Kootenai Ponderay Sewage Treatment Facility, Bonner County, Idaho | Secondary Wastewater Treatment

The Kootenai Ponderay Sewage Treatment Facility is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Bonner County, Idaho, United States. It serves a population of 3,176 and operates under secondary treatment, which is the standard level for domestic wastewater in the U.S. under the Clean Water Act. The plant's designed capacity is 7,040.84 million gallons per year, and it currently discharges 832.79 million gallons annually, indicating it operates well below its capacity. As a U.S. facility, it is regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent is discharged into a local water body, likely a tributary of the Pend Oreille River or Lake Pend Oreille, which ultimately drains into the Columbia River and then the Pacific Ocean. The plant plays a key role in protecting the region's aquatic ecosystems by reducing pollutant loads.

The plant discharges into a water body within the Pend Oreille River basin, which flows into the Columbia River and eventually reaches the Pacific Ocean. The region supports diverse aquatic life, including salmonid species, and the plant's secondary treatment helps maintain water quality in this ecologically sensitive watershed.