LEWISPORT Wastewater Treatment Plant, Hancock County, Kentucky

LEWISPORT is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located on Riverview Drive in Hancock County, Kentucky, serving a population of approximately 1,600 people. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level for small communities in the United States, ensuring that organic matter and suspended solids are substantially reduced before discharge. With a designed capacity of 1,514.16 million gallons per day and an average discharge volume of 798.72 million gallons per day, the facility operates at about 53% capacity. As a US plant, it operates under the Clean Water Act and is subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, which set effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated wastewater is discharged into a local receiving water body that ultimately drains into the Ohio River, a major tributary of the Mississippi River. This connection to the Mississippi River system means the plant's effluent contributes to the water quality of a vast watershed that supports diverse aquatic life and provides drinking water for millions downstream.

The plant discharges into a local stream that flows into the Ohio River, which then joins the Mississippi River before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. This watershed supports a variety of fish species and is an important migratory corridor for birds. The secondary treatment process reduces pollutants to levels that help maintain the ecological health of these downstream waters.