ALTON WWTP - Alton, Kansas Wastewater Treatment Plant

ALTON WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located on County Road 657 in Alton, Kansas, within Osborne County. The plant serves a small population of 117 residents, reflecting the rural character of the area. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 75.71 cubic meters per day and an average daily discharge of 45.43 cubic meters, the facility operates below its capacity. Under the U.S. Clean Water Act, such plants are regulated through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, administered by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The treated effluent is discharged into a local waterway that ultimately drains into the Solomon River, a tributary of the Smoky Hill River, which flows into the Kansas River and then the Missouri River, part of the Mississippi River basin. This connection to the larger Mississippi watershed underscores the plant's role in protecting downstream water quality.

The plant's discharge enters a small stream that feeds into the Solomon River, which flows through north-central Kansas. The Solomon River joins the Smoky Hill River, a major tributary of the Kansas River, which ultimately drains into the Missouri River and the Mississippi River system. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for irrigation and recreation. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic loads, protecting the ecological health of these downstream waters.