Mars Hill WWTP - Secondary Treatment Plant in Blaine, Maine

Mars Hill WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located on Mill Street in Blaine, Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The plant serves a small community of about 1,673 residents, typical of rural towns in northern Maine. It operates under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Water Act, which requires secondary treatment for municipal discharges to protect water quality. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a design capacity of 3,785.40 cubic meters per day and an average discharge volume of 946.35 cubic meters per day, the facility operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth. As an inland plant located more than 50 km from the coast, its discharge does not directly impact marine environments. The treated effluent from Mars Hill WWTP is discharged into a local water body within the St. John River watershed, which flows northeast into Canada and eventually drains into the Bay of Fundy. The plant plays a key role in protecting local streams and rivers from untreated sewage, supporting aquatic life and downstream water quality in this sparsely populated region.

Mars Hill WWTP discharges into a tributary of the St. John River, which flows through northern Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, before emptying into the Bay of Fundy. The St. John River watershed supports diverse aquatic species, including Atlantic salmon and brook trout, and is an important migratory corridor. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and pathogen loads, protecting downstream ecosystems in this rural, forested region.