Free Soil Testing for Lawns!

The Culpeper Soil & Water Conservation District is offering a limited number of free soil tests of lawns through 2021 while funding is available. Find out if/when you should use fertilizer or lime and what grass types would work best with your soil. For more info contact Stephanie DeNicola at stephanied@culpeperswcd.org.  Click here for an article about the importance of soil tests for your lawn.

Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP)

Do you have a drainage issue in your yard? Would your garden benefit from a rain cistern? Would you like to minimize the amount of turf you mow? We have a program for you! VCAP offers 80% cost share to convert mowed turf to native plants, install rain cisterns that are 250+ gallons, install rain gardens to address drainage issues and more! For more information, visit: http://vaswcd.org/vcap. If you are in the Culpeper District’s 5 counties contact Richard Jacobs at 540-825-8591 or richardJ@culpeperswcd.org. Click here for a fact sheet.

Cost share for Septic System Maintenance

Focused outreach continues for septic system maintenance in impaired watersheds that have a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation Plan. Cost share is 50-80% of approved costs including pump out, repairs, replacements and new systems or drainfields. These watersheds include:

• Upper Hazel River watershed (Currently available in the Rush River watershed anywhere downstream of Fodderstack Road, including Big Branch, and anywhere in the White Walnut Run near the Woodville area)
• Upper York River watershed (most of Orange County which is both south of US 20 and east of US 15)
• Robinson River watershed (anywhere that is downstream of Pass Run, formerly Mulatto Run)
• Rapidan River watershed (Currently available in Blue Run watershed from Barboursville to the Rapidan River)

For more information, contact:

Henny Calloway at 540-948-7531 or hennyc@culpeperswcd.org.

Resources:

EPA Septic Smart: https://www.epa.gov/septic

Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project: Programs and Services for Homeowners