Ware Shoals Dairy Street Wastewater Treatment Plant - Ware Shoals, South Carolina

The Ware Shoals Dairy Street wastewater treatment plant is a municipal facility located in Ware Shoals, Greenwood County, South Carolina. It serves an estimated population of 21,000 people within the community and surrounding areas, providing essential sanitation services for this inland town. As a US-based plant serving a medium-sized agglomeration, it operates under the regulatory framework of the Clean Water Act, administered by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. Facilities of this scale are typically required to meet secondary treatment standards, ensuring that effluent quality protects receiving waters. The plant discharges treated wastewater into local streams that are part of the Saluda River watershed, which ultimately flows into Lake Greenwood and then the Saluda River, a tributary of the Congaree River. This drainage network supports diverse aquatic life and provides recreational and drinking water resources downstream.

The plant's treated effluent enters small streams within the Saluda River basin, which drains into Lake Greenwood, a major reservoir on the Saluda River. Lake Greenwood supports recreational fishing, boating, and serves as a water supply source. The downstream Saluda River flows into the Congaree River, which joins the Wateree River to form the Santee River, eventually reaching the Atlantic Ocean. This watershed is ecologically significant, hosting diverse fish populations and providing habitat for migratory birds along the Santee River corridor.