Etna Wastewater Treatment Facility - Siskiyou County, California | Secondary Treatment Plant

Etna Wastewater Treatment Facility is a municipal wastewater plant located in Siskiyou County, California, serving a small population of 781 residents. The facility operates under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Water Act, which requires secondary treatment for municipal wastewater discharges to protect water quality. The plant has a designed capacity of 378.54 cubic meters per day and currently discharges an average of 340.69 cubic meters per day of treated effluent. As a secondary treatment facility, it uses biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids before discharge. The treated effluent is discharged into a local water body that ultimately drains into the Klamath River watershed. The Klamath River flows through northern California and Oregon before reaching the Pacific Ocean, supporting diverse aquatic life including salmon and steelhead trout. The plant's location inland, away from the coast, reduces direct marine impact.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Klamath River, which flows through the Klamath Mountains and into the Pacific Ocean near Requa, California. The Klamath River watershed is ecologically significant, supporting threatened fish species such as coho salmon and providing critical habitat for migratory birds. The plant's secondary treatment helps protect downstream water quality in this sensitive river system.