Overview
Carmen WWT is a secondary treatment plant in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, serving 387 people. It discharges 151.42 megaliters annually and has a designed capacity of 189.27 megaliters.
Carmen WWT is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, United States. The plant serves a small population of 387 residents, reflecting its role in a rural community. It operates under the regulatory framework of the U.S. Clean Water Act, which requires secondary treatment for municipal discharges to protect water quality. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 189.27 megaliters and an annual discharge volume of 151.42 megaliters, the facility operates below its capacity. As a small inland plant, it is subject to state-level National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits that set effluent limits. The treated wastewater is discharged into local waterways that drain into the Arkansas River basin, ultimately reaching the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. This connection highlights the plant's role in protecting downstream aquatic ecosystems and regional water quality.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into tributaries of the Arkansas River, which flows through Oklahoma and Arkansas before joining the Mississippi River. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including fish and macroinvertebrates, and provides habitat for migratory birds. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic pollution, safeguarding downstream water bodies from eutrophication and oxygen depletion.
Frequently asked questions
Carmen WWT is located on CR E0310 in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, United States, serving the rural community of Carmen.
The plant serves a population of 387 people, typical of a small rural wastewater facility in Oklahoma.
The plant discharges treated effluent into local waterways that drain into the Arkansas River basin, ultimately reaching the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.
Carmen WWT provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological process required under the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater to remove organic matter and suspended solids.
As a U.S. facility, Carmen WWT operates under the Clean Water Act and is regulated by a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality.
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