Millersburg Boro STP - Small Municipal Wastewater Plant in Millersburg, Pennsylvania

Millersburg Boro STP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Millersburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. It serves a population of 2,562, classifying it as a small-scale facility within the state's wastewater infrastructure. The plant is situated inland, approximately 50 kilometers from the Atlantic coast, and discharges into the Susquehanna River basin. As a US facility, the plant operates under the Clean Water Act and is subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. For small agglomerations like Millersburg, secondary treatment is typically required to meet effluent limits for biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids. Regulatory compliance ensures basic treatment standards are met. The plant's receiving water body is part of the Susquehanna River watershed, which drains into the Chesapeake Bay. This estuary is ecologically sensitive, supporting diverse aquatic life and serving as a critical habitat for migratory fish and waterfowl. The plant's discharge contributes to the overall nutrient load in the bay, making treatment performance important for downstream water quality.

Millersburg Boro STP discharges into the Susquehanna River basin, which flows south through Pennsylvania and Maryland before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and is ecologically sensitive, supporting a complex ecosystem of fish, crabs, and waterfowl. Nutrient pollution from wastewater and agricultural runoff has historically caused algal blooms and hypoxic zones in the bay, making effective treatment at upstream plants like Millersburg critical for downstream health.