Morrison SD 1 STP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in Town of Morrison, Wisconsin

Morrison SD 1 STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in the Town of Morrison, Brown County, Wisconsin. The plant serves a small population of 500 residents and operates under secondary treatment standards, which is the baseline requirement for municipal wastewater treatment in the United States under the Clean Water Act. The plant has a designed capacity of 215.77 million gallons per year and currently discharges 113.56 million gallons per year. As a secondary treatment facility, it uses biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids, meeting the effluent limits set by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. The plant is situated inland, more than 10 km from the coast, but within 50 km of Lake Michigan. The treated effluent from Morrison SD 1 STP ultimately drains into the Lake Michigan watershed, one of the largest freshwater ecosystems in the world. Lake Michigan supports diverse aquatic life and provides drinking water for millions of people. The plant's discharge contributes to the overall nutrient load in the basin, making effective treatment critical for protecting water quality and preventing eutrophication.

The plant discharges into the Lake Michigan basin, which is part of the Great Lakes system, the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total area. Lake Michigan supports a diverse ecosystem including native fish species and migratory birds. The watershed is ecologically sensitive to nutrient pollution, which can lead to algal blooms and hypoxic conditions. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic and nutrient loads, but additional nutrient removal may be needed to fully protect the lake's water quality.