Mount Hope WWTP - Saint Joe, Kansas Wastewater Treatment Plant

Mount Hope WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Saint Joe, Kansas, serving a small population of 792 residents. The plant operates under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Water Act, which requires secondary treatment for municipal wastewater to protect water quality. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 295.26 units and a discharge volume of 264.98 units, the facility operates efficiently within its capacity. As a small agglomeration, it meets the typical requirements for secondary treatment under US EPA NPDES permits. The treated effluent is discharged into local streams that flow into the Arkansas River basin, eventually reaching the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The plant plays a key role in protecting the local watershed and downstream aquatic ecosystems from pollution.

The plant discharges into tributaries of the Arkansas River, which flows through Kansas and Oklahoma before joining the Mississippi River. The Arkansas River supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for irrigation and recreation. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic loads, protecting downstream water quality in this agriculturally intensive region.