The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) today recognized 253 municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants for outstanding operations in 2023. To receive this recognition, facilities must demonstrate consistent compliance with monitoring, operations, and maintenance requirements; submit accurate, on-time reports to the MPCA; and employ staff certified by the MPCA in wastewater operations.
"Communities across Minnesota rely on wastewater treatment facilities to stay healthy and well,” said Nicole Blasing, Municipal Division director at MPCA. “Operators at these facilities are critical to protecting and preserving water quality, and the MPCA is deeply grateful for their considerable efforts and service to their community.”
The MPCA recognizes outstanding wastewater operators each year. Minnesota has approximately 1,600 municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities. A total of 767 facilities, from communities of all sizes, were reviewed, with 253 qualifying for the outstanding operations recognition.
More than 50 years ago, the Clean Water Act established the basic framework for regulating pollution in waters by creating water quality standards to protect drinking water and to maintain a healthy aquatic community for animal and recreational uses. These standards led to wastewater treatment facilities improving the cleanliness of water before water is returned to a river or stream.
| Facility | City | County |
|---|---|---|
| Adams WWTP (MN0021261) | Adams | Mower |
| Aitkin WWTP (MN0020095) | Aitkin | Aitkin |
| Akeley WWTP (MN0052345) | Akeley | Hubbard |
| Albert Lea WWTP (MN0041092) | Albert Lea | Freeborn |
| Albertville WWTP (MN0050954) | Albertville | Wright |
| Altona Hutterian Brethren WWTP (MNG585385) | Henderson | Sibley |
| Altura WWTP (MN0021831) | Altura | Winona |
| Anchor Bay Mobile Home Park (MNG585058) | Baudette | Lake of the Woods |
| Annandale/Maple Lake/Howard Lake WWTP (MN0066966) | Maple Lake | Wright |
| Argyle WWTP (MNG585140) | Argyle | Marshall |
| Balaton WWTP (MN0020559) | Balaton | Lyon |
| Barnesville WWTP (MN0022501) | Barnesville | Clay |
| Battle Lake WWTP (MN0051829) | Battle Lake | Otter Tail |
| Beaver Creek WWTP (MNG585055) | Beaver Creek | Rock |
| Bejou WWTP (MNT064688) | Bejou | Mahnomen |
| Bel Clare Estates WWTP (MN0045721) | Saint Cloud | Stearns |
| Belgrade WWTP (MN0051381) | Belgrade | Stearns |
| Big Falls WWTP (MNG585135) | Big Falls | Koochiching |
| Bigelow WWTP (MNG585224) | Bigelow | Nobles |
| Blomkest Svea Sewer Board WWTP (MNG585372) | Blomkest | Kandiyohi |
| Blooming Prairie WWTP (MN0021822) | Blooming Prairie | Dodge |
| Blue Earth WWTP (MN0020532) | Blue Earth | Faribault |
| Bongards' Creameries - Perham (MN0047228) | Perham | Otter Tail |
| Boomerang Laboratories (MN0066508) | Spring Park | Hennepin |
| Bowlus WWTP (MN0020923) | Bowlus | Morrison |
| Brainerd WWTP (MN0049328) | Baxter | Crow Wing |
| Breezy Point WWTP (MN0047457) | Breezy Point | Crow Wing |
| Brooten WWTP (MNG585271) | Brooten | Stearns |
| Browerville WWTP (MN0022926) | Browerville | Todd |
| Browns Valley WWTP (MN0022942) | Browns Valley | Big Stone |
| Buffalo Lake WWTP (MNG585373) | Buffalo Lake | Renville |
| Buffalo WWTP (MN0040649) | Buffalo | Wright |
| Byron WWTP (MN0049239) | Byron | Olmsted |
| Callaway WWTP (MNT022985) | Callaway | Becker |
| Cambridge WWTP (MN0020362) | Cambridge | Isanti |
| Campbell WWTP (MNG585130) | Campbell | Wilkin |
| Camp Ripley WWTP (MN0025721) | Little Falls | Morrison |
