What are credits?
A nutrient credit is a certified unit of environmental improvement within a sub-watershed — created when farmland is converted to forest or through stream restoration, and approved by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality before it can be sold.
Certified units of runoff reduction, tradable within the same sub-watershed when a development can't meet stormwater runoff requirements on-site.
Restoration under Clean Water Act §404 generating stream and wetland credits for impacts that must be offset elsewhere.
Verified water restoration volumes counting toward water-positive goals for hyperscale campuses.
What is a mitigation bank?
A mitigation bank generates credits through approved practices that reduce nonpoint-source pollution on the property — converting conventional farmland to forest, or restoring streams and shorelines to reduce erosion and runoff. Once permanent legal restrictions are recorded, Virginia DEQ inspects the work and releases the credits for sale.
Need credits for a project in the Potomac watershed?
We'll confirm availability and pricing in your sub-watershed.
Restoring Virginia's land and water since 2019.
