ELBERON STL Wastewater Treatment Plant, Elberon, Iowa

ELBERON STL is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located at 499 1st Street in Elberon, Iowa, a small community in Tama County. The plant serves a population of 250 and operates under secondary treatment, which is the standard for small agglomerations in the United States under the Clean Water Act. The plant has a designed capacity of 45.42 cubic meters per day and discharges approximately 45.43 cubic meters of treated wastewater daily. As a secondary treatment facility, it uses biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids, meeting the minimum requirements for municipal wastewater treatment in the US. The treated effluent from ELBERON STL is discharged into a local waterway that ultimately drains into the Iowa River basin. The Iowa River flows southeast to the Mississippi River, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The plant's operations help protect local streams and downstream aquatic habitats from untreated sewage.

ELBERON STL discharges into a tributary of the Iowa River, which flows into the Mississippi River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. The local watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is part of a larger agricultural region where nutrient management is critical to prevent downstream eutrophication. The plant's secondary treatment reduces organic pollutants, helping maintain water quality in the receiving stream.