Lake Co Madison No 1 WWTP: Municipal Wastewater Treatment in Lake County, Ohio

Lake Co Madison No 1 WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Madison Township, Lake County, Ohio, along Dock Road. It serves a population of approximately 17,680 residents in the Lake County area, placing it in the medium-agglomeration category under US regulatory frameworks. As a US facility, it operates under the Clean Water Act and is subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. Plants of this scale typically employ secondary treatment as a minimum standard. The treated effluent discharges into the Lake Erie watershed, ultimately reaching Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes. Lake Erie supports diverse aquatic life and provides drinking water for millions. The plant's location within 50 km of the coast underscores its role in protecting this ecologically sensitive freshwater resource from nutrient pollution and other contaminants.

The plant discharges into the Lake Erie basin, part of the Great Lakes system that drains into the St. Lawrence River and eventually the Atlantic Ocean. Lake Erie is the shallowest and most biologically productive of the Great Lakes, supporting important fisheries and migratory bird populations. The watershed faces challenges from agricultural runoff and urban stormwater, making effective wastewater treatment critical to preventing eutrophication and harmful algal blooms.