SIMLA WWTP - Simla, Colorado Wastewater Treatment Plant

SIMLA WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Simla, Elbert County, Colorado, United States. The plant serves a small population of 618 residents and operates with a designed capacity of 378.54 m³/day, with a current discharge volume of 151.42 m³/day. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the US Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater facilities. Under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), plants of this scale are typically permitted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, ensuring compliance with effluent limits that protect water quality. The treated effluent is discharged to local waterways that drain into the Arkansas River basin, eventually reaching the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. As an inland facility, the plant plays a key role in protecting local groundwater and surface water resources in the semi-arid Colorado plains.

SIMLA WWTP discharges into local streams that are part of the Arkansas River watershed. The Arkansas River flows through Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas before joining the Mississippi River. The plant's operations help protect the water quality of these downstream water bodies, which support agricultural irrigation, wildlife habitat, and recreational activities in the region.