Sterling WWT Wastewater Treatment Plant, Comanche County, Oklahoma

Sterling WWT is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located on Cline Road in Comanche County, Oklahoma, serving a population of 762. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level for small communities in the United States, ensuring removal of biodegradable organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 359.61 units and an average discharge volume of 264.98 units, the plant operates below its capacity. As a US facility, it is subject to the Clean Water Act and typically requires an NPDES permit issued by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent is discharged to a local waterway that ultimately drains into the Red River basin, contributing to the Mississippi River watershed. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream aquatic ecosystems and maintaining water quality in the region.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Red River, which flows south to the Gulf of Mexico. The surrounding area is part of the Southern Great Plains, characterized by agricultural land use and intermittent streams. The discharge supports base flow in local creeks and helps maintain aquatic habitat for fish and macroinvertebrates, though nutrient loading from treated effluent may influence downstream water quality.