Ocean County UA Northern WPCF CS_STP - Brick Township, New Jersey Wastewater Treatment Plant

Ocean County UA Northern WPCF CS_STP is a major wastewater treatment facility located in Brick Township, New Jersey, United States. Serving a population of approximately 361,899, it is a large-scale municipal plant within the Ocean County Utilities Authority system. The plant is situated near the Jersey Shore, less than 50 kilometers from the Atlantic coast. As a large agglomeration serving over 150,000 people, the plant is subject to stringent regulatory requirements under the US Clean Water Act. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits govern its discharge, typically requiring advanced treatment to protect sensitive coastal waters. The designed capacity is 1.00 million gallons per day, reflecting the scale of the facility. The plant discharges treated effluent into local waterways that ultimately drain to the Atlantic Ocean via the Barnegat Bay estuary. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological and recreational resource. The plant's operations are critical to maintaining water quality in the region's coastal and estuarine environments.

The plant's treated effluent flows into the Barnegat Bay watershed, a shallow estuary connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Barnegat Inlet. Barnegat Bay is an ecologically sensitive system that supports seagrass beds, shellfish populations, and migratory bird species. Nutrient loading from wastewater discharges is a key concern, as it can contribute to algal blooms and hypoxia in the bay. The plant's performance directly affects the health of this coastal ecosystem and the recreational and commercial fisheries it sustains.