Holcomb WWTP - Secondary Treatment Plant in Holcomb, Kansas

Holcomb WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Holcomb, Kansas, serving a population of approximately 1,612 residents. The facility is situated in Finney County, within the semi-arid High Plains region of the United States, and plays a key role in managing local wastewater for this small community. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level required by the US Clean Water Act for municipal facilities. With a designed capacity of 757.08 thousand cubic meters per year and an annual discharge volume of 605.67 thousand cubic meters, the plant operates at a substantial utilization rate. As a US facility, it is subject to 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 a local watercourse that ultimately drains into the Arkansas River basin, a major tributary of the Mississippi River system. This downstream connection links the plant's discharge to the broader ecological network of the Great Plains, supporting aquatic habitats and agricultural water supplies along the Arkansas River corridor.

Holcomb WWTP discharges into a local stream that flows into the Arkansas River, which traverses Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas before joining the Mississippi River. The Arkansas River in this region supports diverse aquatic life and is used for irrigation and recreation. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids, protecting downstream water quality in this semi-arid watershed where water resources are critical for both ecosystems and human use.