Cole Camp WWTP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in Cole Camp, Missouri

Cole Camp WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Benton County, Missouri, serving the small community of Cole Camp. The facility provides secondary treatment for a population of about 1,178, consistent with the scale of a rural agglomeration in the United States. The plant has a designed capacity of 681.37 thousand cubic meters and currently treats an annual discharge volume of 321.76 thousand cubic meters. As a secondary treatment plant, it meets the standard requirements under the U.S. Clean Water Act, which mandates secondary treatment for municipal wastewater to protect water quality. The treated effluent is discharged into a local water body that ultimately drains into the Missouri River watershed, contributing to the Mississippi River basin. The plant plays a key role in safeguarding local streams and downstream aquatic ecosystems from nutrient pollution and pathogens.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. The surrounding area is predominantly agricultural, and the plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loads that could contribute to hypoxia in the Gulf. The local watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is an important part of the regional drainage network.