HINES STP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant in Harney County, Oregon

HINES STP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located at the Harney County Fairgrounds in Harney County, Oregon, serving a population of 1,811. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level for small communities in the United States, and discharges approximately 567.81 megaliters of treated effluent annually. Its designed capacity is 1,816.99 megaliters, indicating ample reserve for future growth. As a secondary treatment facility, HINES STP meets the minimum requirements under the U.S. Clean Water Act, which mandates secondary treatment for municipal wastewater. The plant operates under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, ensuring compliance with federal and state water quality standards. The permit specifies effluent limits for biochemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, and other parameters to protect receiving waters. The treated effluent from HINES STP is discharged into a local waterbody within the Harney Basin, an endorheic basin in southeastern Oregon. The basin drains into Harney Lake and Malheur Lake, which are part of the larger Great Basin watershed. These lakes support diverse aquatic life and migratory birds, making the plant's discharge quality critical for maintaining ecological balance in this sensitive arid-region ecosystem.

HINES STP discharges into the Harney Basin, an endorheic watershed that ultimately drains to Harney Lake and Malheur Lake. These shallow, alkaline lakes provide critical habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds along the Pacific Flyway. The basin's arid climate and lack of outflow make it sensitive to nutrient loading, so the plant's secondary treatment helps protect this ecologically important wetland system.