Lakewood SD 1 STP - Advanced Wastewater Treatment in Town of Lakewood, Wisconsin

Lakewood SD 1 STP is a wastewater treatment facility located in the Town of Lakewood, Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States. The plant serves a small population of 480 residents, providing advanced treatment to protect local water quality. As a municipal facility, it plays a key role in managing wastewater for this rural community in northeastern Wisconsin. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond secondary treatment to remove nutrients and other pollutants. It has a designed capacity of 189.27 megaliters per year and currently discharges 132.49 megaliters annually, indicating operational headroom. Under the US Clean Water Act, such facilities operate under National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, ensuring compliance with water quality standards. The treated effluent is discharged into local surface waters within the Lake Michigan basin. The plant's advanced treatment helps protect downstream ecosystems, including tributaries that flow into Green Bay and ultimately Lake Michigan. This is particularly important for maintaining water quality in the Great Lakes, which support diverse aquatic life and provide drinking water for millions.

The plant discharges into local waterways within the Lake Michigan drainage basin. These waters flow through Oconto County streams and rivers before reaching Green Bay, a large freshwater bay of Lake Michigan. The advanced treatment helps reduce nutrient loading, which is critical for preventing algal blooms and maintaining the ecological health of the Great Lakes, a globally significant freshwater resource supporting diverse fish populations and migratory birds.