Golden West Missoula Co Wastewater Treatment Plant, Missoula County, Montana

Golden West Missoula Co is a wastewater treatment plant located in Missoula County, Montana, United States. It serves a small community of 105 people, reflecting its role as a local facility for a rural or suburban area. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is a standard level of treatment for many smaller plants in the US, ensuring that pollutants are reduced before discharge. The plant has a designed capacity of 56.78 units and currently handles a discharge volume of 26.50 units, indicating it operates below its maximum capacity. As a US facility, it operates under the Clean Water Act, which requires National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for discharges into surface waters. These permits set limits on pollutants to protect water quality. The treated effluent from the plant is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Clark Fork River basin, a major watershed in western Montana. The Clark Fork River flows into Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho and eventually reaches the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River. The plant's operations help protect the aquatic ecosystem of the Clark Fork River and downstream environments.

The plant discharges into the Clark Fork River basin, which flows into Lake Pend Oreille and then the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including trout and other cold-water species. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and pollutant loads, protecting downstream water quality and ecological health.