Dalton WWTP and Sewer System - Advanced Wastewater Treatment in Dalton, Ohio

The Dalton WWTP and Sewer System is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Dalton, Wayne County, Ohio. It serves a population of approximately 1,382 residents, classifying it as a small-scale plant under US EPA guidelines. The plant is situated in a rural area of northeastern Ohio, within the Lake Erie watershed. The facility employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond secondary treatment to remove nutrients and other pollutants. With a designed capacity of 1,135.62 thousand cubic meters per year and an actual discharge volume of 651.09 thousand cubic meters per year, the plant operates below its capacity. Under the US Clean Water Act, such plants are required to meet National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent is discharged into local streams that ultimately flow into the Tuscarawas River, part of the Muskingum River basin, which drains into the Ohio River and then the Mississippi River. This downstream connectivity makes the plant's advanced treatment important for protecting aquatic habitats and drinking water sources in the region.

The plant discharges into small tributaries of the Tuscarawas River, which flows through the Muskingum River basin to the Ohio River. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including fish species such as smallmouth bass and various freshwater mussels. The advanced treatment helps reduce nutrient loading, which is critical for preventing eutrophication in downstream reservoirs and the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone.