KENT WWTF - Kent, Connecticut Wastewater Treatment Facility

KENT WWTF (Wastewater Treatment Facility) serves the town of Kent in Litchfield County, Connecticut. With a population served of 925, it is a small-scale municipal plant that provides secondary treatment to domestic wastewater. The plant has a designed capacity of 529.96 volume units and a current discharge volume of 264.98, indicating it operates well below its capacity. As a secondary treatment facility, KENT WWTF meets the standard requirements under the U.S. Clean Water Act, which mandates secondary treatment for municipal wastewater to reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids. The plant is regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP). This ensures compliance with effluent limits designed to protect water quality. The treated effluent from KENT WWTF is discharged into a local water body that flows into the Housatonic River, a major river in western Connecticut. The Housatonic River ultimately drains into Long Island Sound, an estuary of national significance. The plant's location inland and its small population served reduce its environmental footprint, but proper treatment remains critical to protect downstream aquatic ecosystems and recreational uses.

KENT WWTF discharges into a tributary of the Housatonic River, which flows south through Connecticut and empties into Long Island Sound. The Housatonic River watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including migratory fish species such as American shad and Atlantic salmon. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loading and organic pollution, which is important for maintaining water quality in the river and the Sound, a vital estuarine habitat.