VALIER WWTP - Secondary Treatment Plant in Pondera County, Montana

VALIER WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Pondera County, Montana, serving a small population of 509 residents. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the U.S. Clean Water Act for most municipal facilities to reduce organic pollutants and suspended solids before discharge. The plant's designed capacity is 132.49 million gallons per year, and it currently discharges 117.35 million gallons per year, indicating it operates below its full capacity. As a small-scale facility in a rural area, it is subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, ensuring compliance with water quality standards. The treated effluent is discharged into a local water body, likely a tributary of the Missouri River basin, which ultimately flows into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The plant plays a key role in protecting local water quality and downstream ecosystems in the Northern Great Plains region.

The plant discharges into a receiving water body within the Missouri River watershed, which drains into the Mississippi River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. This region supports diverse aquatic life and migratory birds. The secondary treatment process helps reduce nutrient loading, protecting downstream water quality in this agriculturally intensive area.