The Rivanna Conservation Society held their annual meeting Saturday, discussing a multi-million dollar project that plans to reduce dirt runoff in our streams.

With construction for the multi-million dollar Meadowcreek Stream Restoration Project starting this fall, the meeting was a chance for spokespeople from Albemarle County, UVA engineering, and the Piedmont Nature Conservancy to discuss our waters.

The John Paul Jones arena is an example of green development in action. Wetlands, vegetation buffers, and a pond help soak up stormwater into the ground so it doesn't runoff into streams at a torrential speed that chokes the waters with dirt.

"If you could slow down the water before it scours out the stream banks then you'd have captured the dirt where farmers can get better use of it," said Sally H. Thomas, the Chair of the Rivanna River Basin and member of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors.

"The sediment filters into those areas. When it's very severe, for a fish, it's like trying to breathe in a smoke-filled room," added Angus Murdoch, President of the Rivanna Conservation Society.

In two months, the City of Charlottesville will begin construction on a multi-million dollar project that plans to restore the Meadow Creek Stream to its original meandering path.

It's supposed to decrease sedimentation by re-shaping banks and planting trees, with the hope that it will clean up our waters.

"The mud that comes off the sides of the streams whenever the water is flowing at a higher rate than usual has to go somewhere. It's going to go down to the Chesapeake Bay, and we all know how it's killing off the oyster beds," said Thomas.

And for advocates in the Rivanna Conservation Society, the environmental costs of doing nothing are too high.

"We will see a huge change in how we have to react to the way we use natural resources. Water is the one natural resource that is common to all life. None of us can survive without it," said Tatyanna Patten, Vice President.

Total costs for the project will be $3.2 million, but it's not coming out of taxpayer's pockets. Developers are fined when they pollute streams and can't fix the damage, and that money is put into a fund and used for projects like this one.

The Rivanna Conservation Society will hold an open house about the Meadowcreek Stream Restoration Project on Wednesday, September 24th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.