Clear Lake STP - Advanced Wastewater Treatment in Clear Lake, Wisconsin

Clear Lake STP is a wastewater treatment facility located on Peterson Street in Clear Lake, Polk County, Wisconsin. The plant serves a population of approximately 1,082 residents, operating as part of the municipal infrastructure for this small community in the Upper Midwest. The plant provides advanced treatment, which goes beyond secondary treatment to remove nutrients and other pollutants. With a designed capacity of 1,237.83 volume units and a current discharge volume of 984.21, the facility operates under the U.S. Clean Water Act framework, which requires NPDES permits for all municipal wastewater discharges. For small communities like Clear Lake, advanced treatment helps meet water quality standards in sensitive watersheds. The treated effluent is discharged into local surface waters, likely tributaries of the St. Croix River or the Mississippi River basin. The plant's location in inland Wisconsin means its discharge contributes to the broader Mississippi River watershed, which ultimately drains to the Gulf of Mexico. Advanced treatment helps reduce nutrient loading that can contribute to downstream hypoxia zones.

The plant discharges into local waterways within the St. Croix River basin, part of the larger Mississippi River watershed. This region features mixed agricultural and forested landscapes, with sensitive aquatic habitats supporting diverse fish and macroinvertebrate communities. The advanced treatment level helps protect downstream water quality, reducing nutrient and pollutant loads that could impact recreational uses and ecological health in receiving streams and the Gulf of Mexico.