Number 7 (March 7, 2019 (PDF)

  1. Procedures for Reissuance of the VSMP Construction General Permit (CGP)
    DRAFT Registration Statement for 2019 CGP available from VA DEQ 
  2. “Grandfathered” Projects’ Deadline to Initiate Land Disturbance
  3. Proposed Administrative and Procedural Amendments to the CGP Regulations

VSMP Technical & Procedural Newsletter Number 6 (February 15, 2018) (PDF)

  1. BMP Construction Inspection Program-Reminder
  2. VSMP Permit Maintenance Fees Due
  3. SWPPP Preparation Format -Required as of March 1, 2018

VSMP Technical and Procedural Newsletter Number 5 (August 13, 2017)(PDF)

  1. Polypropylene As An Acceptable Storm Sewer Material
  2. Use of Both Sets of Technical Criteria On An Individual Site

VSMP Technical and Procedural Newsletter Number 4 (June 16, 2017) (PDF)

  1. Stormwater Management Plan Submissions: SWM Narrative and BMP Data; Grandfathering; VRRM Spreadsheet V3.0; VRRM Land Cover Easement; Pre-treatment for Underground Detention Facilities
  2. VSMP Permit Administration: Notices of Termination Reminders
  3. Loudoun County Best Management Practice (BMP) Construction Inspection Program, effective August 1, 2017; use of Loudoun County BMP Construction Inspection Checklists:

VA Runoff Reduction Method (VRRM) Land Cover Easement (April 1, 2016) (PDF)

The VRRM Land Cover Easement template (PDF) is what the Loudoun County VSMP Administrator, in consultation with the Office of the Loudoun County Attorney, has determined is necessary, and shall be required by the county, in order to document "that the [forest/open space] area will remain in a natural, vegetated state," as applied to the VRRM in compliance with the Virginia Stormwater Management (SWM) Handbook. This easement shall be set forth within, and granted as part of, the Deed of Easements for the land development application, or in a separate Deed of Easement. (Note: Some SWM Best Management Practices (BMPs), such as bioretention, can be considered as "Forest/Open Space" in the analysis, and in such cases, the required SWM easement shall be used in place of the VRRM Land Cover Easement.)

VSMP Technical & Procedural Newsletter Number 3 (December 15, 2015)(PDF) 

  1. Optional payment of local VSMP fees in full upon permit application submittal
  2. Permitting procedures (Notices of Termination, permit modifications, purchase of single-family detached residential lots within a Common Plan of Development)
  3. Geotechnical requirements for bioretention and other infiltration-type facilities
  4. Application of grandfathering criteria relative to existing stormwater facilities
  5. Application of permit requirements and technical criteria on "grading only" projects
  6. Storm sewer velocities

VSMP Technical & Procedural Newsletter Number 2 (May 15, 2015) (PDF)

  1. Application of Part IIC flood protection criteria on grandfathered projects
  2. VSMP permit modifications and terminations
  3. Application of technical criteria on linear utility-only projects
  4. Recommendations for SWM plan submittal

VSMP Technical & Procedural Newsletter Number 1 (September 18, 2014) (PDF)

  1. VSMP plan review, plan approval and permitting process
  2. E&S Plan submittal for projects permitted prior to July 1, 2014
  3. Agreements in Lieu of a Stormwater Plan

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions and answers about the Stormwater Management Program Update are online:

Program Overview

Revisions to the state Stormwater Management (SWM) regulations were adopted May 24, 2011, with an effective date of September 13, 2011. These revisions were required to be implemented by all Virginia localities no later than July 1, 2014. Under the new regulations, localities such as Loudoun - which are currently designated as a "Plan Approving Authority" by the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board - will be re-designated as a Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP) Authority. Along with additional administrative responsibilities that come with the re-designation, the revised state requirements also include new technical criteria for SWM that will impact land development applications.

SWM has been implemented in Loudoun County in various forms since the late 1980s, through tools such as development proffers, regional water quality standards, and various technical standards located in the Loudoun County Facilities Standards Manual (FSM). Such efforts culminated in Loudoun's first Stormwater Management Program, which was established by ordinance in 2003.

SWM entails control of both the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff. Its proper implementation is an essential part of land development, both during and after construction, because the associated increases to the runoff volume and peak flow rate and the disruption of natural drainage patterns can lead to damage of downstream properties in the form of erosion, sediment deposition, and/or flooding. Similarly, increases in pollutant discharge and water temperature can lead to degradation of the quality of water flowing through natural streams, which can negatively affect public health, as well as recreational and economic pursuits and aquatic habitat. Accordingly, a chief goal of SWM strategies, design, and Best Management Practices (BMPs) is to replicate pre-development drainage patterns and pollutant loading from non-point sources.

Note: While the revised regulations require all Virginia localities to operate their own local SWM program, incorporated towns which do not have a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program are given the option of being subject to the surrounding county's SWM program. In Loudoun County, Leesburg is currently the only incorporated town that has an MS4 program.

For More Information

For more information about the project, email James Edmonds, Department of Building and Development, or by calling 703-777-0220.