REEDER LAGOON Wastewater Treatment Plant, Reeder, North Dakota

REEDER LAGOON is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Reeder, a small town in Adams County, North Dakota. The plant serves a population of 162 residents, reflecting the rural character of the area. It operates as a lagoon system, a common treatment method for small communities in the region. The plant provides secondary treatment, which meets the minimum federal standard under the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater. With a designed capacity of 75.71 cubic meters per day and an actual discharge volume of 113.56 cubic meters per day, the facility handles flows that exceed its nominal capacity, indicating potential operational adjustments or seasonal variations. As a U.S. facility, it operates under an EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the state of North Dakota, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent is discharged into a local watercourse that drains into the Heart River, a tributary of the Missouri River. The Missouri River flows into the Mississippi River and ultimately reaches the Gulf of Mexico. The plant's discharge contributes to the overall nutrient and pollutant load in the watershed, which is part of the larger Mississippi River Basin, an ecologically significant system that supports diverse aquatic life and is a major migratory corridor for birds.

The plant's discharge enters a local stream that flows into the Heart River, a tributary of the Missouri River. The Missouri River then joins the Mississippi River, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico. This watershed supports a variety of fish and wildlife, including migratory waterfowl and endangered species like the pallid sturgeon. Nutrient loading from wastewater can contribute to algal blooms and hypoxia in downstream waters, including the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone.