Maxwell Lagoon Wastewater Treatment Plant, Colfax County, New Mexico

Maxwell Lagoon is a wastewater treatment plant located in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States. It serves a small population of 449 residents, reflecting its role in a rural or small community setting. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level for smaller agglomerations under US regulations. The plant has a designed capacity of 113.56 megaliters per year and discharges approximately 75.71 megaliters annually. As a US facility, it operates under the Clean Water Act, which requires National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for discharges into surface waters. Secondary treatment is the minimum required for municipal plants under this framework. The treated effluent from Maxwell Lagoon likely discharges into a local waterway within the Canadian River basin, which flows into the Arkansas River and eventually the Mississippi River system. This connection underscores the plant's role in protecting downstream water quality in the broader Mississippi watershed.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Canadian River, which flows through northeastern New Mexico and into the Arkansas River. The Arkansas River ultimately joins the Mississippi River, draining into the Gulf of Mexico. The local watershed supports semi-arid ecosystems and agricultural activities, making water quality management critical for both ecological health and human use.