Item #373 P.1. of the 2020-2022 biennium budget (2020 Special Session I Va. Acts Ch. 56) appropriates “$30,350,000 the second year from the general fund which shall be deposited to the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund established pursuant to the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1997." This appropriation meets the mandatory deposit requirements associated with the fiscal year 2020 discretionary year-end general fund balances. The Secretary of Natural Resources is required to submit this report pursuant to Item #373 P.1. which directed the Secretary to “develop and submit a plan for the allocation of these funds no later than November 1, 2020."

The following plan directs the vast majority of the funding to agriculture and forest landowners and operators voluntarily implementing best management practices to improve water quality in their local rivers and streams. A portion of the funding supports conservation practices on nonagricultural lands; innovative practices; and critical mapping to prioritize wastewater needs.