MAURICE WWTP - Secondary Treatment Plant in Maurice, Iowa

MAURICE WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Maurice, Iowa, a small community in Sioux County. The facility serves a population of 275 and provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the U.S. Clean Water Act for most municipal plants. The plant has a designed capacity of 151.42 megaliters per year and currently discharges approximately 113.56 megaliters of treated effluent annually. As a facility in the United States, it operates under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated wastewater is discharged into a local water body that ultimately drains into the Missouri River watershed. This region is part of the larger Mississippi River basin, which supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for agricultural and municipal uses downstream.

The plant's discharge enters a local stream that flows into the Missouri River, a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Missouri River watershed supports a variety of fish species and provides critical habitat for migratory birds. Downstream, the Mississippi River drains into the Gulf of Mexico, where nutrient loading from upstream sources can contribute to hypoxic zones. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollutants and protect local water quality.