Title 10.1, Conservation

The Board shall coordinate all impoundment safety activities in the Commonwealth, which shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the maintenance of an inventory of all impoundment structures and of all other similar structures that are not regulated under this article to the ext…

A. There is hereby created in the state treasury a special nonreverting fund to be known as the Soil and Water Conservation District Dam Maintenance, Repair, and Rehabilitation Fund, hereafter referred to as "the Fund." The Fund shall be comprised of moneys appropriated to the Fu…

The Board shall establish an Impoundment Safety Technical Advisory Committee to provide technical review. The Committee may make recommendations to the Board.

A. The Director may issue a temporary stop work order on a construction or alteration project if he finds that an owner is constructing or altering a dam without having first obtained the necessary certificate of approval, or if the activities are not in accordance with approved …

Any person or legal entity failing or refusing to comply with an order issued pursuant to this article may be compelled to comply with the order in a proceeding instituted in any appropriate court by the Board. The Board shall bring suit in the name of the Commonwealth in any cou…

A. It is unlawful for any owner to knowingly: 1. Operate, construct, or alter a dam without an approval as provided in this article; 2. Violate the terms of an approval, order, regulation, or requirement of the Board or Director under this article; or 3. Obstruct, hinder, or prev…

An owner may not bring an action against the Commonwealth, the Board, the Department, or agents or employees of the Commonwealth for the recovery of damages caused by the partial or total failure of a dam or reservoir, or by the operation of a dam or reservoir, or by an act or om…

A. Notwithstanding subsection B, nothing in this article, and no order, notice, approval, or advice of the Director or Board shall relieve any owner or operator of an impounding structure from any legal duties, obligations, and liabilities resulting from such ownership or operati…

A. The Board is authorized to establish and collect application fees from any applicant to be deposited into the Dam Safety Administrative Fund established pursuant to subsection B. Permit applications shall not be reviewed without a full payment of the required fee. Virginia Soi…

With the consent of any owner of an impounding structure who has allegedly violated or failed, neglected, or refused to obey any regulation or order of the Board, any condition of a permit, or any provision of this chapter, the Board may enter into a negotiated settlement agreeme…

Whenever it is found that soil and water conservation or water management within a soil and water conservation district or districts will be promoted by the construction of improvements to check erosion, provide drainage, collect sediment or stabilize the runoff of surface water,…

A. Any twenty-five owners of land lying within the limits of a proposed watershed improvement district, or a majority of such owners if there are fewer than fifty, may file a petition with the directors of the soil and water conservation district or districts in which the propose…

Within thirty days after a petition has been filed with the directors of the soil and water conservation district or districts, they shall cause due notice to be given of a hearing upon the practicability and feasibility of creating the proposed watershed improvement district. Al…

If the district directors determine that a need for the proposed watershed improvement district exists and after they define the boundaries of the proposed district, they shall consider the administrative feasibility of operating the proposed watershed improvement district. To as…

The question shall be submitted by ballots, which shall contain the following question: "Shall a watershed improvement district be created of the lands described below and lying in the county(ies) or city(ies) of __________ and __________? [ ] Yes [ ] No" The ballot shall set for…

The results of the referendum shall be considered by the district directors in determining whether the operation of the proposed watershed improvement district is administratively practicable and feasible. The district directors shall not be authorized to determine that operation…

If the district directors determine that operation of the proposed watershed improvement district is administratively practicable and feasible, they shall declare the watershed improvement district to be organized and shall record the fact in their official minutes. Following suc…

If a proposed watershed improvement district is situated in more than one soil and water conservation district, copies of the petition shall be presented to the directors of all the soil and water conservation districts in which the proposed watershed improvement district is situ…

Petitions for including additional territory within an existing watershed improvement district may be filed with directors of the soil and water conservation district or districts in which the watershed improvement district is situated, and in such cases the provisions hereof for…

The directors of the soil and water conservation district or districts in which the watershed improvement district is situated shall be the governing body of the watershed improvement district. They may appoint, in consultation with and subject to the approval of the Virginia Soi…

The trustees may, with the approval of the directors of the soil and water conservation district or districts, employ such officers, agents, and other employees as they require, and shall determine their qualifications, duties and compensation. The district directors shall provid…

A watershed improvement district shall have all of the powers of the soil and water conservation district or districts in which the watershed improvement district is situated, and in addition shall have the authority to levy and collect a tax or service charge to be used for the …

A. On or before March 1 of each year, the trustees of the watershed improvement district shall make an estimate of the amount of money they deem necessary to be raised for the year in such district (i) for operating expenses and interest payments and (ii) for amortization of debt…

