Overview
Bushton WWTP is a secondary treatment plant serving approximately 300 people in Rice County, Kansas. It discharges 113.56 megaliters of treated wastewater annually, operating under U.S. EPA and state regulations.
Bushton WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Rice County, Kansas, serving a small population of around 300 residents. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level for communities of this size in the United States, ensuring compliance with federal and state water quality standards. The plant has a designed capacity of 151.42 megaliters per year and currently discharges 113.56 megaliters annually, indicating operational headroom. As a U.S. facility, it operates under the Clean Water Act's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which sets effluent limits to protect receiving waters. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that drain into the Arkansas River basin, ultimately contributing to the Mississippi River system. This connection underscores the plant's role in safeguarding downstream aquatic ecosystems and regional water quality in the Great Plains.
Environmental context
Bushton WWTP discharges into tributaries of the Arkansas River, which flows through Kansas and Oklahoma before joining the Mississippi River. The receiving waters support diverse aquatic life and are part of a larger watershed that provides irrigation and drinking water. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic loads, protecting downstream habitats from eutrophication and oxygen depletion.
Frequently asked questions
Bushton WWTP is located in Rice County, Kansas, United States, serving the local community of approximately 300 residents.
The plant has a designed capacity of 151.42 megaliters per year and currently discharges 113.56 megaliters annually, indicating it operates below its maximum capacity.
The treated wastewater is discharged into local waterways that are part of the Arkansas River basin, eventually flowing into the Mississippi River system.
As a U.S. facility, Bushton WWTP operates under the Clean Water Act and is subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, which set effluent limits to protect water quality.
For small communities like Bushton, secondary treatment is standard, providing biological treatment to remove organic matter and suspended solids, meeting EPA requirements for such agglomerations.
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