Cochrane WWTP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in Cochrane, Wisconsin

Cochrane WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Cochrane, Wisconsin, United States. The plant serves a small population of 450 residents, reflecting its role in a rural community within Buffalo County. As a secondary treatment plant, it provides biological treatment to reduce organic matter and suspended solids before discharge. The plant's designed capacity is 272.55 megaliters, with an annual discharge volume of 151.42 megaliters, indicating operational headroom. Under the U.S. Clean Water Act, the facility operates under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. Secondary treatment is the standard requirement for municipal plants of this scale. The treated effluent is discharged into a local water body that ultimately drains into the Mississippi River Basin. The plant's location inland, far from coastal areas, reduces direct marine impact. Its operation supports the health of local streams and the broader watershed by controlling nutrient and pollutant loads.

Cochrane WWTP discharges into a tributary of the Mississippi River, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loading, contributing to efforts to mitigate the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone. The local watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is part of a larger agricultural region where water quality management is critical.