BIGFORK STP - Bigfork Township, Minnesota Wastewater Treatment Plant

BIGFORK STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Bigfork Township, Itasca County, Minnesota. Serving a population of approximately 591 residents, this plant provides secondary treatment to meet state and federal water quality standards. The facility operates under the regulatory framework of the U.S. Clean Water Act, which requires NPDES permits for discharges into surface waters. The plant has a designed capacity of 397.47 units and currently treats an average daily flow of 295.26 units, indicating operational headroom. As a secondary treatment facility, it uses biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids, ensuring effluent quality suitable for discharge into local waterways. The treated effluent from BIGFORK STP is discharged into a receiving water body within the Mississippi River basin, which ultimately drains to the Gulf of Mexico. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of local streams and rivers, supporting aquatic life and downstream ecosystems in northern Minnesota's forested region.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Mississippi River, which flows southward through Minnesota and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. The local watershed includes forested areas and wetlands that support diverse aquatic species, including game fish such as walleye and northern pike. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loading, which is critical for preventing eutrophication in downstream lakes and the Gulf's hypoxic zone.