Cascade WWTP - Secondary Treatment Plant in Cascade, Iowa

Cascade WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located on Riverview Road in Cascade, Jones County, Iowa. The facility serves a population of approximately 1,812 residents, classifying it as a small community system under US regulatory frameworks. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard required by the US Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater facilities. With a designed capacity of 946.35 cubic meters per day and an average discharge volume of 567.81 cubic meters per day, the plant operates below its capacity, indicating room for future growth. Secondary treatment typically involves biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The treated effluent is discharged into a local water body, which ultimately drains into the Mississippi River basin. The plant's location inland, over 50 km from the coast, reduces direct marine impact. However, its discharge contributes to the overall nutrient load in the watershed, which is a concern for downstream water quality in the Gulf of Mexico, where nutrient pollution contributes to hypoxic zones.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Maquoketa River, which flows into the Mississippi River and eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico. The watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is part of a larger system affected by agricultural runoff.