GARFIELD S_T FACILITY Wastewater Treatment Plant, Elberton, Washington

The GARFIELD S_T FACILITY is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Elberton, Washington, within Whitman County. Serving a population of 640, this facility is part of the region's wastewater infrastructure for small communities in eastern Washington. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the US Clean Water Act for most municipal facilities. With a designed capacity of 264.98 million gallons per year, it operates under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, administered by the Washington State Department of Ecology. The treated effluent is discharged into a local waterway that ultimately drains into the Palouse River, a tributary of the Snake River, which flows into the Columbia River and then to the Pacific Ocean. The plant plays a key role in protecting water quality in this agricultural region, reducing nutrient and pathogen loads before discharge.

The plant discharges into a local watercourse that flows to the Palouse River, part of the Columbia River basin. This watershed supports agricultural irrigation and diverse aquatic life, including salmonid species. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids, mitigating eutrophication risks in downstream water bodies.