Bisbee Lagoon Wastewater Treatment Plant, Bisbee, North Dakota

Bisbee Lagoon is a wastewater treatment facility located in Bisbee, a small town in Towner County, North Dakota. The plant serves a population of 126 and is situated in the rural northern plains of the United States. Its secondary treatment process provides biological treatment to reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids before discharge. The plant has a designed capacity of 113.56 megaliters and currently treats an annual volume of 75.71 megaliters. As a US facility, it operates under the Clean Water Act and is subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. For small communities like Bisbee, lagoon systems are common due to their low operational costs and effectiveness in cold climates. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that eventually drain into the Souris River basin, which flows north into Canada and ultimately into Hudson Bay. The plant plays a crucial role in protecting the region's surface water and groundwater from untreated sewage, supporting the ecological health of the prairie watershed.

The plant discharges into the Souris River watershed, which flows northward through North Dakota into Manitoba, Canada, and eventually reaches Hudson Bay. This region is part of the Prairie Pothole Region, an ecologically sensitive area that supports diverse waterfowl and aquatic life. The secondary treatment provided by the plant helps reduce nutrient loading and protects downstream habitats from eutrophication.