Worland Lagoon Wastewater Treatment Plant, Worland, Wyoming

Worland Lagoon is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located on Airport Road in Worland, Washakie County, Wyoming. The plant serves a population of about 8,387 people, making it a medium-sized agglomeration for the region. It operates as a lagoon system, a common treatment method in rural areas of the western United States. As a publicly owned treatment works (POTW) in the United States, Worland Lagoon is subject to the Clean Water Act and operates under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. These permits set effluent limits to protect water quality. For a plant of this scale, secondary treatment is typically required, though lagoon systems can achieve comparable performance through natural biological processes. The plant discharges treated wastewater into a receiving water body within the Bighorn River basin. The Bighorn River flows northward through Wyoming and Montana, eventually joining the Yellowstone River, a tributary of the Missouri-Mississippi system. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is important for irrigation and recreation in the region.

Worland Lagoon discharges into a tributary of the Bighorn River, which flows into the Yellowstone River and ultimately the Missouri-Mississippi River system. The Bighorn River basin supports a variety of fish species, including trout and bass, and provides habitat for migratory birds. The plant's location in a semi-arid region means that maintaining water quality in the receiving waters is critical for local ecosystems and downstream users.