2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 247
Commending the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026
WHEREAS, in 2026, the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District celebrates 87 years of assisting Albemarle, Fluvanna, Louisa, and Nelson Counties and the City of Charlottesville through its mission to “advocate for natural resource conservation by implementing national, state, and local conservation programs, cooperating with like-minded organizations, and providing technical expertise to address resource conservation priorities”; and
WHEREAS, created in April 1939, the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District (TJSWCD) is an independent unit of state government that develops and implements programs and plans to conserve natural resources, control and prevent soil erosion, mitigate flooding, and determine how best to conserve water; and
WHEREAS, today, the four counties and one city that compose the TJSWCD encompass 2,010 square miles with a population of more than 240,000, making it the largest soil and water conservation district in the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, the TJSWCD has two major watersheds, the James River watershed, which includes the Rivanna, Hardware, Rockfish, and Tye Rivers, and the York River watershed, which includes the North Anna, South Anna, and Little Rivers, whose resources are used and enjoyed by millions of Virginians; and
WHEREAS, led by a 12-member board of directors, the TJSWCD provides agricultural and environmental conservation technical and financial assistance, makes educational information available to the public, supports a water resources protection conservation easement program, offers additional technical support to local governments, and operates and maintains several flood control dams that protect state and federal infrastructure and the personal property of residents of the Commonwealth; and