Bicknell WWTP - Wastewater Treatment in Knox County, Indiana

Bicknell WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Knox County, Indiana, serving a population of about 3,378 residents. The plant is part of the local infrastructure managed by the county, treating domestic wastewater from the community. As a small-scale facility in the United States, Bicknell WWTP is subject to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) under the Clean Water Act. This regulatory framework requires permits that set limits on effluent quality to protect receiving waters. Typical plants of this size employ secondary treatment, which includes biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The plant's treated effluent is discharged into a local waterway within the Wabash River basin, which ultimately flows to the Ohio River and then the Mississippi River. The Wabash River watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor in the Midwest. Proper treatment helps maintain water quality for downstream communities and ecosystems.

Bicknell WWTP discharges into a tributary of the Wabash River, which flows into the Ohio River and then the Mississippi River before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. The Wabash River basin supports a variety of fish and wildlife, including several species of freshwater mussels and migratory birds. The plant's location inland, over 50 km from the coast, reduces direct marine impact, but its effluent contributes to the overall nutrient load in the Mississippi River system, which can affect the Gulf of Mexico's hypoxic zone.