Richfield Area Joint Authority Wastewater Treatment Plant, Monroe Township, Pennsylvania

The Richfield Area Joint Authority wastewater treatment plant is located in Monroe Township, Juniata County, Pennsylvania, serving a small community of 900 residents. The facility is situated in a rural area of central Pennsylvania, providing essential wastewater treatment for the Richfield area. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, exceeding the secondary treatment standard required by the U.S. Clean Water Act. It has a designed capacity of 321.76 million gallons per year, with actual discharge matching that volume, indicating full utilization. As a small municipal plant, it operates under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The treated effluent is discharged into a local waterway that ultimately drains into the Susquehanna River basin, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The plant's advanced treatment helps protect downstream water quality in this ecologically significant watershed, supporting diverse aquatic life and contributing to the health of the Chesapeake Bay estuary.

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 species and important migratory bird populations. Advanced treatment at this plant helps reduce nutrient loading, which is critical for mitigating algal blooms and hypoxia in the bay.