Overview
Chautauqua T Heights WWTP is a secondary treatment plant serving 172 people in the Town of Chautauqua, New York. It discharges treated wastewater into the local watershed, ultimately draining to Lake Erie.
Chautauqua T Heights WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in the Town of Chautauqua, Chautauqua County, New York. The plant serves a small population of 172 residents, providing secondary treatment to manage domestic wastewater from the community. The plant operates under the regulatory framework of the U.S. Clean Water Act, administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. For a facility of this scale, secondary treatment is the standard requirement, ensuring that biological oxygen demand and suspended solids are reduced to acceptable levels before discharge. The treated effluent is released into a local watercourse that flows into Chautauqua Lake, a significant recreational and ecological resource in western New York. From there, the water drains via the Chadakoin River and Conewango Creek to the Allegheny River, eventually reaching the Ohio River and the Mississippi River system. The plant's discharge contributes to the overall water quality of this interconnected watershed.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into a tributary of Chautauqua Lake, a 13,000-acre natural lake that supports diverse aquatic life and is a popular destination for fishing and boating. The lake drains via the Chadakoin River to the Conewango Creek, which flows into the Allegheny River, part of the larger Mississippi River basin. Protecting water quality in this chain is critical for maintaining the ecological health of Chautauqua Lake and downstream habitats.
Frequently asked questions
Chautauqua T Heights WWTP is located at 20 Cayuga Drive in the Town of Chautauqua, Chautauqua County, New York, United States.
The plant has a designed capacity of 75.71 million gallons per day and currently discharges an equal volume, indicating it operates at full capacity.
The plant discharges treated effluent into a local tributary that flows into Chautauqua Lake, which then drains through the Chadakoin River and Conewango Creek to the Allegheny River.
As a U.S. facility, the plant operates under the Clean Water Act, with permits issued by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Secondary treatment is required for plants of this size.
For small communities in the U.S., secondary treatment is standard, which includes biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. This meets the minimum requirements under the Clean Water Act.
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