Elwood WWTP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in Elwood, Kansas

Elwood WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Elwood, Doniphan County, Kansas. It serves a small population of 875 residents, providing secondary treatment to manage domestic wastewater from the community. The plant is situated inland, far from coastal areas, and its operations are part of the region's water infrastructure. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 598.09 volume units and a discharge volume of 340.69, it operates below its maximum capacity. As a US facility, it falls under the Clean Water Act's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent is discharged into local receiving waters, likely tributaries of the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi River and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. The plant's operations help protect downstream aquatic ecosystems and support the ecological health of the region's watershed.

Elwood WWTP discharges into local streams that drain into the Missouri River, a major tributary of the Mississippi River system. The Missouri River supports diverse aquatic life and provides habitat for fish species such as catfish and paddlefish. Downstream, the Mississippi River carries nutrients and pollutants to the Gulf of Mexico, where nutrient loading contributes to seasonal hypoxic zones. Effective treatment at Elwood WWTP helps reduce nutrient and pollutant loads, supporting the ecological balance of the broader watershed.