ADMINISTRATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING BUREAU

PROGRAM MISSION: To protect and enhance the environment by providing policy direction, planning services, technical resources and administrative and organizational support.

This bureau consists of the Administration and the Environmental Planning Office units, within the DES - Utilities and Environmental Policy Division.

Administration ensures that the Department's direct service providers and other staff receive the leadership, policies, tools, services and support required to serve their customers and/or manage their programs. It also provides administrative management for the Utilities Services Office of the Utilities Fund.

Environmental Planning Office (EPO) serves as a technical resource on environmental issues for County agencies, the County Board, and residents, focusing on watershed management, public education and outreach, and sustainable community programs. The office evaluates a variety of environmental compliance issues facing the County, including review of proposed state and federal environmental regulations. Staff provides support for the County's environmentally sensitive "green" development initiative and environmentally preferable purchasing policies and also provides staff support for the Environment and Energy Conservation Commission (E2C2) appointed by the County Board. EPO has lead responsibility for implementation of the County's Watershed Management Plan, compliance with the County's Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit and developing programs and policies to minimize the impacts of development on County streams, the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. The major programs within EPO's scope of responsibility are described below.

• MS4 Permit Compliance. EPO manages the County's Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit issued by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), including the storm water monitoring program required by the permit. A new five-year permit was issued by the Department of Environmental Quality in August 2002. EPO's stormwater monitoring program includes in-stream water quality sampling, as well as dry weather inspections of storm sewers and periodic sampling of outfall discharges during storm events. The principal goals of these wet and dry weather monitoring programs are to measure and evaluate stormwater and stream quality and to inspect the County's storm sewer system to screen for sanitary sewer cross-connections or other unauthorized discharges into the storm sewer system or County streams.

• Watershed Management Program Implementation
  
  
  • Watershed Management Plan. The principal elements of this plan include the County's street sweeping program and funding of a stormwater funding feasibility study, which will be completed in FY 2005. The plan also includes a storm sewer inspection program and a catch basin cleaning program to maintain the County's infrastructure and to protect water quality, along with funding for public education and outreach. During FY 2006, EPO will continue to provide ongoing support for programs already underway as well as provide planning and design services for approved stormwater treatment and stream restoration projects such as the Donaldson Run Stream Restoration Project and the Ballston Beaver Pond retrofit. EPO will also undertake follow-up studies resulting from the recommendations of the stormwater funding feasibility study, if approved by the County Board.
    
    
  • Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance (CBPO). EPO oversees implementation of the ordinance, develops policies and guidance, reviews development plans, initiates enforcement actions, and works closely with other departments to ensure compliance with the CBPO and to minimize the impact of development on County streams and adjacent riparian buffers.
    
    
  • Four Mile Run Environmental Improvements. In October 2000, the U.S. Congress appropriated $1 million to Arlington County and the City of Alexandria "for demonstration of environmental improvements to Four Mile Run." Work is currently underway, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Four Mile Run Task Force, to analyze the hydrology of the watershed, evaluate the capacity of the Four Mile Run flood control project, recommend water quality improvements, identify riparian habitat restoration opportunities, and create a vision for environmentally sustainable development and aesthetic improvements. A consultant was hired in FY 2005 to work with the project team and Task Force, with significant work expected on this project during FY 2005 and FY 2006.
    
    
  • Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation. EPO has lead responsibility for working with Virginia DEQ, the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, and neighboring jurisdictions to develop and implement the fecal coliform bacteria TMDL implementation plan for the Four Mile Run watershed. The implementation plan was submitted to the Virginia DEQ in FY 2004, with implementation of the plan begun in FY 2004 and continuing in FY 2005.
    

• Sustainability Services. EPO provides ongoing support for a variety of community sustainability initiatives. For example, staff helped prepare the Green Building Incentive program for commercial and multi-family development projects, which grants bonus density in return for achieving a certain building proficiency level under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating program established by the U.S. Green Building Council. EPO is also expanding the Green Home Choice program to encourage environmentally sound residential development. Staff will continue to expand and implement the environmental purchasing policy and outreach and education efforts.

• Public Education/Outreach. EPO plays a lead role in increasing residents' understanding of issues affecting the County's environment through information presented on the DES website, targeted advertising campaigns, and presentations to a variety of groups. EPO staff is also working with NVRC to conduct an educational radio campaign on preventing stormwater pollution with several Northern Virginia jurisdictions have agreed to participate in the campaign; it is planned for spring of 2005.

SIGNIFICANT BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS:

• Sixty-five percent of all eligible proposed budget expenditures in this program are charged out to the Utilities Fund for work done by this General Fund agency in support of Utilities Fund activities. This charge is reflected as an intra-county charge.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES:

• The watershed management services survey is a new customer measure and data collection will begin in FY 2005.

• One of the two required wet weather monitoring stations is operating in full compliance with the County's MS4 Permit. The second station, to be located adjacent to the sanitary sewage lift station at Donaldson Run and Military Road, has not been installed due to the continued construction of the new Military Road Bridge. Virginia DEQ is aware of the reasons for the delayed operation of this monitoring station.

FUTURE BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS:

• There is growing federal and state regulatory emphasis on nonpoint source pollution and urban storm water issues as a result of the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement and the Interim Nutrient Cap Strategy currently being developed in Virginia. As a result, Arlington County may need to allocate additional funding and staff resources for storm water monitoring and treatment, special stream studies, and restoration projects.

• County Board action on recommendations of the Stormwater Funding Feasibility Study may significantly affect future stormwater management program structure and funding.

• The increased level of effort to implement the revised Chesapeake Bay Ordinance, including policy and guidance development as well as plan review, has stretched the EPO's limited resources available to implement other County priority projects.