Frequently Asked Questions

The Shenandoah Watershed Heroes Pilot Program is a community initiative that encourages local residents, businesses, farmers, schools, and municipalities to take simple actions to protect the Shenandoah River. The program is about working together to ensure our land, water, and way of life are preserved for future generations.

Clean water is essential for everyone—it supports our health, our farms, our businesses, and our overall quality of life. By keeping our rivers and streams clean, we’re protecting what makes our community strong and ensuring that these resources remain available for our children and grandchildren.

Anyone who lives or works in Shenandoah County can participate. Whether you’re a homeowner, run a business, farm the land, or are involved with local schools or government, there’s a way for you to contribute to keeping our water clean.

The program aims to see how everyday actions—like conserving water, reducing waste, or managing land responsibly—can come together to make a big impact on the health of our local waterways. The idea is to test what works best for our community.

The pilot program runs for 45 days, starting around September 15, 2024, and ending by November 1, 2024. It’s a short-term effort designed to gather insights and make sure we’re on the right track for future efforts.

You can choose from a list of practical actions that fit your lifestyle. For example:

• Homeowners can reduce plastic use or install a rain barrel.

• Businesses might conserve water or organize local clean-ups.

• Farmers could try rotational grazing or plant cover crops.

• Schools might start environmental projects or plant native gardens.

• Municipalities could focus on keeping storm drains clear or promoting native plants.

Success will be measured by how many people participate and how these actions help improve our local water quality. We’ll also look at community feedback and overall engagement to see what worked well.

Once you sign up, a representative will check in with you after about 45 days to see how you’re doing and offer support if needed. It’s all about making sure you have what you need to succeed.

After the pilot, we’ll review what worked and what didn’t, using that information to build a larger, county-wide effort. The goal is to keep this momentum going and continue improving our community’s water quality.

There will be plenty of ways to stay engaged, like joining local clean-ups, attending workshops, or simply continuing the practices you’ve adopted. Your involvement helps ensure that our community remains strong, healthy, and resilient.