LITTLE PEE DEE STP - Dillon, South Carolina Wastewater Treatment Plant

LITTLE PEE DEE STP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located on US Highway 301 North in Dillon, South Carolina. It serves a population of approximately 40,559 people, placing it in the medium-agglomeration category for US facilities. The plant is situated inland, more than 50 kilometers from the Atlantic coast, and its operations are regulated under the US Clean Water Act. As a plant serving over 10,000 people, it falls under EPA NPDES permitting requirements, which mandate secondary treatment as a minimum standard. The regulatory framework ensures compliance with effluent limitations designed to protect water quality. Plants of this scale in South Carolina are typically subject to state-level oversight by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The treated effluent from LITTLE PEE DEE STP discharges into the Little Pee Dee River, a tributary of the Pee Dee River system. The Pee Dee River flows through the coastal plain of South Carolina and empties into Winyah Bay near Georgetown, which then connects to the Atlantic Ocean. The watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including fish species such as striped bass and American shad, and provides habitat for migratory birds along the Atlantic Flyway.

The plant discharges into the Little Pee Dee River, part of the larger Pee Dee River basin that drains into Winyah Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. This watershed is ecologically significant, supporting a variety of freshwater and estuarine species. The river system provides critical habitat for fish, amphibians, and invertebrates, and its floodplains help filter pollutants and reduce downstream flooding. The plant's operations are subject to NPDES permits that set limits on pollutants to protect these aquatic resources.