GRINNEL WWTP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in Gove County, Kansas

GRINNEL WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Gove County, Kansas, serving a small community of 295 residents. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the US Clean Water Act for facilities of this scale to reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids before discharge. As a secondary treatment plant, GRINNEL WWTP operates under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The plant has a designed capacity of 238.48 volume units and currently discharges 113.56 volume units, indicating it operates well within its capacity. The treated effluent from GRINNEL WWTP is discharged into local streams that drain into the Smoky Hill River, a tributary of the Kansas River, which ultimately flows into the Missouri River and then the Mississippi River. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for agricultural and municipal use downstream.

GRINNEL WWTP discharges into local waterways that are part of the Smoky Hill River basin, which flows through the semi-arid High Plains region of Kansas. The river supports aquatic habitats and is used for irrigation and livestock watering. Downstream, the Smoky Hill River joins the Kansas River, contributing to the Missouri River system. The plant's secondary treatment helps protect these water bodies from excessive nutrient and organic pollution.