Activated sludge and clarifiers: wastewater treatment plants in Kentucky
101 plants · 52% of the state · 150 MGD reported by 98 plants
Klarifi identifies 101 publicly owned wastewater treatment plants with activated sludge and clarifiers in Kentucky, 52% of the 195 plants in the state (150 MGD reported by 98 plants). The largest is Derek R Guthrie WQTC MSD in Louisville at 55.21 MGD.
Activated sludge is the standard mechanical process for cities: aeration basins where bacteria consume organic matter, followed by clarifiers that settle the biomass out. These plants are identified by their circular or rectangular clarifiers and by the suspended-growth process code, and they are the main market for blowers, diffusers, clarifier mechanisms and instrumentation.
The largest activated sludge plants in Kentucky
| # | Facility | City | Avg flow (MGD) | NPDES permit | Expires | Violations (3y) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Derek R Guthrie WQTC MSD | Louisville | 55.21 | KY0078956 | Apr 2031 | 16 |
| 2 | Rwra Max Rhoads WWTP | Owensboro | 7.68 | KY0020095 | Dec 2021 | 1 |
| 3 | Valley Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant | Elizabethtown | 6.45 | KY0022039 | Oct 2023 | 1 |
| 4 | Richmond Otter Creek STP | Richmond | 5.92 | KY0107107 | Dec 2030 | 4 |
| 5 | Strodes Creek STP | Winchester | 4.5 | KY0037991 | Sep 2026 | 1 |
| 6 | Hopkinsville Hammond Wood STP | Hopkinsville | 3.67 | KY0066532 | Sep 2030 | 2 |
| 7 | Bee Creek WWTP | Murray | 3.39 | KY0072761 | Sep 2028 | 2 |
| 8 | Berea Municipal Utilities WWTP | Berea | 3.37 | KY0079898 | Nov 2030 | 0 |
| 9 | London STP | London | 3.07 | KY0021270 | May 2030 | 19 |
| 10 | Morehead WWTP | Morehead | 2.83 | KY0052752 | Dec 2030 | 0 |
Contacts and project signals for every plant on this list
Klarifi adds verified decision-maker contacts, permit limits, discharge monitoring data and the capital projects planned in each city, filterable by technology, size and compliance record.
Other technologies in Kentucky
Activated sludge and clarifiers in other states
Activated sludge and clarifiers in Kentucky: questions
Sources and methodology
Flow, permit and violation figures come from the EPA's ICIS-NPDES discharge monitoring records. Population served comes from the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey 2022. Treatment structures are identified by Klarifi's review of aerial imagery, and capital improvement projects are extracted from published municipal budget documents. Violations are counted over the last three years of monitoring reports.
Data refreshed October 26, 2026.
Wastewater terms: Activated sludge · Biological nutrient removal · Equalization tank · Tertiary treatment · Significant industrial user · all terms