Rice Lake STP Wastewater Treatment Plant, Rice Lake, Wisconsin

Rice Lake STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Rice Lake, Barron County, Wisconsin. It serves a population of about 9,795 people, placing it in the small-to-medium agglomeration category under US regulatory frameworks. As a US facility, Rice Lake STP operates under the Clean Water Act and is subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting, typically administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. For plants of this scale, secondary treatment is the standard requirement, with additional nutrient removal possible depending on the receiving water body's sensitivity. The plant's treated effluent enters the local drainage network, which flows into the Red Cedar River, a tributary of the Chippewa River, and ultimately reaches the Mississippi River. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is part of the larger Upper Mississippi River basin, an ecologically significant corridor for fish and migratory birds.

The plant discharges into the Red Cedar River watershed, which flows into the Chippewa River and then the Mississippi River. This region supports diverse aquatic habitats, including warmwater fisheries and wetlands that provide critical ecosystem services such as flood attenuation and nutrient cycling. The downstream Mississippi River is a major migratory route for waterfowl and supports a variety of fish species.