Drainage and Erosion Guide for Homeowners - Troubleshoot and solve your drainage and erosion problems at home. Control heavy runoff, stop erosion, gutters and downspouts, wet areas, sinkhole problems, wet basements, wall or foundation cracking. Native plants for erosion control.
Rain Garden Design and Construction Guide for Homeowners - Our most popular publication! This guide walks you through the steps of locating, sizing, designing and installing a rain garden at home.
Soils Information - Find your soil type and characteristics. Learn about problem soils, typical soils of Fairfax County, the soil survey, and more.
Horse Pastures and Farms - Whether you are a horse farm manager, owner, or just interested in Northern Virginia's urban agriculture scene, these tips, guide and resources will help you better understand good practices for healthy horses and healthy land.
Green Infrastructure - Rain gardens, green roofs and more! Green infrastructure, from installing structural projects to restoring tree canopy, cleans and absorbs water, cools the air, and provides public amenities. Here you can find our Rain Garden Assessment, a study funded by the Chesapeake Bay Program, Low Impact Landscaping handbook, and more.
Stream Restoration and Stabilization - Fairfax County is fortunate to have hundreds of miles of stream, many of which are protected on park or county land. However, development in the streams' watersheds has caused damage. The Soil and Water Conservation District helped pioneer natural channel design stream restoration locally, which is now used across the county to prevent pollution loads downstream. These techniques may be used on a smaller scale by residential homeowners and communities to restore and stabilize streams.
Water Quality Stewardship - Understanding how our actions affect streams, lakes, and rivers doesn't have to be hard. A great resource for students looking for information, or anyone looking to better understand how we can help.
You and Your Land - Online version of homeowner guide to taking care of your land. Covers soil and drainage, landscaping and gardening, pest control, climate and local conditions, and special cases like community property, ponds, wetlands, pastures, woodlands, and more.
Environmental Articles - A compendium of articles on local, relevant environmental topics selected from our newsletter.