TRYON UA WWT - Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant in Tryon, Oklahoma

TRYON UA WWT is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Tryon, Lincoln County, Oklahoma. The plant serves a population of approximately 448 residents and operates under the regulatory framework of the United States Clean Water Act, which governs wastewater discharges through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level required by the Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater facilities. With a designed capacity of 230.91 megaliters per year and an actual discharge volume of 151.42 megaliters per year, the plant operates below its design capacity, indicating adequate treatment capacity for the current service population. The treated effluent is discharged into a local water body that ultimately drains into the Arkansas River watershed, which flows through Oklahoma and Arkansas before joining the Mississippi River. This downstream connection highlights the plant's role in protecting water quality in the broader Mississippi River Basin, a critical ecological and economic resource.

The plant's discharge enters a tributary of the Arkansas River, which flows into the Mississippi River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. The Arkansas River watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides habitat for migratory birds. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and pollutant loads, contributing to the ecological health of the downstream river system and the Gulf of Mexico, which faces challenges from hypoxia and nutrient pollution.