Publicly owned treatment works

In the U.S., POTWs are typically owned by local government agencies, and are usually designed to treat domestic sewage and not industrial wastewater.

[1][2] Many POTWs were established or expanded with grants or low-interest loans from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

[4] The remainder of the population is served by decentralized or private septic systems.

The POTWs treat 32 billion US gallons (120 gigalitres) of wastewater every day.

[5] Most POTWs are required to meet national secondary treatment standards.