CLERMONT WWTP - Fayette County, Iowa Wastewater Treatment Plant

CLERMONT WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Fayette County, Iowa, serving a small population of 523 residents. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the US Clean Water Act for most domestic wastewater facilities. The plant has a designed capacity of 302.83 million gallons per year and currently discharges 151.42 million gallons annually, indicating it operates at about half its capacity. As a US facility, it operates under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent is discharged to local streams that drain into the Upper Mississippi River basin. The Mississippi River is a major ecological corridor supporting diverse aquatic life and providing drinking water for millions downstream. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids before discharge.

The plant discharges into tributaries of the Upper Mississippi River, which flows south to the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River basin is ecologically significant, supporting diverse fish and bird species and serving as a major migratory waterfowl route. The plant's secondary treatment helps mitigate nutrient loading that could contribute to downstream hypoxia in the Gulf.