MILLHEIM BORO STP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in Penn Township, Pennsylvania

MILLHEIM BORO STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Penn Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania. The plant serves a small population of 749 residents, reflecting its role in a rural community within the Susquehanna River basin. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater. It has a designed capacity of 378.54 cubic meters per day, matching its current discharge volume, indicating that the facility operates at full capacity. As a small plant, it is subject to EPA NPDES permitting, typically administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The treated effluent is discharged into a local waterway that ultimately drains into the Susquehanna River and then to the Chesapeake Bay. This makes the plant's performance important for downstream water quality, particularly for nutrient reduction goals in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Susquehanna River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. The Chesapeake Bay watershed is ecologically sensitive, supporting diverse aquatic life and important migratory fish species. Nutrient and sediment loads from wastewater plants in the basin are closely managed to protect bay health.