LANCASTER CO SID NO 5 CHENEY Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cheney, Nebraska

LANCASTER CO SID NO 5 CHENEY is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Cheney, Nebraska, United States. The facility serves a small community of approximately 200 residents and operates under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Water Act, which requires secondary treatment for municipal discharges. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 105.99 megaliters per year, the plant currently treats an annual volume of 75.71 megaliters, indicating operational capacity below design levels. As a small facility, it is subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Platte River basin, a critical water source for agriculture and wildlife in the Great Plains. The plant's operations help protect downstream water quality in the Missouri River watershed, supporting aquatic habitats and regional water resources.

The plant discharges into tributaries of the Platte River, which flows into the Missouri River and eventually the Mississippi River. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides irrigation for Nebraska's agricultural heartland. The plant's secondary treatment reduces nutrient loads, helping to mitigate eutrophication risks in downstream reservoirs and the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone.