Inspiring Personal Responsibility for our Environment and Natural Resources
Services
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Free Technical Assistance
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Conservation Plans
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Nutrient Management Plans
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Soil Sampling
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State Cost-Share/
Tax-Credit Programs
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Conservation Capsules (Classroom Education)
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Farm Field Days
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Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE)
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Envirothon
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Adopt-A-Stream
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Water Quality Monitoring
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Chemical Monitoring
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Floatables Monitoring
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Plastic Pollution
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Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP)
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Gardener's Gold (brochure on farms that have free manure/compost available)
Youth Education, Water Quality, and Home Owners services are now available to City of Manassas and Manassas Park residents! All services are available to Prince William County residents.
Announcements!
For more announcements and the latest news, please click here!
Upcoming Events
VCAP needs your help!
What Did The Occoquan Model Find Beneath the Surface?
Jan. 22, 2026, 7pm via zoom
Pre-Registration required
The Occoquan Reservoir is a regionally vital drinking water and recreational resource. Its health depends on the land-use decisions made around it. This presentation offers critical insights for our community and continues PWCA’s effort to explore how smart growth can protect our drinking water supplies while we continue to build vibrant communities in places that make sense.
For more information on this presentation, please see the calendar on Prince William Conservation Alliance's website.
At this time, the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) is not in the governor's budget. If we want VCAP to continue being funded, we need help!
VCAP provides financial, technical and educational assistance to property owners installing eligible stormwater best management practices (BMPs). These BMPs can be installed in areas where resource concerns like erosion, poor drainage, or poor vegetation occur.
There are just some of the many benefits VCAP has provided to homeowners, HOAs, schools, places of worship, etc.:
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Natural solutions for controlling Erosion, Bare Soil, and Excess Runoff
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Habitats for Virginia's wildlife 🐝
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Improve soil health
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Decrease nutrients from entering our waterways
To help keep VCAP going, and for more information on VCAP and the benefits it provides to our environment, please visit Support VCAP.
If you want to share your stories and photos of VCAP projects on your property, please send them to Alex Murphy and Nicole Slazinski.
Virginia Urban Agriculture and Small Acreage Landowner Information Session
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m
Merrifield Garden Center - Fair Oaks location, Second Floor Classroom, 12101 Route 29 (Near Costco and Home Depot), Fairfax, Virginia 22030
You are invited to join an in-person information session with representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service to learn about the financial, cost-share, and technical assistance programs and resources that are available through the USDA. The session will provide urban agriculture and small-acreage farmers with details on how and where to get started. If you are planning to attend, please fill out a registration form.
Native Plant Symposium
Registration is now open for the 8th Annual PWC Native Plant Symposium Early Bird discount ends soon!
We have lots of new and old exciting break-out sessions. Our guest speaker this year is Bill Cullina with The F. Otto Haas Executive Director & Morris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania.
Prices (in-person includes lunch)
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In-Person: $45 - available Jan. 910 - Feb. 10
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At the Door: $55 - lunch not guaranteed
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Student (in person): $10 - available until Feb. 10
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Virtual Tickets: $25 - available until Feb. 13
For more information or to buy tickets, visit:
Scholarship Opportunities
The VASWCD Educational Foundation scholarship program promotes the education of Virginia citizens in technical fields with a natural resource conservation and environmental protection emphasis. The program provides financial support to students majoring in or showing a strong desire to major in a course curriculum related to natural resource conservation and/or environmental studies. Annually the Foundation provides four $2,000 statewide scholarships in addition to the many local SWCD scholarship opportunities.
Requirements for 2026 Prospective scholarship candidates
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Virginia residents
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full-time college freshmen or high school senior students who have applied to a college freshman level curriculum.
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class ranking in the top 20% of his or her graduating class or a 3.0 or greater Grade Point Average or appropriate equivalent of individual scholastic achievement.
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Most recent official high school transcript must accompany the application.
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Applicants shall demonstrate an active interest in conservation.
Applicants who were high school seniors in 2025 are encouraged to apply again in 2026 as scholarship guidelines allow those “enrolled in a freshman college curriculum or applying to a college freshmen level curriculum” to be considered.
For more information and an application, visit Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District's website. All applications from Prince William County, City of Manassas, or Manassas Park can be sent to education@pwswcd.org.
Virginia Farm Voluntary Ag BMP Inventory
From the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts:
Virginia is embarking on a survey to help us learn more about voluntary conservation practices on Virginia farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed…like yours! The information you provide in response to the survey will help Virginia tell the story of what farmers are doing to conserve
soil and improve water quality. This is incredibly important information that can help agriculture achieve its water quality goals for the Watershed Implementation Plan for the Chesapeake Bay.
The survey should take around 30 minute to complete.
For more information, go to: https://vaswcd.org/virginia-farm-voluntary-agricultural-bmp-inventory/.
About Us
The Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District (PWSWCD or District) is focused on protecting and enhancing our water and soil resources by providing leadership in the conservation of soil, water, and related resources to all Prince William County citizens through technical assistance, information, and education.
Is This a District Question?
We get lots of questions every day and we want to make sure you are guided in the right direction!
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Find out what serves the District provides. This will tell you who from District staff can help you out!
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Here is a list of recourses for services the District does not provide. If your question is not on the list, contact any of us and we'll do our best to help!
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Got questions, but not in Prince William County (or City of Manassas)? Find out how to contact your local soil and water conservation district!
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Freedom of Information Act
Rights of Requesters and the Responsibilities of the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act: The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), located § 2.2-3700 et. seq. of the Code of Virginia, guarantees citizens of the Commonwealth and representatives of the media access to public records held by public bodies, public officials, and public employees.To request records from our District, direct your request to the FOIA Officer, Linda Dunn. He can be reached at 8850 Rixlew Lane, Manassas, VA 20109, phone (571) 379-7514, email pwswcd@pwswcd.org.