Steamboat Lake WSD Wastewater Treatment Plant, Routt County, Colorado

Steamboat Lake WSD is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Routt County, Colorado, serving a small population of 300 residents. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level for small communities in the United States, ensuring that pollutants are reduced before discharge. The plant has a designed capacity of 416.39 cubic meters per day and currently treats an average daily flow of 189.27 cubic meters. As a US facility, it operates under the Clean Water Act, which requires National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for all discharges to surface waters. These permits set effluent limits based on the receiving water's quality standards. The treated effluent is discharged into a local water body, likely a stream or river within the Yampa River basin, which flows into the Green River and ultimately the Colorado River. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is important for regional water supply and recreation.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Yampa River, part of the upper Colorado River basin. This region supports cold-water fisheries, including native cutthroat trout, and provides habitat for migratory birds. Downstream, the Yampa River joins the Green River in Utah, contributing to the Colorado River system that supplies water to millions in the southwestern US.