O Donnell WWTP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in Lynn County, Texas

O Donnell WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Lynn County, Texas, serving a population of 1,164. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level for small communities in the United States, ensuring compliance with the Clean Water Act's requirements for reducing organic pollutants and suspended solids. The plant's designed capacity is 454.25 million gallons per year, with an actual discharge volume of 340.69 million gallons per year, indicating operational headroom. As a US facility, it operates under an EPA NPDES permit issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which sets effluent limits to protect receiving waters. The treated effluent is discharged into a local waterway that ultimately drains into the Brazos River basin, contributing to the regional hydrology. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream water quality in the semi-arid Texas High Plains, where water resources are critical for agriculture and ecosystems.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Brazos River, which flows southeast through Texas to the Gulf of Mexico. The receiving waters support diverse aquatic life and are important for irrigation and municipal supply in the region. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic loads, mitigating potential impacts on downstream water quality in a watershed that experiences variable flows and agricultural runoff.