Upper Occoquan Sewage Authority

The Upper Occoquan Sewage Authority (UOSA) controls a major sewage treatment plant in Centreville, Virginia. The plant discharges into Bull Run, a major tributary of the Occoquan River in Northern Virginia. The plant serves residents in Fairfax County, Prince William County, the City of Manassas and the City of Manassas Park and is capable of treating up to 54 million gallons per day of raw sewage.

The UOSA plant is relatively unique in that the highly treated output from the plant supplies roughly 20% of the inflow into the Occoquan Reservoir, which provides drinking water used by the Fairfax County Water Authority. During drought periods the plant may briefly provide up to 90% of the reservoir inflow. In effect, Fairfax Water is drawing a portion of its influent from recycled sewage. UOSA has proven, indisputably, that treated plant effluent is actually far cleaner than the stream sources of surface water inflow into the Occoquan Reservoir.Fact|date=January 2008

Other Fairfax County sewage treatment facilities include the Norman M. Cole Plant located in Lorton, Virginia. Eastern Prince William County is served by the [http://www.pwcsa.org/drinkingwater/mooney.html H. L. Mooney Water Reclamation Facility] in Woodbridge, Virginia.

History

The expanded sewage plant was constructed over the strenuous objections of many residents, leading to a public debate known cheekily as the "Third Battle of Manassas" in reference to the American Civil War battles known as First and Second Manassas.

External links

* [http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/wastewater/ Fairfax County Wastewater Management]
* [http://www.pwcsa.org Prince William County Service Authority]