Clearwater MD Wastewater Treatment Plant, Elbert, Colorado

Clearwater MD is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Elbert, Colorado, United States. The facility serves a small population of approximately 1,000 residents in the rural Elbert County area. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment process required by the US Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater. With a designed capacity of 227.12 megaliters and an annual discharge volume of 227.13 megaliters, the plant operates near its full capacity. As a US facility, it operates under an EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Mississippi River basin. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream water quality in the region's streams and rivers, which support diverse aquatic life and agricultural uses.

The plant discharges into local tributaries of the South Platte River, which flows into the Platte River and eventually the Missouri River and Mississippi River. This watershed supports diverse aquatic ecosystems and provides water for irrigation and municipal use downstream. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic pollutant loads, protecting the ecological health of these water bodies.