| Canby WWTP (MNG585154) | Canby | Yellow Medicine |
| Canton WWTP (MN0023001) | Canton | Fillmore |
| Cass Lake WWTP (MN0049981) | Cass Lake | Cass |
| Cedar Mills WWTP (MN0066605) | Cedar Mills | Meeker |
| Chandler WWTP (MN0039748) | Chandler | Murray |
| Chisago Lakes Joint STC (MN0055808) | Chisago City | Chisago |
| Chokio WWTP (MNG585007) | Chokio | Stevens |
| Clara City WWTP (MN0023035) | Clara City | Chippewa |
| Clarks Grove WWTP (MNG585067) | Clarks Grove | Freeborn |
| Clear Lake/Clearwater Sewer Authority (MN0047490) | Clear Lake | Sherburne |
| Climax WWTP (MNG585169) | Climax | Polk |
| Cokato WWTP (MN0049204) | Cokato | Wright |
| Cold Spring WWTP (MN0023094) | Cold Spring | Stearns |
| Comfrey WWTP (MN0021687) | Comfrey | Brown |
| Community of Roseland WWTP (MNG585393) | Blomkest | Kandiyohi |
| Cook WWTP (MNG585179) | Cook | St. Louis |
| Country Meadows WWTP (MN0065978) | Zimmerman | Sherburne |
| Credit River city of - Monterey H&S Passage (MN0066389) | Credit River | Scott |
| Credit River city of - Territory (MN0066826) | Prior Lake | Scott |
| Crosslake WWTP (MN0064882) | Crosslake | Crow Wing |
| Cyrus WWTP (MN0052396) | Cyrus | Pope |
| Dairiconcepts LP (MN0044628) | Dalbo | Isanti |
| Deer River WWTP (MNG585181) | Deer River | Itasca |
| Delhi WWTP (MN0067008) | Delhi | Redwood |
| Dexter WWTP (MNG585228) | Dexter | Mower |
| Dodge Center WWTP (MN0021016) | Dodge Center | Dodge |
| Dundee WWTP (MNG585349) | Fulda | Murray |
| Elmore WWTP (MNG585110) | Elmore | Faribault |
| Elysian WWTP (MNG585285) | Elysian | Le Sueur |
| Evan WWTP (MNG585202) | Evan | Brown |
| Fertile WWTP (MNG585138) | Fertile | Polk |
| Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend Refinery (MN0000418) | Rosemount | Dakota |
| Franklin WWTP (MN0021083) | Franklin | Renville |
| Frazee WWTP (MN0022021) | Frazee | Otter Tail |
| Freeport WWTP (MNG585019) | Freeport | Stearns |
| Gaylord WWTP (MNG585204) | Gaylord | Sibley |
| GEM Sanitary District (MNG585205) | Greenwald | Stearns |
| Gilman WWTP (MNG585021) | Gilman | Benton |
| Glacial Lakes SSWD (MN0052752) | Spicer | Kandiyohi |
| Glencoe WWTP (MN0022233) | Glencoe | McLeod |
| Glenwood WWTP (MN0052710) | Glenwood | Pope |
| Graceville WWTP (MN0023540) | Graceville | Big Stone |
| Grand Meadow WWTP (MN0023558) | Grand Meadow | Mower |
| Grasston WWTP (MN0025691) | Grasston | Kanabec |
| Green Plains Otter Tail LLC (MN0068357) | Fergus Falls | Otter Tail |
| Greenfield WWTP (MN0063762) | Greenfield | Hennepin |
| Grey Eagle WWTP (MN0023566) | Grey Eagle | Todd |
| Hackensack WWTP (MN0053490) | Hackensack | Cass |
| Hancock WWTP (MNG585299) | Hancock | Stevens |
| Harris WWTP (MN0050130) | Harris | Chisago |
| Hawley WWTP (MN0020338) | Hawley | Clay |
| Hayfield WWTP (MN0023612) | Hayfield | Dodge |
| Hayward WWTP (MNG585391) | Hayward | Freeborn |
| Heartland Hutterian Brethren WWTP (MNG585195) | Lake Benton | Pipestone |
| Hendricks WWTP (MNG585377) | Hendricks | Lincoln |
| Hendrum WWTP (MNG585176) | Hendrum | Norman |
| Herman WWTP (MNG585177) | Herman | Grant |
| Hewitt WWTP (MNG585024) | Hewitt | Todd |
| Hills of Spring Creek WWTP (MN0071315) | Baytown Township | Washington |
| Hinckley WWTP (MN0023701) | Hinckley | Pine |
| Hitterdal WWTP (MNG585178) | Hitterdal | Clay |
| Hoffman WWTP (MNG585134) | Hoffman | Grant |
| Hutchinson WWTP (MN0055832) | Hutchinson | McLeod |
| Ihlen WWTP (MN0063100) | Ihlen | Pipestone |
| Isanti WWTP (MN0023795) | Isanti | Isanti |
| Jackson Meadow WWTP (MN0064106) | Marine on Saint Croix | Washington |
