Overview
William E Dunn WRF serves 60,000 people in Pinellas County, Florida. The plant operates under US EPA NPDES regulations, treating wastewater for discharge into the local watershed.
William E Dunn WRF is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Pinellas County, Florida, serving a population of approximately 60,000. The plant is situated in a coastal region near the Gulf of Mexico, within 50 km of the coast, and plays a key role in managing wastewater for this densely populated area of the Tampa Bay metropolitan region. As a facility serving a medium-sized agglomeration, the plant is expected to meet secondary treatment standards under the US Clean Water Act, administered through the EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program. The designed capacity is 1.00 million gallons per day, indicating a scale appropriate for the population served. The treated effluent from the plant is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Gulf of Mexico. This coastal discharge requires careful management to protect sensitive marine ecosystems, including seagrass beds and estuarine habitats that support diverse aquatic life and recreational fisheries.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into the Tampa Bay watershed, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. This coastal environment supports seagrass meadows, mangroves, and estuarine habitats critical for fish, manatees, and migratory birds. Nutrient loading from wastewater can contribute to algal blooms and hypoxia, making advanced treatment important for protecting downstream marine ecosystems.
Frequently asked questions
William E Dunn WRF is located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, near the Gulf of Mexico coast.
The plant serves approximately 60,000 people in the Pinellas County area.
The treated effluent is discharged into the local watershed, which drains into the Tampa Bay estuary and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico.
The plant operates under the US Clean Water Act, with discharge regulated by an EPA NPDES permit issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Plants of this scale in Florida typically provide secondary or advanced treatment to meet nutrient removal standards, especially in coastal areas sensitive to eutrophication.
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