ELGIN WWT Wastewater Treatment Plant, Comanche County, Oklahoma

ELGIN WWT is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. The plant serves a population of approximately 1,210 residents, operating as part of the region's water infrastructure. Its location in the southern Great Plains places it in a semi-arid climate zone where water resources are carefully managed. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 1,109.12 units and an average discharge volume of 700.30 units, the facility operates below its maximum capacity. Under the U.S. Clean Water Act, such plants are regulated through National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, ensuring compliance with federal water quality standards. The treated effluent from ELGIN WWT is discharged into local waterways that eventually drain into the Red River basin, a major tributary of the Mississippi River. This downstream connection to the Gulf of Mexico highlights the plant's role in protecting regional water quality and supporting aquatic ecosystems in the broader watershed.

The plant discharges into the Red River basin, which flows southward through Oklahoma and Texas before joining the Mississippi River and ultimately reaching the Gulf of Mexico. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides habitat for migratory birds along the Central Flyway. The semi-arid climate means that maintaining water quality in receiving streams is critical for both ecological health and downstream water users.