Florissant WSD Wastewater Treatment Plant | Florissant, Colorado

Florissant WSD is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Florissant, Teller County, Colorado, United States. The plant serves a small population of 463 residents, reflecting its role in a rural mountain community. As a secondary treatment facility, it provides biological treatment to remove organic matter and suspended solids before discharge. The plant has a designed capacity of 215.77 million gallons per year and currently discharges 64.35 million gallons annually, indicating it operates well below capacity. Under the U.S. Clean Water Act, secondary treatment is the minimum standard for municipal wastewater plants, and the facility is likely regulated under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The treated effluent is discharged into a local waterway that ultimately drains into the Arkansas River basin, which flows through the Rocky Mountains and into the Mississippi River system. The plant's location in a forested, mountainous area means it plays a key role in protecting local streams and groundwater from nutrient pollution and pathogens.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Arkansas River, which flows through the Rocky Mountains and eventually into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The surrounding watershed is ecologically sensitive, supporting diverse aquatic life and providing habitat for species such as trout. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loading and protects downstream water quality in this mountainous region.