Page Kincaid PSD Beards Fork TP - Advanced Wastewater Treatment in Fayette County, West Virginia

Page Kincaid PSD Beards Fork TP is an advanced wastewater treatment facility located in Fayette County, West Virginia, within the Appalachian region of the United States. The plant serves a small population of 241 residents, reflecting its role in a rural community. It operates under the regulatory framework of the U.S. Clean Water Act, which governs wastewater discharges through National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the secondary treatment standard required by the Clean Water Act for municipal facilities. Advanced treatment typically includes nutrient removal (nitrogen and phosphorus) or other specialized processes to meet stringent water quality standards. The plant's designed capacity is 60.57 million gallons per day, with an actual discharge volume of 34.07 million gallons per day, indicating operational capacity below design levels. The treated effluent from the plant is discharged into a receiving water body within the Kanawha River watershed, which ultimately flows into the Ohio River and then the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. The plant's advanced treatment helps protect local streams and rivers from nutrient pollution, supporting aquatic life and downstream water quality in this ecologically sensitive Appalachian region.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Kanawha River, which flows into the Ohio River and then the Mississippi River, eventually reaching the Gulf of Mexico. This watershed supports diverse aquatic ecosystems, including fish species such as smallmouth bass and various freshwater mussels. The advanced treatment at this plant helps reduce nutrient loads that could contribute to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico, a critical downstream environmental concern.