Monticello Wastewater Treatment Plant, Monticello, Utah

The Monticello wastewater treatment plant is located in Monticello, a small town in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The plant serves a population of approximately 1,972 residents, providing secondary treatment to municipal wastewater. As a small-scale facility, it plays a vital role in protecting local water quality in this arid region. The plant operates under the U.S. Clean Water Act, which requires secondary treatment for municipal wastewater discharges. With a designed capacity of 1,211 cubic meters per day and an average discharge volume of 719 cubic meters per day, the facility has adequate capacity for current demand. The plant is permitted through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), administered by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. The treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse that ultimately drains into the Colorado River Basin. This basin is ecologically significant, supporting diverse aquatic life and providing water for agriculture and communities downstream. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic pollutant loads, contributing to the health of the Colorado River system.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Colorado River, which flows through the arid Colorado Plateau and eventually into the Colorado River Basin. This basin is a critical water source for the southwestern United States and supports a variety of fish species, including endangered species such as the Colorado pikeminnow. The plant's secondary treatment helps protect downstream water quality in this sensitive desert ecosystem.