MEETING: TMDL Community Engagement Meeting - Watershed Cleanup Study Back Creek, Eidson Creek, and Jennings Branch DATE/TIME: June 15, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. LOCATION: Churchville Public Library, 3714 Churchville Ave, Churchville, VA 24421 PURPOSE OF THE MEETING: The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will host the first TMDL Community Engagement meeting for the Back Creek, Eidson Creek, and Jennings Branch TMDL on Monday, June 15, 2026. The meeting is open to the public and any member of the public may participate in the proceedings. Meeting participants will assist in development of cleanup studies, also known as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), to address benthic impairment of these three streams in Augusta County, which have been listed on Virginia’s § 303(d) list of impaired waters for failing to meet Virginia’s water quality standards due to an altered benthic community. TMDLs will be developed for sediment, which has been identified as the most probable contributor to the poor health of the impaired stream segments. During this meeting, DEQ will review the results of a benthic stressor analysis and watershed characterization completed for the streams, and participants will provide input on land use and development patterns in the watersheds. In addition, participants will be asked to review sediment loading estimates developed for non-point sources in each of the watersheds. Information about this study can be found here: https://www.deq.virginia.gov/our-programs/water/water-quality/tmdl-development/tmdls-under-development. In the event of inclement weather, the meeting will be held on June 16, 2026, at 2:00 pm at the VA Department of Environmental Quality Valley Regional Office (4411 Early Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22801). CONTACT INFORMATION: Nesha McRae, DEQ Valley Regional Office, 4411 Early Road, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801; Phone: (540) 217-7173; E-mail: Nesha.mcrae@deq.virginia.gov.  

Sponsored by Department Of Environmental Quality
http://www.deq.virginia.gov/