Fully half of Virginia is drained by Chesapeake Bay rivers, and two-thirds of the state's population lives within the Bay watershed. From the farm fields of the Shenandoah Valley to the pinewoods of the Eastern Shore, for most Virginians the Bay is as close as the nearest creek or stream.

MUD BUSTING

 
VA Mud Busters Program | Pollution | E&S Control Guide
Spotting Control Failures | Reporting Control Failures  | Resources | Training

What is Virginia Mud Busters?

Virginia Mud Busters is a volunteer program that works to reduce the impact of new construction on local streams and the Bay. As a Mud Buster, you’ll learn about erosion and sediment controls and how to recognize the signs of control failures and pollution discharges. Your report could help to bring swift action against violators, and improved water quality and stream health to your community.

Who Can Be a Mud Buster?

Anyone can volunteer to be a Mud Buster! 

  • Volunteer citizen water quality monitors.
  • Homeowners association members.
  • Fishermen, canoeists, kayakers, and other outdoor enthusiasts.
  • Members, volunteers, and supporters of CBF and other conservation groups.

How Does it Work?

  1. Sign up for the program, and complete optional free training.  You must sign-up to submit a report or attend training.
  2. Review the Erosion & Sediment Control Guide and Spotting Problems.
  3. Identify planned and existing construction sites; find storm drains and waterways near the site; and locate adjacent public property outside the site perimeter (such as a street or sidewalk) that provides a view of these areas.
  4. During or after a rain storm, evaluate sites and waterways on foot or from your car or boat and document any problems. 
  5. Submit reports, including photos, to CBF.
  6. Work with CBF to follow-up and ensure problem resolution.

Why Mud Busters?

According to the U.S. EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office, the construction sites, homes, parking lots, and roads that make up our urban and suburban landscapes are a major source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Efforts to clean the Bay are losing ground because too little is being done to address the mud—and the sediment and nutrient pollution it can contain—that flows from these “developed lands” into waterways when it rains. Such nutrient pollution increased 16 percent from 1985 to 2005. To make matters worse, Virginia will develop as much land in the next 40 years as it has in the past 400 years!

While most developers work hard to prevent pollution, those that do not can contribute significant damage to local streams and downstream waterways. (Learn more about pollution from construction sites.) The most potentially destructive stage of development is during active construction, when vegetation is cleared and a site is graded for buildings. Vegetation and topsoil are removed; soils are exposed to erosion; soil is compacted, reducing infiltration; natural topography is altered; and buffers that serve as a waterway’s last defense are sometimes removed.

Erosion and sediment controls are measures designed to help. They minimize soil disturbance and movement in the first place, and remove any mud or other pollutants carried in runoff before it leaves the site and damages natural resources and property. (Learn more about erosion and sediment control.)

Virginia was among the first states to develop an erosion and sediment control program 30 years ago; yet the sheer pace of development along with insufficient implementation and enforcement have limited the program’s effectiveness. 

The rapid urbanization of our farms and forests to accommodate our growing population, combined with inadequate erosion and sediment controls on construction sites can create a deadly recipe for the future health of Virginia’s waters. (Learn more about spotting problems.)

Questions? Contact vamudbusters@cbf.org or 804/780-1392.