Nutrient Management Planning for VDOT and DCR in Virginia

Historically, the Virginia Dept. of Transportation (VDOT) managed lime and fertilizer applications to highway corridors via a standard “regional template” approach without soil testing. However, site specific Nutrient Management Plans (NMP’s) for all state-owned lands were mandated by the General Assembly in 2005, and required agency compliance with Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) standards by July 1, 2006.  Between March and late June of 2006 we worked intensively with VDOT and DCR to develop and implement these plans for what VDOT estimated to be in excess of 200,000 acres of managed rights-of-way and fixed facilities.  Soil samples from all District offices and rest areas were collected and tested, local facilities were mapped, and over 500 pages of site-specific plans for over 50 fixed facilities were developed in addition to general plans for active construction, established roadside management, and wildflower plantings.  A variety of GIS data layers including high resolution aerial photos, SSURGO soils, hydrography and VDOT road networks were used to calculate the total managed acreage of the permanent facilities and estimate right-of-way acreage for the state.  Since existing DCR guidelines were developed for intensive agriculture, we had to work with DCR to create a new planning approach for VDOT, incorporating performance measures specific to VDOT’s compliance needs while allowing for non-agricultural settings and practical roadside management restrictions. 

To date, this program has greatly improved VDOT’s nutrient management procedures via implementation of site-specific soil testing and nutrient+lime recommendations for the first time. The new plans also enhance environmental quality by recognizing and avoiding environmentally sensitive areas, mandating set-backs from surface waters and rock outcrops/sinkholes, and by strictly limiting both total and seasonal N and P applications.