Rushville V STP - Advanced Wastewater Treatment in Town of Gorham, New York

Rushville V STP is an advanced wastewater treatment facility located in the Town of Gorham, Ontario County, New York. Serving a population of 596, the plant is part of the municipal infrastructure for the Village of Rushville and surrounding areas. The plant operates under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Water Act, which requires National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for all discharges into surface waters. The plant provides advanced treatment, which goes beyond secondary treatment to remove additional nutrients and contaminants. With a designed capacity of 227.12 thousand gallons per day and a current discharge volume of 200.63 thousand gallons per day, the facility operates below its design capacity, indicating room for future growth. Advanced treatment is typical for plants discharging into sensitive water bodies, such as those in the Finger Lakes region. The treated effluent from Rushville V STP flows into local streams that drain into Canandaigua Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, and ultimately into the Lake Ontario basin. The Finger Lakes are ecologically sensitive, supporting diverse aquatic life and serving as important recreational and drinking water resources. The plant's advanced treatment helps protect water quality in this region, reducing nutrient loading that could lead to algal blooms.

The plant discharges into the Canandaigua Lake watershed, part of the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York. Canandaigua Lake drains northward via the Canandaigua Outlet into the Clyde River, which flows into the Seneca River and then into Lake Ontario. The Finger Lakes are known for their deep, oligotrophic waters and support coldwater fisheries, including lake trout and landlocked Atlantic salmon. Advanced treatment at Rushville V STP helps minimize phosphorus and nitrogen inputs, which is critical to preventing eutrophication in these sensitive lakes.