Kelly Twp Mun Auth Wastewater Treatment Plant, East Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania

Kelly Twp Mun Auth is a wastewater treatment plant located in East Buffalo Township, Union County, Pennsylvania, United States. The facility serves a population of approximately 6,558 people, placing it in the small-to-medium agglomeration category. As a municipal plant in Pennsylvania, it operates under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Water Act, with discharge permits issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. However, for a facility of this size in the United States, secondary treatment is typically required under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. The plant likely employs conventional activated sludge or similar biological treatment to meet effluent limits for biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids. The treated effluent from Kelly Twp Mun Auth is discharged into a local water body, likely a tributary of the Susquehanna River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay watershed is a large and ecologically significant estuary system that supports diverse aquatic life and is subject to nutrient reduction goals under the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).

The plant discharges into a local stream that is part of the Susquehanna River basin, which ultimately drains into the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and supports a rich ecosystem including blue crabs, oysters, and migratory fish. Nutrient pollution from wastewater is a key concern in this watershed, and plants like Kelly Twp Mun Auth are subject to nutrient reduction requirements to protect downstream water quality.