Water Sector News
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Celebrating 50 Years of Service to Public and Environment
The Noman M. Cole Jr. Pollution Control Plant (NCPCP) has been in operation, serving the Fairfax County community for 50 years, an impressive record.
On October 15, 1970, the county-owned wastewater treatment plant, originally known as the Lower Potomac Pollution Control Plant, went online providing secondary treatment that removed sediments, some nutrients, and oxygen demand with a capacity of 18 million gallons a day (MGD).
“This was a significant improvement over the dozens of smaller treatment plants it replaced,” said Mike McGrath, Director, Wastewater Treatment Division, “and it was an environmental turning point for Fairfax County.” The county then put short and long-term plans in place, demonstrating its commitment to protecting the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.
Now, 50 years later, through continual improvements and pollution prevention efforts, Noman Cole is a 67 MGD wastewater treatment plant that uses advanced treatment technologies to reclaim water prior to its discharge into Pohick Creek. The plant is a 300-acre site with more than $500 million in treatment facilities that serves about 500,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the southern half of Fairfax County.