Mason WWTP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant in Mason, Texas

Mason WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located on Landfill Road in Mason, Texas, serving a population of approximately 2,100 residents. The plant operates under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Water Act, which requires secondary treatment for municipal wastewater discharges to surface waters. As a small agglomeration, the plant is subject to state-level NPDES permitting administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The plant provides secondary treatment, a biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 1,589.87 thousand cubic meters per year and an actual discharge volume of 548.89 thousand cubic meters, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth. Secondary treatment typically involves activated sludge or trickling filter systems. The treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse that eventually drains into the Colorado River basin, which flows southeast to the Gulf of Mexico. The plant plays a key role in protecting the local watershed and downstream ecosystems, including the Colorado River and Matagorda Bay, by reducing pollutant loads from the Mason community.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Llano River, which flows into the Colorado River and ultimately reaches the Gulf of Mexico at Matagorda Bay. The Colorado River basin supports diverse aquatic life and is an important water resource for central Texas. The plant's secondary treatment helps protect downstream water quality, including ecologically sensitive areas such as the Colorado River's riparian habitats and the estuarine environment of Matagorda Bay.