ELKHORN CITY STP - Elkhorn City, Kentucky Wastewater Treatment Plant

ELKHORN CITY STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Elkhorn City, Pike County, Kentucky. The plant serves a population of approximately 2,100 residents and is situated in the Appalachian region of eastern Kentucky. The facility provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the US Clean Water Act for municipal plants of this scale. It has a designed capacity of 567.81 thousand gallons per day and currently discharges an average of 654.88 thousand gallons per day, indicating operation near or slightly above its design capacity. The treated effluent is discharged into a local waterway that ultimately drains into the Big Sandy River, a tributary of the Ohio River. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides drinking water for downstream communities. The plant's location in a mountainous region means careful management of discharges is important to protect local streams and the broader Ohio River basin.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Big Sandy River, which flows into the Ohio River and eventually the Mississippi River. The Appalachian region's steep terrain and coal mining history make local water quality particularly sensitive to nutrient and sediment loads. The receiving waters support fish species such as smallmouth bass and sunfish, and are used for recreation and drinking water supply downstream.