Tunkhannock Boro Municipal Authority Wastewater Treatment Plant, Pennsylvania

The Tunkhannock Boro Municipal Authority wastewater treatment plant serves the borough of Tunkhannock in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania. With a population served of 3,770, the facility is classified as a small to medium-sized municipal plant under U.S. EPA regulations. It provides secondary treatment, a standard level required by the Clean Water Act for most municipal discharges. The plant has a designed capacity of 1,135.62 million gallons per day and currently treats an average daily flow of 946.35 million gallons, operating below its capacity. As a secondary treatment facility, it uses biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids, meeting typical NPDES permit requirements. The plant is operated by the municipal authority and falls under Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection oversight. Treated effluent from the plant discharges to a receiving water body within the Susquehanna River basin, which ultimately flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay watershed is ecologically significant, supporting diverse aquatic life and important fisheries. The plant's discharge contributes to the overall nutrient load in the basin, making its treatment level critical for downstream water quality.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Susquehanna River, which flows south through Pennsylvania and Maryland into the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and supports a complex ecosystem including blue crabs, oysters, and migratory fish. Nutrient pollution from wastewater treatment plants in the basin is a key concern, and the plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic loads but may not fully address nutrient removal.