Members of the Commonwealth Regional Council (CRC) discussed potentially assisting the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), which is seeking to offer planning districts throughout Virginia in the area of the Chesapeake Bay funding to facilitate meetings and other activities to bring awareness of measures and strategies to control pollution in the bay.

“The state is expecting to submit Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan to (Environmental Protection Agency) EPA, and they are requesting assistance from all of the planning districts to play a key role in helping to facilitate meetings,” CRC Executive Director Melody Foster said. “The timeframe for this would be from June to December.”

“They are requesting our assistance,” Foster said, noting she has corresponded with a DEQ representative, “and that they would provide funding. I did request how much the funding would be. They are proposing to provide $50,000 to each planning district that does participate in this.”

She noted that the CRC would have to document and submit hours involved with the project to receive funding.

Buckingham, Prince Edward and Amelia counties would be the counties within the CRC that would receive the allocation. Lunenburg and Charlotte would not be eligible for allocations as the counties are not in the watershed area. Foster said Cumberland and Nottoway have been contacted separately.

“This gives you an opportunity to be part of the process and help develop what you would agree or don’t agree to, and then that would be passed on to the state,” Foster said.

Buckingham County District Four Supervisor, Morgan Dunnavant, expressed concern about the potential impact to economic development, additional measures could have on rural areas.

“Urban has the need for green rules,” Dunnavant said. “Rural has the need for development.”

Prince Edward County Buffalo District Supervisor C.R. “Bob” Timmons said the impact that additional measures for soil and erosion control would have on economic development would not be as prominent as expected.

“You just plan for it, and you do it,” Timmons said. “Yes, there is a cost. But it is a minimal cost.”

Following the discussion, the CRC members voted to table the discussion to the May meeting, which will take place May 30.