📌📅You're Invited! Community Kickoff for the Stream Health Initiative

General County News

Friday, January 15th, 2021

Are you interested in working together to improve stream health in Albemarle County? Join us for the Stream Health Initiative Community Kickoff!

Stream Health Community Kickoff via Zoom

Thursday, January 21st

6-7 pm via Zoom

Friday, January 22nd

12-1 pm via Zoom

Participants will hear a brief introduction to the topic of stream health and learn about the timeline and ways to participate. We look forward to seeing you!

The goal of the Stream Health Initiative is to develop recommended strategies for improving stream health in Albemarle County using a collaborative and inclusive process.

Let's Discover Stream Health Together

The first stage of this project is all about discovery. We've designed a questionnaire to help us learn about you (your interests, how best to share information with you, etc.). Your responses will help us develop programs (like virtual lunch & learns and tours) that will enable our community to build a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with stream health in the rural area.

Visit www.publicinput.com/streamhealth to watch our Stream Health 101 video, answer the "discover" questions, and sign up for project updates.

photo: Chesapeake Bay Program

Did You Know?

Healthy streams and riparian corridors provide critical habitat and connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic life to thrive and move across the landscape.

Forested stream buffers also moderate the water temperature, which is critically important for fish populations and the overall health of aquatic ecosystems.

Background about the Stream Health Initiative

In 2017, the Board of Supervisors directed County staff to develop strategies for improving stream health and water quality in the county. The project, referred to as the Stream Health Initiative, supports the objectives and strategies of the county’s Comprehensive Plan, which has a strong focus on protecting and improving water resources. It was borne out of the first objective of the county’s Natural Resources Program: to conduct a thorough public review of the stream buffer requirements of the County’s Water Protection Ordinance (WPO); as a result, the Stream Health Initiative has a strong focus on stream buffers and the WPO.

The Stream Health Initiative was divided into two phases. Phase 1, which is still ongoing, has focused on development-related issues and strategies for improving stream health in the county. Thirteen specific proposals were developed, some of which have been implemented; work on others is ongoing.

Phase 2 of the Stream Health Initiative will focus on issues and strategies for improving stream health in the Rural Areas.

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