Overview
Bethel WWTF is a secondary treatment plant serving 1,890 residents in Bethel, Maine. It discharges 866.86 thousand gallons per day with a designed capacity of 1,287.04 thousand gallons per day.
Bethel WWTF (Wastewater Treatment Facility) is a municipal plant located on Walker's Mills Road in Bethel, Oxford County, Maine. It serves a population of approximately 1,890 people, reflecting a small community in western Maine near the New Hampshire border. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required under the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater facilities. With a designed capacity of 1,287.04 thousand gallons per day and an average discharge volume of 866.86 thousand gallons per day, the plant operates below its capacity, indicating room for future growth. The treated effluent is discharged into a local waterway that ultimately drains into the Androscoggin River, a major river in northern New England. The Androscoggin flows into Merrymeeting Bay and then the Kennebec River estuary before reaching the Gulf of Maine. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is an important migratory corridor for fish species.
Environmental context
The plant's discharge enters a tributary of the Androscoggin River, which flows through western Maine and New Hampshire before joining the Kennebec River and emptying into the Gulf of Maine. The Androscoggin watershed supports coldwater fisheries and recreational uses, and the plant's secondary treatment helps protect water quality in this ecologically sensitive region.
Frequently asked questions
Bethel WWTF is located on Walker's Mills Road in Bethel, Oxford County, Maine, United States.
Bethel WWTF serves a population of approximately 1,890 residents in the Bethel area.
The plant discharges treated effluent into a local waterway that drains into the Androscoggin River, which flows to the Gulf of Maine.
Bethel WWTF provides secondary treatment, which is the standard required under the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater facilities.
As a municipal wastewater treatment plant in the United States, Bethel WWTF operates under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which sets limits on discharges to protect water quality.
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