Spoon Valley Lake Sanitary District Wastewater Treatment Plant, Knox County, Illinois

Spoon Valley Lake Sanitary District is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The plant serves a small population of 550 residents and operates under secondary treatment, which is the standard for small communities in the region. With a designed capacity of 378.54 cubic meters per day and an average discharge volume of 98.42 cubic meters per day, the plant operates well below its capacity. As a US facility, it is regulated under the Clean Water Act and likely holds an NPDES permit issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, ensuring compliance with discharge limits. The plant's treated effluent flows into local streams that drain into the Spoon River, a tributary of the Illinois River, which ultimately reaches the Mississippi River. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides important habitat for fish and wildlife in central Illinois.

The plant discharges into local waterways that feed the Spoon River, a tributary of the Illinois River. The Illinois River flows into the Mississippi River, which drains to the Gulf of Mexico. The Spoon River watershed supports a variety of fish species and provides critical habitat for migratory birds along the Mississippi Flyway. The plant's secondary treatment helps protect downstream water quality in this agriculturally intensive region.