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Grant gives $37 million for wastewater treatment improvements
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Related Topics: Prince William County
Prince William County (Map, News) - Prince William County won a $37 million state grant to help overhaul its major wastewater treatment plant in a bid to reduce pollution headed for the Chesapeake Bay.
The H.L. Mooney Water Reclamation Facility in Woodbridge began an almost $90 million overhaul in October, and the state funds will help the county Service Authority cover the cost of installing better filtration systems to limit phosphorous and nitrogen in released water.
The grant pays for upgraded technology, larger facilities and filters required to reduce the nitrogen and phosphorous in the 18 million gallons of water the plant discharges each day into Neabsco Creek, which feeds into the Potomac River.
Once completed in 2011, the improvements will reduce nitrogen levels by more than 60 percent, from 8 milligrams per liter to 3 milligrams per liter.
The nitrogen and phosphorous contaminants cause algae blooms that harm the bay's ecosystem.
The state has authorized $600 million in recent years to pay for better filtration systems at water treatment plants across the region.
"The real point behind all of this is to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous coming from the entire bay watershed," said Bill Hayden, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
"It's not specifically looking at this one facility as a problem. It's looking at all of the major ones, and there are 120, and trying to reduce pollution from every one," he said.
The state contribution will spare water users from paying for the full cost of the project, General Manager Dean Dickey said. "The grant reduces the financial burden on our customers while improving water quality and strengthening the health of the Chesapeake Bay."
Saving the bay
» Grant funding: $37.13 million
» Project cost: $89.9 million
» Facility serves: 35,000 homes and businesses
» Gallons per day: 18 million
» Completion expected: 2011
