CLOVER SD 1 STP Wastewater Treatment Plant, Town of Clover, Wisconsin

CLOVER SD 1 STP is a wastewater treatment plant located in the Town of Clover, Bayfield County, Wisconsin, serving a small population of 278 residents. The facility provides secondary treatment, a standard level for communities of this size in the United States. The plant has a designed capacity of 75.71 million gallons per day and currently discharges 53.00 million gallons per day. As a US facility, it operates under the Clean Water Act, with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, ensuring compliance with effluent limits. The plant's discharge enters the Lake Superior watershed, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world. Lake Superior supports diverse aquatic life and is a critical resource for drinking water, recreation, and regional ecology. The plant's proximity to the lake underscores the importance of effective wastewater treatment to protect water quality.

The plant discharges into the Lake Superior basin, which ultimately drains into the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean. Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes by volume and supports a unique cold-water ecosystem, including lake trout and whitefish. The watershed is ecologically sensitive, with forested shorelines and wetlands that provide habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife.