Richlands WWTP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in Richlands, North Carolina

Richlands WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located at 201 Jimmy Powell Road in Richlands, Onslow County, North Carolina. The plant serves a population of approximately 1,200 residents, providing secondary treatment to manage domestic wastewater from the community. As a secondary treatment plant, Richlands WWTP utilizes biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The facility has a designed capacity of 946.35 million gallons per year and currently discharges 492.10 million gallons annually. Under the U.S. Clean Water Act, the plant operates under an NPDES permit issued by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent from Richlands WWTP is discharged into local streams that flow into the New River, which ultimately drains into the Atlantic Ocean via the New River Inlet. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of the New River basin, which supports diverse aquatic life and recreational activities in the region.

Richlands WWTP discharges into tributaries of the New River, a coastal plain river that flows southeast through Onslow County and empties into the Atlantic Ocean at New River Inlet. The New River estuary supports important nursery habitats for fish and shellfish, and the surrounding wetlands provide flood control and water filtration. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loading and protect downstream ecosystems from eutrophication.