Upper Potomac River Comm WWTP, Westernport, Maryland | Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Upper Potomac River Comm WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Westernport, Allegany County, Maryland, United States. It serves a population of about 4,047 people, placing it in the small-to-medium agglomeration category under US regulatory frameworks. As a US facility, the plant operates under the Clean Water Act and is subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting, typically administered by the Maryland Department of the Environment. The plant's treated effluent enters the Potomac River watershed, which flows southeast through Maryland and Virginia before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is a vital estuary that supports diverse aquatic life, including blue crabs, striped bass, and oysters, and is the focus of extensive nutrient reduction efforts under the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program.

The plant discharges into the Potomac River basin, a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. The bay is a large, ecologically productive estuary that supports commercial and recreational fisheries. Nutrient and sediment loads from wastewater plants in the watershed are managed under the Chesapeake Bay TMDL to reduce hypoxia and protect submerged aquatic vegetation.