Clean water is a necessity. Without it, life as we know it can’t flourish.
Unfortunately, the threats to water quality in Virginia are numerous – heavy industry, toxic chemicals, over-development, antiquated wastewater systems, urban runoff and pollution from agriculture all threaten our waterways, big and small.
Virginia LCV Education Fund is committed to protecting and preserving water quality across the Commonwealth, from the smallest streams to the widest rivers, because water connects us all.
We do this by educating decision-makers on pressing clean water issues, amplifying the voices of concerned Virginians like you, and building a larger Conservation Voter Movement to make progress on solutions that restore water quality, reduce pollution, and protect clean water for communities across the Commonwealth.
Following Through on the Chesapeake Bay Cleanup
Virginia is among a coalition of states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed working to help cut the pollution entering this national treasure.
We have made progress since 2010 when the Environmental Protection Agency implemented a “Total Maximum Daily Load,” also known as a “pollution diet,” for the Bay, but after missing many of our benchmarks in 2025, there’s clearly more work ahead to see this cleanup through.
Virginia LCV Education Fund works to cut pollution in the Bay through public outreach and education, while also pushing forward protections for the threatened species that call the Bay home.
We’re closer than ever to seeing a restored Bay, and Virginia LCV Education Fund will continue raising awareness with the public and decision-makers on the protections we need to secure a healthy, thriving Chesapeake Bay.
Addressing Toxic ‘Forever’ Chemicals and Microplastics
Virginia’s water resources remain at risk from a variety of toxic contaminants including per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS. These industrial chemicals are found in common, everyday household items – everything from cookware and food packaging to clothing and cosmetics. In high concentrations, PFAS can lead to a number of harmful health outcomes including increased cholesterol, liver enzyme changes, decreased vaccine response, thyroid disease, reduced fertility, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia, developmental delays in children, and increased risk of certain cancers.
The high prevalence of microplastics in our waterways also comes with destructive impacts on human health, as well as wildlife, water infrastructure, and agricultural land. Recent studies indicate that we ingest up to 5 grams of plastic every week. Microplastics are in our food, our water, our air and many of the goods we come into contact with everyday.
Addressing these sources of toxic water pollution will take years of concerted effort in Virginia, and we are committed to raising awareness of these pressing issues and advocating for long-term safeguards.
Protecting our Waters from Industrial Mining
Virginia’s diverse geology contains a variety of sought-after minerals, including heavy metals like copper, gold and uranium. Mining these minerals comes with very real threats to water quality. Our above average rainfall, becoming more intense each year due to climate change, also means there’s a higher risk of heavy metals pollution leaching into adjoining waterways and groundwater supplies, putting us all at risk.
Virginia LCV Education Fund has been a leader in the fight to maintain the Commonwealth’s ban on uranium mining – a perennial issue that continues to emerge from time to time as outside interests seek to mine a large deposit of uranium that exists in Southside Virginia’s Pittsylvania County.
Most recently, following a Canadian company’s proposal to site a gold mining operation in Buckingham County on the James River, we worked with on-the-ground partners on solutions that ban the use of cyanide in the mining process, helping stop this project while protecting our water resources.
As long as these resources are in our ground, greedy interests will continue putting their profits above our clean water. Virginia LCV Education Fund will need to continue building strong opposition to industrial mining while educating decision-makers on the harms of opening the door to heavy metals contamination.
Our Issues
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A Fair & Free Democracy
A healthy, accessible democracy that works for all Virginians is integral to our mission. When there are barriers to voting, or efforts that seek to silence or diminish the voices of Virginians, the environment suffers. Virginia LCV Education Fund helps build a strong democracy with on-the-ground nonpartisan voter outreach, registration, and education efforts, with the […]
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Healthy Communities
The environment isn’t an abstract concept – it’s all around us, and plays a huge role in our quality of life, everything from how we get from place to place, to whether our kids have safe places to play. All Virginians deserve to live in healthy, balanced communities with abundant green spaces, access to the […]
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Clean Water
Clean water is a necessity. Without it, life as we know it can’t flourish. Unfortunately, the threats to water quality in Virginia are numerous – heavy industry, toxic chemicals, over-development, antiquated wastewater systems, urban runoff and pollution from agriculture all threaten our waterways, big and small. Virginia LCV Education Fund is committed to protecting and […]
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Clean, Affordable Energy
Today, Virginia is on the path to a 100% clean, affordable energy future – the only state in the south to commit to entirely phasing dirty, expensive fossil fuels out of our electricity mix. We had to fight hard to get here, and we continue fighting to stay on track. Virginia LCV Education Fund played […]
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