Washington Twp Sewer Auth Wastewater Treatment Plant, Pennsylvania

Washington Twp Sewer Auth is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Loyalton, Washington Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The plant serves a small population of 425 residents, reflecting its role in a rural community within the Susquehanna River basin. The facility employs advanced treatment processes, exceeding the secondary treatment standard required under the US Clean Water Act. With a designed capacity of 113.56 million gallons per year and a discharge volume matching that figure, the plant operates at full capacity. As a US facility, it operates under an EPA NPDES permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent is discharged into a local stream that flows into the Susquehanna River, ultimately reaching the Chesapeake Bay. The plant's advanced treatment helps reduce nutrient loads to the bay, supporting efforts to restore this ecologically significant estuary.

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 diverse aquatic life, including blue crabs, oysters, and migratory fish. Nutrient pollution from wastewater is a key concern for bay health, making advanced treatment at plants like this critical for reducing nitrogen and phosphorus loads.