Belfield Lagoon Wastewater Treatment Plant, Stark County, North Dakota

Belfield Lagoon is a wastewater treatment facility located in Stark County, North Dakota, United States. The plant serves a small population of around 800 residents, providing secondary treatment as part of the local municipal infrastructure. Its location in the rural Great Plains region influences its operational context. As a secondary treatment plant, Belfield Lagoon meets the minimum standard for municipal wastewater treatment under the U.S. Clean Water Act. The plant has a designed capacity of 1135.62 megaliters and reports an annual discharge volume of 302.83 megaliters, indicating it operates well below capacity. Facilities of this scale in North Dakota are typically regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, administered by the state's Department of Environmental Quality. The treated effluent from Belfield Lagoon is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Missouri River watershed, a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The receiving waters support diverse aquatic life and are important for regional agriculture and recreation. The plant's inland location, far from coastal areas, reduces direct marine impact, but its discharge contributes to the overall water quality of the Missouri River basin.

Belfield Lagoon discharges into local streams that flow into the Heart River, a tributary of the Missouri River. The Missouri River watershed is a critical ecological corridor in the Great Plains, supporting species such as pallid sturgeon and piping plover. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids, protecting downstream water quality in this semi-arid region where water resources are vital for agriculture and wildlife.