Highlands T Fort Montgomery STP - Wastewater Treatment Plant in Highland Falls, New York

Highlands T Fort Montgomery STP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in the Village of Highland Falls, Orange County, New York. The facility serves a population of approximately 3,000 residents in the Highland Falls and Fort Montgomery areas, operating under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Water Act. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the minimum standard for municipal wastewater treatment in the United States under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). With a designed capacity of 454.25 thousand gallons per day and an average discharge volume of 302.83 thousand gallons per day, the plant operates at about 67% capacity, indicating room for future growth. The treated effluent is discharged into a tributary of the Hudson River, a major estuary that flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Hudson River supports diverse aquatic life and is an important migratory corridor for fish species. The plant's location inland, away from the immediate coast, reduces direct marine impact but still contributes to the overall water quality of the Hudson River estuary.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Hudson River, which flows southward through eastern New York and empties into the New York Bight of the Atlantic Ocean. The Hudson River estuary is a critical habitat for striped bass, American shad, and other migratory fish, and its water quality is closely monitored to support both ecological health and recreational uses. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids, protecting downstream aquatic ecosystems.