FRANKLIN FAYETTE STP _SMOCK - Advanced Wastewater Treatment in Franklin Township, Pennsylvania

FRANKLIN FAYETTE STP _SMOCK is an advanced wastewater treatment facility located in Franklin Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. The plant serves a small population of 667 residents in the Smock area, providing essential sanitation services to this rural community within the Appalachian region. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond secondary treatment to remove nutrients and other pollutants. It treats an average of 227,130 gallons per day, operating below its design capacity of 264,980 gallons per day. As a US facility, it operates under the Clean Water Act's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Monongahela River, a major tributary of the Ohio River and part of the Mississippi River basin. The plant's advanced treatment helps protect downstream aquatic ecosystems and supports the ecological health of the region's watershed.

The plant discharges into streams that flow into the Monongahela River, which joins the Ohio River and eventually the Mississippi River. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides habitat for fish and macroinvertebrates. The advanced treatment level reduces nutrient loading, helping to prevent eutrophication in downstream water bodies and maintaining water quality for recreational and ecological uses.