Henrico Environmental Watch: DEQ sets hearing on airport stormwater permit, 2 stream restoration requests total $3 million
Environmental issues, violations, proposals, permits and other related news from throughout Henrico County.
DEQ schedules October hearing on Richmond International Airport stormwater permit
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public hearing Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Henrico Theatre, 305 E. Nine Mile Road, on a draft stormwater permit for Richmond International Airport.
The Capital Region Airport Commission applied Dec. 29, 2025, to renew Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit VA0090301. DEQ says the permit would allow the airport to continue releasing stormwater associated with industrial activity into multiple Henrico waterways, including White Oak Swamp, an unnamed tributary of White Oak Swamp and an unnamed tributary of Gillies Creek.
The airport operates commercial aviation facilities as well as leased facilities used by the Federal Aviation Administration, Virginia Army National Guard, cargo operators and private aircraft businesses. DEQ's project summary notes that the airport's rescue and firefighting operation historically used aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, which contains PFAS.
The October hearing is part of DEQ's review of the draft permit. DEQ says it will receive comments but will not make a final permit decision at the hearing. After reviewing public comments, the agency plans to publish a summary and response document and hold a second hearing for people who submitted comments to address DEQ's responses.
The draft permit follows an earlier public comment period that ran July 1-31.
For details, review DEQ's Richmond International Airport permit page.
Henrico to seek partial grant funding for 2 stream restoration projects
The Henrico Board of Supervisors Sept. 22 authorized county officials to seek partial grant funding for two planned stream restoration projects – a $2.2-million project at Three Lakes Park and an $800,000-project at Reynolds Community College’s Parham Road campus.
Officials will seek to cover half of that expense with Virginia Stormwater Local Assistance Fund grants, for which they now will apply.
The county would fund the rest of the projects, which would earn Henrico Chesapeake Bay credits for reducing pollutants in water that eventually ends up in the bay. Localities can then use those credits to offset new or expanding stormwater or wastewater loads from other sites when they are physically or financially unable to do so at those sites.
