[2] UOSA operates under a Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) Permit, which is issued by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
Research conducted by the Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory (OWML)[3] has shown that the nitrate in the UOSA reclaimed water has benefited the reservoir water quality specifically by: According to OWML’s research, phosphorus releases are prevented when, in the absence of molecular oxygen in the lower levels of the reservoir, nitrate acts as an alternate terminal electron acceptor for certain bacteria delaying the onset of anaerobic conditions and inhibiting the release of iron-bound phosphorus from the sediments.
[3] The Virginia DEQ recognizes the water quality protection benefits of the UOSA nitrified discharge on the Occoquan Reservoir in State permits.
UOSA has proven, indisputably, that treated plant effluent is actually far cleaner than the stream sources of surface water inflow into the Occoquan Reservoir.
[5] Eastern Prince William County is served by the H. L. Mooney Advanced Water Reclamation Facility in Woodbridge, Virginia.