Fortuna Lagoon Wastewater Treatment Plant, Fortuna, North Dakota

Fortuna Lagoon is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Fortuna, a small town in Divide County, North Dakota. Serving a population of 22, the plant is designed to handle the community's domestic wastewater needs. The facility operates as a lagoon system, a common treatment method in rural areas of the northern Great Plains. The plant provides secondary treatment, which meets the minimum standard under the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater. With a designed capacity of 7.57 million gallons per day and a discharge volume of 7.57 million gallons per day, the facility operates at full capacity. As a small agglomeration, it is subject to state-level NPDES permitting, which ensures compliance with effluent limits for biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids. The treated effluent is discharged to the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Missouri River basin. This region is part of the Prairie Pothole Region, an ecologically sensitive area that supports diverse waterfowl and aquatic life. The plant's operation helps protect downstream water quality in this important migratory corridor.

The plant discharges into the local drainage network, which flows into the Missouri River basin. This area is part of the Prairie Pothole Region, a critical habitat for migratory birds and aquatic species. The facility's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic loading, protecting the ecological health of downstream waters.