The special tax or service charge levied shall be collected at the same time and in the same manner as county or city taxes with the proceeds therefrom to be kept in a separate account by the county or city treasurer identified by the official name of the watershed improvement di…

The governing body of any watershed improvement district shall have power, subject to the conditions and limitations of this article, to incur indebtedness, borrow funds, and issue bonds of such watershed improvement district. The circuit court of the county or city in which any …

If the owners of at least two-thirds of the land area in the district vote in the election, and if at least two-thirds of the voters in the election vote in favor of incurring the indebtedness or issuing bonds, the circuit court or courts shall enter an order authorizing the gove…

The type of indebtedness incurred or bonds issued shall be that adopted by the governing body of the watershed improvement district and approved by the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board.

The governing body of the watershed improvement district shall, if necessary to pay the interest on the indebtedness or bonds or to amortize such indebtedness or bonds, levy an annual tax or service charge in the manner prescribed by § 10.1-626 on all the real estate in the water…

The powers herein granted to watershed improvement districts shall be additional to the powers of the soil and water conservation district or districts in which the watershed improvement district is situated; and the soil and water conservation district or districts shall be auth…

A watershed improvement district shall have power, as set forth in this article, to incur debts and repay them over the period of time and at the rate or rates of interest, not exceeding eight percent, that the lender agrees to. Any watershed improvement district may accept, rece…

In connection with any referendum held pursuant to the provisions of this article, the directors shall also provide for the submission of the question involved to the qualified voters of the watershed improvement district and any question required to be submitted to referendum he…

A. Except as provided in subsection B, the referenda authorized or required by this article shall be conducted pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board and not as provided for under § 24.2-684. B. Referenda authorized or required by thi…

In addition to any other powers conferred on it by law, any watershed improvement district organized under the provisions of this article shall be authorized to acquire by eminent domain any lands, property rights, franchises, rights-of-way, easements or other property deemed nec…

As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Board" means the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board. "Facility" means any structures, foundations, appurtenances, spillways, lands, easements and rights-of-way necessary to (i) store additional wat…

The "Conservation, Small Watersheds Flood Control and Area Development Fund," is continued and shall be administered and used as hereinafter provided. The revolving fund shall also consist of any moneys appropriated by the General Assembly. The administrative control of the fund …

A. The Board is authorized, with the concurrence of the State Treasurer, to order the State Comptroller to make loans from the revolving fund to any county, city, town, water authority, utility or service authority or special taxing district, hereafter referred to as the borrower…

The Board shall authorize the making of a loan under the provisions of § 10.1-638 A only when the following conditions exist: 1. An application for the loan has been submitted by the borrower in the manner and form specified by the Board, setting forth in detail the need for the …

Any entity eligible under § 10.1-638 A may borrow funds as provided in this article before, simultaneously, or after borrowing funds from other sources for the same purpose for which funds are borrowed under the provisions of this article.

The Board shall have the following powers to effectuate the provisions of § 10.1-638 B: 1. To expend funds from the revolving fund for field surveys and investigations, notwithstanding the possibility that the Board may subsequently determine that the proposed investment is not f…

A record of each application for a loan pursuant to § 10.1-639 received by the Board and the action taken thereon shall be open to public inspection at the office of the Board.

Any loan made pursuant to the provisions of § 10.1-638 A may be made for any period not to exceed twenty years and shall bear interest at the rate of one percent annually for the first ten years or until such time as water stored under the provisions of this article is used by th…

If a borrower defaults on any payment due the State Treasurer pursuant to § 10.1-643 or on any other obligation incurred pursuant to the provisions of this article, the amounts owed to the fund by the borrower may be recovered by the State Comptroller transferring to the revolvin…

Expenditures by the Board for any one facility under the provisions of § 10.1-638 B shall not exceed $500,000 without the written approval of the Governor for construction and seeding, acquisition of land, easements, and rights-of-way, engineering costs, appraisal costs, legal se…

When an entity, as the term is used in § 10.1-645, agrees to purchase a facility and the rights incident thereto resulting from the storing of additional water in feasible flood prevention sites or the strengthening of foundations and appurtenances of feasible flood prevention si…

No facility financed from the revolving fund under the provisions of this article, in whole or in part, shall be sold by an entity when any portion of the debt owed to the revolving fund remains unpaid. However, if the purchaser is an entity having the taxing power, then such sal…

A. The Board, in addition to the provisions of § 10.1-638, may use funds from the revolving fund to pay the cost of the purchase of needed lands, easements, and rights-of-way, or to share the costs thereof with soil and water conservation districts for soil and water conservation…