West Carthage V Joint STP - Wastewater Treatment Plant in Village of West Carthage, New York

West Carthage V Joint STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in the Village of West Carthage, Jefferson County, New York. It serves a population of roughly 6,823 residents in this upstate community. The plant is situated inland, more than 50 kilometers from the Atlantic coast, and operates within the regulatory framework of the United States Clean Water Act. Under the Clean Water Act, plants of this scale are typically required to meet secondary treatment standards through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. The designed capacity of the plant is 1.00 million gallons per day, indicating it is sized for a small to medium community. Secondary treatment is the baseline expectation for municipal facilities in the United States. The treated effluent from West Carthage V Joint STP is discharged into the Black River watershed, which flows northward into Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario is part of the Great Lakes system, a critical freshwater resource supporting diverse aquatic life, recreational activities, and municipal water supplies. The plant's operations contribute to protecting the water quality of the Black River and downstream Lake Ontario.

The plant discharges into the Black River, which flows into Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. Lake Ontario supports a diverse ecosystem including native fish species such as lake trout and salmon, and serves as a vital migratory corridor for waterfowl. The watershed is also important for regional agriculture and recreation. Protecting water quality in this basin is essential for maintaining the ecological health of the Great Lakes.