Earling WWTP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in Earling, Iowa

Earling WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Earling, Iowa, United States. The facility serves a small population of 471 residents in this rural community within Shelby County. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required under the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater. With a designed capacity of 340.69 cubic meters per day and an average discharge volume of 189.27 cubic meters per day, the plant operates well within its capacity. As a small facility, it is subject to EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting, administered by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that drain into the Missouri River watershed, ultimately reaching the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream water quality in this agricultural region of western Iowa.

Earling WWTP discharges into tributaries of the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi River and then the Gulf of Mexico. The local watershed supports agricultural land use and diverse aquatic life. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loads that could contribute to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.