Williams Co Durham Estates WWTP - Advanced Treatment in Bryan, Ohio

Williams Co Durham Estates WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Bryan, Ohio, within Williams County. The plant serves a small population of 150 residents, reflecting its role as a local-scale infrastructure asset in the rural Midwest. The plant provides advanced treatment, exceeding the secondary treatment standard required by the US Clean Water Act for facilities of this size. Its designed capacity is 75.71 million gallons per year, with an actual discharge volume of 71.92 million gallons per year, indicating near-capacity operation. As a US facility, it operates under an EPA NPDES permit issued by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The plant's treated effluent is discharged into a local water body that ultimately drains into the Maumee River basin and then into Lake Erie. This connection to the Great Lakes ecosystem underscores the importance of advanced treatment in preventing nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms in the lake.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Maumee River, which flows into Lake Erie, part of the Great Lakes system. Lake Erie is ecologically sensitive to nutrient loading, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, which can fuel harmful algal blooms. The advanced treatment at this plant helps reduce nutrient inputs, supporting the lake's aquatic life and recreational uses.