AN CO SD WELDA Wastewater Treatment Plant, Welda, Kansas

AN CO SD WELDA is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located along Prairie Spirit Trail in Welda, Anderson County, Kansas. The facility serves a small community of 125 residents, reflecting the rural character of the area. As a secondary treatment plant, it provides biological treatment to reduce organic pollutants before discharge. Under the U.S. Clean Water Act, the plant operates under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. For a facility of this small scale, secondary treatment is the standard requirement, ensuring compliance with effluent limits for biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids. The plant's current discharge volume is 49.21 units, operating below its designed capacity of 71.92 units. The treated effluent is discharged to a local waterway within the Neosho River basin, which ultimately drains to the Arkansas River and then the Mississippi River system. This small plant plays a role in protecting local streams and groundwater from untreated sewage, supporting the ecological health of the rural Kansas landscape.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Neosho River, which flows through eastern Kansas into the Arkansas River and eventually the Mississippi River. The local watershed supports agricultural land and small communities, with streams providing habitat for fish and aquatic invertebrates. Protecting water quality here helps maintain the ecological balance of the broader Mississippi River basin.