El Mar Estates Missoula Co Wastewater Treatment Plant, Missoula County, Montana

El Mar Estates Missoula Co is a wastewater treatment plant located in Missoula County, Montana, United States. The facility serves a small community of approximately 1,230 residents, providing secondary treatment to meet state and federal water quality standards. The plant operates with a designed capacity of 465.60 units and currently treats an average daily flow of 340.69 units. As a secondary treatment facility, it employs biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids, complying with the U.S. Clean Water Act requirements for municipal wastewater treatment. The plant's performance is regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, administered by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. The treated effluent from El Mar Estates Missoula Co is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Clark Fork River basin. This river system flows through western Montana and Idaho, eventually reaching the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. The plant plays a crucial role in protecting water quality in the Clark Fork watershed, which supports diverse aquatic life and recreational uses.

The plant discharges into the Clark Fork River basin, a major tributary of the Columbia River system. The Clark Fork River flows through Montana and Idaho, supporting cold-water fisheries including trout and salmon. Downstream, the river enters Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho before joining the Columbia River, which empties into the Pacific Ocean. The watershed is ecologically sensitive, with seasonal variations in flow and temperature that require careful management of nutrient and pollutant loads.