DAWSON STP - Advanced Wastewater Treatment in Dawson, Minnesota

DAWSON STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Dawson, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota. The plant serves a population of approximately 1,540 residents, providing advanced treatment to protect local water quality. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, exceeding the secondary treatment standard required by the US Clean Water Act. With a designed capacity of 1,782.92 megaliters and an annual discharge volume of 946.35 megaliters, the facility operates well within its capacity. As a US plant, it operates under an EPA NPDES permit issued by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which sets effluent limits to safeguard receiving waters. The treated effluent from DAWSON STP is discharged into the Lac qui Parle River watershed, which flows into the Minnesota River and ultimately the Mississippi River. This drainage basin supports diverse aquatic life and provides critical habitat for migratory birds in the Prairie Pothole Region. The advanced treatment ensures minimal environmental impact on these downstream ecosystems.

DAWSON STP discharges into the Lac qui Parle River, a tributary of the Minnesota River, which flows into the Mississippi River. The receiving waters support diverse aquatic species and are part of the Prairie Pothole Region, an ecologically sensitive area important for waterfowl and wetland biodiversity. Advanced treatment helps maintain water quality in this agriculturally intensive watershed.