MCINTOSH WWTP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in McIntosh, Minnesota

MCINTOSH WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in McIntosh, Minnesota, serving a population of 622. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level for small communities in the United States, ensuring compliance with Clean Water Act requirements. The plant has a designed capacity of 397.47 volume units and discharges a similar volume of treated effluent. As a secondary treatment facility, it removes organic matter and suspended solids before discharge, meeting EPA secondary treatment standards. The plant operates under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which regulates discharges to surface waters. The treated effluent from MCINTOSH WWTP enters local streams that drain into the Red River Basin, ultimately flowing north to Lake Winnipeg in Canada. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and agricultural activities, making proper treatment essential for downstream water quality and ecosystem health.

The plant discharges into local waterways within the Red River Basin, a major watershed that flows northward through Minnesota and North Dakota into Lake Winnipeg. This basin supports important fish habitats and migratory bird routes. The secondary treatment provided helps protect downstream water quality in this agriculturally intensive region.