Water and Wastewater Treatment Capacity FAQ
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Does the Service Authority have sufficient water capacity and wastewater treatment capacity to meet growth demands under Prince William County’s current Comprehensive Plan?
The Service Authority has sufficient water treatment capacity to meet projected demands under the current Comprehensive Plan through 2045. The Comprehensive Plan, which is prepared and coordinated by the County’s Planning Office, provides the basis for the Service Authority to plan for future facility upgrades and expansions. The Planning Office regularly communicates with the Service Authority for input on proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan to include the addition of small area plans, land use policy changes, and water and sewer chapter updates.
Additionally, the Service Authority has confirmed that additional water treatment capacity can be obtained in sufficient quantity to meet development requirements under the Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA) for the Prince William Digital Gateway based on demand projections by the Service Authority. This additional water capacity would be paid for by development fees, without financial impact to existing customers.
For wastewater treatment, three incremental expansions of treatment capacity at the Upper Occoquan Service Authority (UOSA) Plant are already planned in order to meet projected wastewater flows beyond 2045 under the current Comprehensive Plan. UOSA capacity can be expanded further if needed, to meet development requirements under the CPA based on flows projected by the Service Authority. Additional wastewater treatment capacity would be paid for by development fees, without financial impact to existing customers.
How does the lack of water and sewer infrastructure in the Rural Area affect the ability to serve future development?
The Service Authority is developing a master plan based on Prince William County’s current Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Policies. A change in planned density and land use policy would require the Service Authority to undertake additional planning studies to determine the optimal water and sewer transmission systems to serve the proposed development. Proper sizing and extension of existing infrastructure would be planned for development without financial impact to existing customers.
The absence of water and sewer infrastructure in any given part of the Rural Area should not be considered an impediment to development under existing “growth pays for growth” policies, which require these infrastructure extensions to be designed, constructed and paid for by development applicants to serve their development.
Does new infrastructure to support development and growth lead to subsidy of development by existing customers, taxpayers or the government?
In accordance with the Service Authority’s Development Review Process and System Improvement Policy, which is consistent with the County’s Comprehensive Plan and with the County’s “growth pays for growth” philosophy, the applicant is financially responsible for the design and construction of the infrastructure necessary to serve their development. The Service Authority reviews all proposed development projects in Prince William County to determine if the existing water distribution, sewer collection systems and pump stations are adequate to meet the projected water demands and wastewater flows. The Service Authority identifies deficiencies, and the applicant is required to meet the Service Authority’s established performance standards for service.
The Comprehensive Plan Amendment Application for the Prince William Digital Gateway listed the sewage flows generated by the application as being served through the Heritage Hunt Sewage Pump Station. Can the new Heritage Hunt Sewage Pump Station (SPS) handle these additional sewer flows?
Upgrades to the Heritage Hunt SPS and its infrastructure are designed to accommodate the planned buildout of the Little Bull Run Sewer Shed. The Prince William Digital Gateway lies outside the Little Bull Run Sewer Shed, therefore sewer flows from the Prince William Digital Gateway would need to be handled by facilities other than the Heritage Hunt Sewage Pump Station.
Is the Service Authority concerned about water quality in the Occoquan Reservoir if development is allowed in the Rural Area?
With the responsibility to produce potable water that meets all regulatory requirements, Fairfax Water remains observant of circumstances that may affect water quality in the Occoquan Reservoir. The Service Authority purchases treated drinking water from Fairfax Water, which obtains and treats water from the Occoquan Reservoir to meet the needs of Service Authority customers in Eastern Prince William County. The Service Authority remains fully confident in Fairfax Water’s ability to provide safe and reliable drinking water that meets all regulatory treatment and distribution requirements.
The Prince William County Department of Public Works, Environmental Services Division, manages stormwater in Prince William County. Land use decisions in Prince William County are made by the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors. Prince William County, Fairfax Water and the regional partners of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and the Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Lab have always worked together to ensure that land use policies and practices effectively manage stormwater and protect water quality in the Occoquan Reservoir, and we anticipate that will continue.
