Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District

703-324-1460 TTY 711
12055 Government Center Parkway
Suite 905, Fairfax, VA 22035
Willie Woode
Executive Director

Storm Drain Education Projects: Step by Step

Guidelines for Project Leaders in Fairfax County

STEP 1: Review the Program Guidelines

Review these program guidelines. If you have any questions or are ready to begin your project, please contact the program coordinator.

STEP 2: Decide on a Project Location

Reach out to the program coordinator and determine where you would like to label. You may choose an area near your home, school, business, place of worship, or other landmark. NVSWCD will provide you with a storm drain map for your project location.

STEP 3: Get Approval for Your Project

Reach out to the community that you intend to label and ask for their approval to label. You may choose to send the educational flyer (Step 5) at this time as well.

How to find your civic association’s contact information:

• Do they have a website or Facebook page?

• If you can’t find the community name, try looking up the street names on Google Maps or

   use the street view feature to find the specific community’s name.

STEP 4: Plan Your Project

Create a strategy. How many volunteers will you need? How long will it take? When you have a date in mind, reach out to the program coordinator to ensure supplies are reserved for your project. Set a project date and a rain date:

• Temperatures must be above 45 degrees.

• No labeling when it’s raining or there is snow on the ground. The concrete must be dry.

• Projects may not be completed between December 1 and March 1.

• NVSWCD must approve your project date and rain date to reserve supplies.

STEP 5: Educate and Spread the Word

Educate yourself, your volunteers, and the community about water pollution prevention. Using the available template, change the stream name and neighborhood name, then send your flyer to your community contact, and ask them to send it to residents electronically. You may also choose to educate your community in other ways, like creating your own flyer or posters, writing a news article, or posting on social media.

STEP 6: Make an Appointment to Pick Up Your Supplies

NVSWCD will provide all the instructions, labels, adhesives, labeling tools, and safety equipment that you need for your project.

STEP 7: Hit the Streets! Label Every Storm Drain

Follow the provided Virginia Department of Transportation guidelines for labeling storm drains safely. NVSWCD has a permit from VDOT to label storm drains on public residential roads. Keep a copy of the NVSWCD storm drain marking permit with you when labeling (provided).

STEP 8: Return Supplies and Report Back

Make an appointment to return your supplies and remember to report on your project’s success. Return your project reporting form, your supplies, and the map of your project area to the program coordinator. If you took photos, we’d love to see them!

CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING YOUR STORM DRAIN PROJECT!

Program Coordinator: Ashley Palmer, Ashley.Palmer@fairfaxcounty.gov, 703-324-1423

Fairfax Virtual Assistant