West Milford Township Olde Milford CS_STP Wastewater Treatment Plant, New Jersey

West Milford Township Olde Milford CS_STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in West Milford, Passaic County, New Jersey. The plant serves a population of approximately 1,390 residents, reflecting a small community scale typical of rural-suburban areas in the region. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required under the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal facilities. With a designed capacity of 692.73 million gallons per year and an actual discharge volume of 446.68 million gallons per year, the plant operates well within its capacity. As a U.S. facility, it operates under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, ensuring compliance with effluent limits. The treated effluent is discharged into local streams that drain into the Passaic River watershed, ultimately reaching Newark Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The plant plays a key role in protecting water quality in the Highlands region, an ecologically sensitive area that supplies drinking water to millions in northern New Jersey.

The plant discharges into tributaries of the Passaic River, which flows through the New Jersey Highlands and Piedmont regions before emptying into Newark Bay. The Passaic River watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides drinking water for over 1.5 million people. Downstream, Newark Bay is part of the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary, a critical habitat for fish and migratory birds. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and pollutant loads to this sensitive estuarine system.