| Jasper WWTP (MNG585026) | Jasper | Rock |
| Jordan WWTP (MN0020869) | Jordan | Scott |
| Kimball WWTP (MN0052647) | Kimball | Stearns |
| Lake Beauty Bible Camp (MN0064050) | Long Prairie | Todd |
| Lake Benton WWTP (MN0023884) | Lake Benton | Lincoln |
| Lake Bronson WWTP (MNG585029) | Lake Bronson | Kittson |
| Lake City WWTP (MN0020664) | Lake City | Wabasha |
| Lake Lillian WWTP (MNG585225) | Lake Lillian | Kandiyohi |
| Laketown Community WWTP (MN0054399) | Chaska | Carver |
| Lamberton WWTP (MNG585100) | Lamberton | Redwood |
| Lamb-Weston/RDO Frozen (MN0051454) | Park Rapids | Hubbard |
| Lansing Township WWTP (MN0063461) | Lansing | Mower |
| Le Center WWTP (MN0023931) | Le Center | Le Sueur |
| Le Roy WWTP (MN0021041) | Le Roy | Mower |
| Lester Prairie WWTP (MN0023957) | Lester Prairie | McLeod |
| Lincoln Pipestone Rural Wtr Holland Well (MN0064351) | Pipestone | Pipestone |
| Linwood Terrace (MN0054372) | Wyoming | Anoka |
| Lismore Hutterian Brethren Inc (MN0064149) | Clinton | Big Stone |
| Little Falls WWTP (MN0020761) | Little Falls | Morrison |
| Long Prairie WWTP (MN0066079) | Long Prairie | Todd |
| Longville WWTP (MNG585208) | Longville | Cass |
| Lonsdale WWTP (MN0031241) | Lonsdale | Rice |
| Lowry WWTP (MNG585123) | Lowry | Pope |
| LSP Cottage Grove Cogeneration Facility (MN0062821) | Cottage Grove | Washington |
| Lucan WWTP (MNG585112) | Lucan | Redwood |
| Mabel WWTP (MN0020877) | Mabel | Fillmore |
| Magnolia WWTP (MNG585190) | Magnolia | Rock |
| Mahnomen WWTP (MNT024066) | Mahnomen | Mahnomen |
| Marine on Saint Croix WWTP (MN0054160) | Marine on Saint Croix | Washington |
| Marshall WWTP (MN0022179) | Marshall | Lyon |
| Mayer WWTP (MN0021202) | Mayer | Carver |
| Maynard WWTP (MN0056588) | Maynard | Chippewa |
| Mazeppa WWTP (MN0046752) | Mazeppa | Wabasha |
| McGregor WWTP (MN0024023) | McGregor | Aitkin |
| MDNR Myre Big Island State Park (MN0033740) | Albert Lea | Freeborn |
| Meadows of Whisper Creek WWTP (MN0066753) | Greenfield | Hennepin |
| Meriden Township WWTP (MNG585319) | Owatonna | Steele |
| Met Council - Blue Lake WWTP (MN0029882) | Shakopee | Scott |
| Met Council - Empire WWTP (MN0045845) | Farmington | Dakota |
| Met Council - Rogers WWTP (MN0029629) | Rogers | Hennepin |
| Met Council - Saint Croix Valley WWTP (MN0029998) | Oak Park Heights | Washington |
| Met Council - Seneca WWTP (MN0030007) | Eagan | Dakota |
| Met Council Hastings WWTP (MN0029955) | Hastings | Dakota |
| MG Waldbaum Co (MN0060798) | Gaylord | Sibley |
| MG Waldbaum/Michael Foods Lake Prairie (MN0064327) | Le Sueur | Nicollet |
| Milaca WWTP (MN0024147) | Milaca | Mille Lacs |
| Milan WWTP (MNG585141) | Milan | Chippewa |
| Minneota WWTP (MNG585033) | Minneota | Lyon |
| MNDOT Albert Lea Travel Information Ctr (MN0044458) | Glenville | Freeborn |
| MNDOT Enterprise Rest Area (MN0048844) | Lewiston | Winona |
| MNDOT Straight River Rest Area (MN0049514) | Owatonna | Steele |
| Mobile Manor Park (MN0056197) | Shakopee | Scott |
| Montgomery WWTP (MN0024210) | Montgomery | Le Sueur |
| Monticello WWTP (MN0020567) | Monticello | Wright |
| Montrose WWTP (MN0024228) | Montrose | Wright |
| Moorhead WWTP (MN0049069) | Moorhead | Clay |
| Morris WWTP (MN0021318) | Morris | Stevens |
| Morton WWTP (MN0051292) | Morton | Renville |
| Mountain Lake WWTP (MN0021466) | Mountain Lake | Cottonwood |
| Neuhof Hutterian Brethren (MNG585113) | Mountain Lake | Cottonwood |
| New Auburn WWTP (MN0041149) | New Auburn | Sibley |
