TASS Niles Ferry WWTF - Vonore, Tennessee Wastewater Treatment Plant

TASS Niles Ferry WWTF is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Vonore, Monroe County, Tennessee. The plant serves a population of about 4,920 people, placing it in the small-to-medium agglomeration category under US regulatory frameworks. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the US Clean Water Act for most municipal facilities. With a design capacity of 1,135.62 volume units and an average discharge of 889.57 volume units, the plant operates below its designed capacity, indicating adequate headroom for current flows. The treated effluent is discharged into a local water body that ultimately drains into the Tennessee River system, part of the larger Mississippi River basin. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides drinking water for downstream communities, making effective treatment essential for regional water quality.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Tennessee River, which flows into the Ohio River and then the Mississippi River before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. The Tennessee River watershed supports a variety of fish species and provides habitat for freshwater mussels. Effective secondary treatment helps protect these downstream ecosystems from nutrient pollution and pathogens.