Rhinelander STP Wastewater Treatment Plant, Rhinelander, Wisconsin

Rhinelander STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located on W.D. Boyce Drive in Rhinelander, Oneida County, Wisconsin. The plant serves a population of about 7,908 people, placing it in the small-to-medium agglomeration category for US inland communities. As a US facility, the plant operates under the Clean Water Act and is subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. For communities of this size, secondary treatment is the standard requirement, with additional nutrient controls possible in sensitive watersheds. The plant discharges to a receiving water body within the Upper Mississippi River Basin, which ultimately drains to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The local watershed supports diverse aquatic life and recreational uses, making proper treatment essential for downstream water quality.

The plant discharges into a water body within the Upper Mississippi River Basin, which flows into the Mississippi River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. This watershed supports diverse aquatic ecosystems and is important for regional water quality, particularly in the context of nutrient loading concerns in the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone.