Across Loudoun County everyone agrees that clean streams are important. Loudoun Clean Streams Coalition members think the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance (CBPO) is an affordable, manageable tool to help Loudoun achieve the clean streams that residents want. 

CBPO Basics

Within a 100-ft buffer Resource Protection Area (RPA) on either side of perennial streams, the proposed ordinance would limit new structures and land disturbance, and protect existing vegetation. 

In addition, the entire county would be designated a Resource Management Area (RMA) to prevent further degradation to surface and ground water quality. The ordinance would:

• Increase the stringency for grading & erosion control and other development related restrictions,
• Regulate stormwater management facility maintenance,
• Include a 5-year pump out provision for conventional septic systems or maintenance certification on alternative septic systems.

Contrary to much of the publicity, the regulation would have little effect on most suburban residents because: 

• The regulation does not require any homeowner to change his or her current yard care practices.
• Most home improvement projects would not trip the 2500 sq ft threshold triggering use of tighter erosion control measures.
• Only 10% of Loudoun parcels include mapped RPA, and 44% of that RPA falls within the unbuildable floodplain area. Per County staff, only 1,850 parcels out of the total 52,000 parcels countywide, or 3.5 percent, have a house located within 125 feet of a stream.

Appropriate for Loudoun

The proposed regulation is already in place in 84 other jurisdictions in Virginia. Our tidal neighbors have successfully lived with it during the last 20 years in suburban and urban places like Fairfax, Prince William, Alexandria and Richmond, as well as in rural counties. It should be reassuring that these localities have grown and flourished economically, even though the regulation was enacted there during the economic downturn of the early '90s. Further, a Clean Streams Coalition survey of jurisdictions that already have the CBPO indicates that these are affordable, manageable measures.

Our Streams Have Problems

Loudoun residents can attest to the impact of extreme growth on our communities. Not only has it taken a toll on our pocketbooks and traffic, it has also degraded our environment. Our streams have suffered in multiple ways: 

• More of Loudoun's stream miles are added to the Department of Environmental Quality's list of polluted waters every reporting period.
• From 2005-2009 between 53 percent and 83 percent of streams sampled exceeded state limits for recreational/swimming use due to potential pathogens indicated by the presence of E. coli bacteria.
• Trout no longer live in Broad Run.And recently, fish contaminated with PCBs have been found in Goose Creek, while fish in Broad Run were found with PCBs and mercury.

The Value of Natural Buffers

While buffers won't solve all of the problems in our streams, science has shown that natural buffers serve a vital role for our waterways and our drinking water supply. When mature trees and natural areas are removed, streams immediately show the impacts, flowing at higher rates during storms, and filling with sediment and other runoff like herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers. With higher volumes of stormwater runoff come new and higher rates of in-stream erosion. The more sediment in our water supply, the more it costs all of us to clean it up.

Next Steps

Loudoun Clean Streams Coalition members applaud the Board of Supervisors' decision to continue reviewing the proposed CBPO.  In January 2011, after staff recommends adjustments based on stakeholder input and potential incentives are developed by the Board's Transportation/Land Use Committee, we look forward to a proposal that will meet the needs of local residents while also providing needed water quality benefits.

Through the CBPO public process, it has become clear that Loudoun residents think much more should be done to improve our streams. The Board of Supervisors has also expressed support for a County watershed planning process that would help guide and support voluntary actions by residents and businesses. With adoption of the CBPO, this would be an excellent step to ensure clean water in Loudoun and protect our children's future.