Union Bridge WWTP - Secondary Treatment Plant in Union Bridge, Maryland

Union Bridge WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Union Bridge, Carroll County, Maryland. The plant serves a population of approximately 947 residents, making it a small-scale facility within the state's wastewater infrastructure. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater. With a designed capacity of about 795 cubic meters per day and an average discharge volume of 409 cubic meters per day, the plant operates below its design capacity. As a U.S. facility, it operates under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment, ensuring compliance with federal and state water quality standards. The treated effluent from Union Bridge WWTP is discharged into local streams that are part of the larger Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and an ecologically sensitive ecosystem that supports diverse aquatic life, including blue crabs, oysters, and migratory fish. The plant's discharge contributes to the nutrient and pollutant load in the watershed, making its treatment performance important for the bay's health.

The plant discharges into tributaries of the Monocacy River, which flows into the Potomac River and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is a large, productive estuary that supports diverse aquatic life, including submerged aquatic vegetation, blue crabs, and striped bass. Nutrient and sediment pollution from wastewater plants in the watershed can contribute to eutrophication and hypoxic zones in the bay.