Overview
Oak Harbor WWTP and Sewer System serves the village of Oak Harbor, Ohio, with a designed capacity of 1.00 million gallons per day. The plant treats wastewater for approximately 4,041 residents.
The Oak Harbor WWTP and Sewer System is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Oak Harbor, Ohio, United States. It serves a population of about 4,041 people, classifying it as a small agglomeration under US EPA guidelines. The plant is situated near the coast of Lake Erie, within 50 km of the lake, and its operations are subject to the Clean Water Act and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting. As a small-scale facility, the Oak Harbor WWTP is expected to provide at least secondary treatment to meet water quality standards. The plant's designed capacity is 1.00 million gallons per day, which aligns with the population served. Typical US plants of this size use activated sludge or lagoon systems to reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids before discharge. The treated effluent from the Oak Harbor WWTP ultimately drains into Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, which is a critical freshwater resource supporting drinking water, recreation, and diverse aquatic life. The plant plays a key role in protecting the lake's water quality by removing nutrients and contaminants, thereby helping to prevent eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in the region.
Environmental context
The Oak Harbor WWTP discharges treated wastewater into the Lake Erie watershed, specifically via local tributaries that flow into the lake. Lake Erie is the shallowest and most biologically productive of the Great Lakes, supporting a rich ecosystem of fish, birds, and aquatic plants. The plant's operations are crucial for controlling nutrient loading, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, which can fuel algal blooms that degrade water quality and harm aquatic life.
Frequently asked questions
The plant is located at 354 East Water Street, Oak Harbor, Ohio, 43449, United States, in Ottawa County near the shore of Lake Erie.
The plant serves approximately 4,041 residents of Oak Harbor and surrounding areas, classifying it as a small municipal wastewater treatment facility.
The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that drain into Lake Erie, part of the Great Lakes system. The plant must comply with NPDES permit limits to protect water quality.
The plant operates under the US Clean Water Act and is regulated by an NPDES permit issued by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, which sets effluent limits for pollutants.
Small US plants like Oak Harbor typically use secondary treatment processes such as activated sludge, trickling filters, or lagoons to meet EPA standards for BOD and TSS removal.
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