The legislation, advocated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, would allow localities to ban toxic sealants used on sidewalks, roads and driveways.

Oysters look for a chemical signature in calcium carbonate to find their home. That comes from shells but also concrete, a relatively cheap and plentiful substitute. The new reef will be made of 5,000 tons of crushed concrete.

Road conditions are expected to be icy and dangerous into Sunday morning, the Virginia Department of Transportation said in a news release.

“We’re going to understand the bay on a finer scale, in the shallower waters which is really where most of us interact,” said Lew Linker, modeling coordinator for the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program office. “It’s going to be represented and simulated better than ever before, and help everyone in the watershed understand what our shared responsibilities are.”

Gov. Ralph Northam signed the memorandum of understanding with Denmark right before leaving office. “We have purposely worked to position Virginia as a leader in offshore wind," he said.

Proposed environmental bills for the 2022 General Assembly session include repealing carbon dioxide regulations, creating a state flood policy board, discouraging invasive plant species, restricting solar farms and more.

In addition to raising the existing floodwall, officials plan to extend the wall north to the Midtown Tunnel and west toward the Campostella Bridge. They’ll also install a floodgate at the Hague.

Moving forward, HRSD hopes to garner interest from local governments and environmental groups that could replicate the trash collector to clean up other waterways in Hampton Roads.

Somewhere between 3,000-5,000 years ago, the long, slender sand ridges were formed where the ocean’s shoreline used to be as sea levels rose. “If you can figure out when the ridges actually formed, it will tell you about the coastline’s history, sea level rise and more,” said Rich Whittecar, geology professor emeritus at Old Dominion University.