Mina T STP Coll Wastewater Treatment Plant, Findley Lake, New York

Mina T STP Coll is a planned wastewater treatment facility located in Findley Lake, a hamlet in Chautauqua County, New York. Designed to serve a population of 1,200, the plant will provide secondary treatment, meeting the standard requirements under the US Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater facilities of this scale. As a projected facility, the plant will operate under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which regulates discharges into US waters. Secondary treatment, which removes at least 85% of biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids, is the minimum level required for municipal plants under the Clean Water Act. The plant's discharge will likely enter a local tributary of the Conewango Creek, which flows north into Lake Erie. Lake Erie is a vital freshwater resource supporting diverse aquatic life, including walleye and smallmouth bass, and provides drinking water for millions. The plant's treatment will help protect this sensitive Great Lakes ecosystem from nutrient pollution and pathogens.

The plant will discharge into a tributary of Conewango Creek, which flows into Lake Erie, part of the Great Lakes system. Lake Erie is the shallowest and most biologically productive of the Great Lakes, supporting a diverse fishery and serving as a major drinking water source. The watershed is ecologically sensitive to nutrient loading, which can cause harmful algal blooms, making effective secondary treatment critical for downstream water quality.