Blairsville WPCP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant in Blairsville, Georgia

Blairsville WPCP (Water Pollution Control Plant) is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located at 370 Murphy Highway in Blairsville, Union County, Georgia. The plant serves a small population of 892 residents and is part of the town's essential infrastructure for managing domestic wastewater. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal facilities. Secondary treatment uses biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids. The plant has a designed capacity of 643.52 cubic meters per day and currently discharges an average of 378.54 cubic meters per day, indicating it operates well below its design capacity. The treated effluent is discharged into a local receiving water body, which ultimately drains into the Hiwassee River basin and then into the Tennessee River system. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for downstream communities. The plant's operations are regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, administered by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

Blairsville WPCP discharges into a tributary of the Hiwassee River, which flows into the Tennessee River and eventually the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. The local watershed is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains ecoregion, characterized by forested headwaters and sensitive aquatic habitats. The plant's effluent contributes to the base flow of these streams, supporting fish and macroinvertebrate communities downstream.