Highland WWTP - Sparks, Kansas Wastewater Treatment Plant

Highland WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Sparks, Doniphan County, Kansas, serving a population of approximately 910 residents. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level for small communities in the United States, ensuring removal of organic matter and suspended solids before discharge. The plant has a designed capacity of 590.52 m³/day and currently discharges 378.54 m³/day, indicating operational headroom. As a US facility, it operates under the Clean Water Act, with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which set effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways within the Missouri River basin, ultimately draining to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream aquatic ecosystems from nutrient pollution and pathogens, supporting regional water quality goals.

Highland WWTP discharges into tributaries of the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. The receiving waters support diverse aquatic life and are part of a larger watershed that faces challenges from agricultural runoff and nutrient loading. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids, mitigating impacts on downstream ecosystems.