Overview
Lake County DPW New Century Town serves 12,800 people in Vernon Hills, Illinois. The plant operates under US EPA NPDES permits and discharges treated wastewater into the local watershed.
Lake County DPW New Century Town is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Vernon Hills, Lake County, Illinois. It serves a population of approximately 12,800 residents in this suburban community northwest of Chicago. As a US facility serving a medium-sized agglomeration, the plant operates under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which sets effluent limits and monitoring requirements. The designed capacity is 1.00 million gallons per day, indicating a facility sized for the local population. The plant discharges into the Des Plaines River watershed, which flows southward to the Illinois River and ultimately to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Its operations help protect downstream water quality and aquatic habitats in the region.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into the Des Plaines River basin, part of the larger Mississippi River system. The Des Plaines River flows through northeastern Illinois and supports diverse aquatic life, including fish and macroinvertebrates. Downstream, the river joins the Illinois River, which is a major tributary to the Mississippi, eventually reaching the Gulf of Mexico. The plant's effluent contributes to maintaining water quality in this ecologically important corridor.
Frequently asked questions
The plant is located on Lakeview Parkway in Vernon Hills, Lake County, Illinois, United States.
The plant serves approximately 12,800 residents in the Vernon Hills area.
The plant discharges treated effluent into the Des Plaines River watershed, which flows to the Illinois River and eventually the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.
The plant operates under the US Clean Water Act, which requires NPDES permits for all point source discharges. These permits set effluent limits to protect water quality.
US plants of this scale typically provide secondary treatment as a minimum, with possible additional nutrient removal depending on the receiving water body's sensitivity.
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