CHASEBURG STP Wastewater Treatment Plant, Town of Hamburg, Wisconsin

CHASEBURG STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located on Schwartz Lane in the Town of Hamburg, Vernon County, Wisconsin. It serves a small population of 289 residents, reflecting its role as a rural community plant in the Driftless Area of the Upper Midwest. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the minimum standard required by the US Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater facilities. With a designed capacity of 306.62 thousand gallons per day and an average discharge volume of 246.05 thousand gallons per day, it operates at approximately 80% capacity. The plant is regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The treated effluent from CHASEBURG STP ultimately drains into the Mississippi River basin via local streams and the Bad Axe River. The receiving waters support diverse aquatic life and are part of the larger Upper Mississippi River ecosystem, which is ecologically significant for fish, mussels, and migratory birds. The plant's operation helps protect downstream water quality in this agriculturally influenced region.

CHASEBURG STP discharges into local tributaries that flow into the Bad Axe River, a direct tributary of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River in this reach supports a diverse aquatic ecosystem, including over 100 species of fish and numerous freshwater mussels. The Driftless Area's steep topography and karst geology make groundwater and surface water particularly sensitive to nutrient pollution, so the plant's secondary treatment plays a key role in maintaining local water quality.