Water Reclamation

Collecting, conveying, and treating wastewater is an important part of our mission! Given the location of our system, we must comply with an intricate set of regulatory requirements, including:

• Federal Clean Water Act
• Chesapeake Bay water quality standards
• Occoquan Policy
• Virginia Sewage Collection and Treatment Regulations

Our wastewater collection system consists of more than 60 sewage pump stations, 1,200 miles of interconnected pipes, and tens of thousands of manholes that we must inspect and maintain. Wastewater generated in the western part of the county is conveyed to the Upper Occoquan Service Authority’s (UOSA) water treatment plant, while wastewater from the eastern part of the county is conveyed to our H.L. Mooney Advanced Water Reclamation Facility (AWRF). Since both treatment plants discharge to water bodies in the Chesapeake Bay, they both must treat wastewater to some of the highest nutrient (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus) removal standards in the country.