PINEDALE LAGOON Wastewater Treatment Plant, Pinedale, Wyoming

PINEDALE LAGOON is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Pinedale, Sublette County, Wyoming. It serves a population of approximately 2,030 people, typical of a small community in the Rocky Mountain region. The plant is situated near Naomi Pape Trail and operates as a lagoon system, a common treatment method for small, rural communities in the western United States. As a small facility in the U.S., PINEDALE LAGOON is subject to the Clean Water Act and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting, administered by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. Lagoon systems typically provide secondary treatment through natural biological processes, meeting federal standards for small communities. The plant's capacity and treatment details are managed to comply with state water quality requirements. The treated effluent from PINEDALE LAGOON is discharged to local surface waters, likely tributaries of the Green River, which flows into the Colorado River system. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is an important resource for the arid Intermountain West. The facility plays a key role in protecting downstream water quality in the Green River Basin.

PINEDALE LAGOON discharges into the Green River watershed, a major tributary of the Colorado River. The receiving waters support cold-water fisheries and provide habitat for native species such as the Colorado River cutthroat trout. Downstream, the river flows through Flaming Gorge Reservoir and into the Colorado River, which supplies water to millions of people in the southwestern United States. Protecting this watershed is critical for maintaining regional water quality and ecological health.