UNION TWP BELLEVILLE STP - Wastewater Treatment Plant in Union Township, Pennsylvania

UNION TWP BELLEVILLE STP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Union Township, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. It serves a population of about 1,700 people in the Belleville area. The plant is situated inland, more than 50 km from the Atlantic coast, and discharges into a local waterway within the Susquehanna River basin. As a small-scale facility in the United States, the plant is subject to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) under the Clean Water Act. NPDES permits set effluent limits based on the receiving water's quality standards. For plants of this size, secondary treatment is typically required to reduce biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids. It operates within the regulatory framework designed to protect water quality. The treated effluent from the plant likely discharges into a tributary of the Kishacoquillas Creek, which flows into the Juniata River, a major tributary of the Susquehanna River. The Susquehanna River ultimately drains into the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. The plant's operations contribute to the health of this vital watershed by reducing pollutant loads.

The plant discharges into the Susquehanna River basin, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is a large estuary that supports diverse aquatic life, including blue crabs, oysters, and migratory fish. Nutrient pollution from wastewater can contribute to algal blooms and hypoxia in the bay. The plant's treatment helps mitigate these impacts by reducing nitrogen and phosphorus loads.