Overview
West Earl Brownstown STP is a secondary treatment plant in West Earl Township, Pennsylvania, serving a population of 400. It discharges treated wastewater into local waterways, supporting the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
West Earl Brownstown STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in West Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The plant serves a small community of approximately 400 residents, providing secondary treatment to remove organic matter and suspended solids from domestic wastewater. The plant operates under the U.S. Clean Water Act, which requires National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for all discharges. For small secondary treatment plants like this, typical permit limits include biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS). The facility has a designed capacity of 2,044.12 thousand gallons per day and currently discharges about 264.98 thousand gallons per day. The treated effluent from West Earl Brownstown STP flows into local streams that are part of the Susquehanna River basin, ultimately draining into the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and is ecologically sensitive to nutrient pollution, making effective wastewater treatment critical for downstream water quality and aquatic habitat.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into tributaries of the Susquehanna River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including striped bass, blue crabs, and oysters, and is a vital migratory corridor for waterfowl. Nutrient loading from wastewater can contribute to algal blooms and hypoxia, so secondary treatment helps reduce these impacts.
Frequently asked questions
West Earl Brownstown STP is located at 142 Turtle Hill Road, Brownstown, West Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States.
The plant serves a population of approximately 400 residents in the West Earl Township area.
The plant discharges treated effluent into local streams that are part of the Susquehanna River basin, which ultimately flows into the Chesapeake Bay.
The plant provides secondary treatment, which typically involves biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids, meeting standard permit limits under the Clean Water Act.
The plant operates under the U.S. Clean Water Act and is required to have an NPDES permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which sets discharge limits to protect water quality.
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