| New Prague WWTP (MN0020150) | New Prague | Scott |
| New Richland WWTP (MN0021032) | New Richland | Waseca |
| New Ulm WWTP (MN0030066) | New Ulm | Brown |
| New York Mills WWTP (MN0054330) | New York Mills | Otter Tail |
| Nielsville WWTP (MNG585166) | Nielsville | Polk |
| Northome WWTP (MNG585185) | Northome | Koochiching |
| Northrop WWTP (MN0024384) | Northrop | Martin |
| Northshore Mining Co - Peter Mitchell (MN0046981) | Babbitt | St. Louis |
| Norwood Young America WWTP (MN0024392) | Norwood Young America | Carver |
| NuStar - Moorhead Terminal (MN0000485) | Moorhead | Clay |
| Odessa WWTP (MNG585099) | Odessa | Big Stone |
| Oklee WWTP (MNG585038) | Oklee | Red Lake |
| Onamia WWTP (MN0052906) | Onamia | Mille Lacs |
| Oslo WWTP (MNG585379) | Oslo | Marshall |
| Otsego East WWTP (MN0064190) | Otsego | Wright |
| Owatonna WWTP (MN0051284) | Owatonna | Steele |
| Parkers Prairie WWTP (MN0024465) | Parkers Prairie | Otter Tail |
| Pemberton WWTP (MNG585075) | Pemberton | Blue Earth |
| Pequot Lakes WWTP (MN0021661) | Pequot Lakes | Crow Wing |
| Perham WWTP (MN0024473) | Perham | Otter Tail |
| Pine Island WWTP (MN0024511) | Pine Island | Goodhue |
| Plainview-Elgin Sanitary District (MN0055361) | Plainview | Wabasha |
| Porter WWTP (MNG585128) | Porter | Yellow Medicine |
| Princeton WWTP (MN0024538) | Princeton | Sherburne |
| Red Wing WWTP (MN0024571) | Red Wing | Goodhue |
| Redwood Falls WWTP (MN0020401) | Redwood Falls | Redwood |
| Renville WWTP (MN0020737) | Renville | Renville |
| Rich Prairie Sewer Treatment Facility (MNG585211) | Pierz | Morrison |
| Richmond WWTP (MN0024597) | Richmond | Stearns |
| Ridges of Rice Lake WWTP (MN0065935) | Elk River | Sherburne |
| Rochester WWTP/Water Reclamation Plant (MN0024619) | Rochester | Olmsted |
| Rockford WWTP (MN0024627) | Rockford | Wright |
| Rollingstone WWTP (MNG585078) | Rollingstone | Winona |
| Rose Creek WWTP (MN0024651) | Rose Creek | Mower |
| Rushford WWTP (MN0024678) | Rushford | Fillmore |
| Russell WWTP (MNG585062) | Russell | Lyon |
| Ruthton WWTP (MNG585105) | Ruthton | Pipestone |
| Saint Clair WWTP (MN0024716) | Saint Clair | Blue Earth |
| Saint George District Sewer System (MN0064785) | Gibbon | Nicollet |
| Saint Hilaire WWTP (MNG585334) | Saint Hilaire | Pennington |
| Saint James WWTP (MN0024759) | Saint James | Watonwan |
| Saint Leo WWTP (MN0024775) | Saint Leo | Yellow Medicine |
| Sauk Centre WWTP (MN0024821) | Sauk Centre | Stearns |
| Seneca Foods Corp (MN0001279) | Montgomery | Le Sueur |
| Serpent Lake WWTP (MNG585215) | Crosby | Crow Wing |
| Sibley State Park WWTP (MN0033766) | New London | Kandiyohi |
| Silver Lake WWTP (MNG585164) | Silver Lake | McLeod |
| Springfield WWTP (MN0024953) | Springfield | Brown |
| Staples WWTP (MN0024988) | Staples | Todd |
| Starbuck WWTP (MN0021415) | Starbuck | Pope |
| Storden WWTP (MNG585106) | Storden | Cottonwood |
| Taunton WWTP (MNG585090) | Taunton | Lyon |
| Thumper Pond WWTP (MN0066231) | Ottertail | Otter Tail |
| Truman WWTP (MN0021652) | Truman | Martin |
| Twin Lakes WWTP (MNG585042) | Twin Lakes | Freeborn |
| Twin Valley WWTP (MNG585137) | Twin Valley | Norman |
| Tyler WWTP (MNG585116) | Tyler | Lincoln |
| United Taconite LLC - Fairlane Plant (MN0052116) | Forbes | St. Louis |
| Upsala WWTP (MNG585053) | Upsala | Morrison |
| Urbank WWTP (MNG585343) | Urbank | Otter Tail |
| Utica WWTP (MN0022055) | Utica | Winona |
| Verndale WWTP (MN0025119) | Verndale | Wadena |
| Vernon Center WWTP (MN0030490) | Vernon Center | Blue Earth |
| Villard WWTP (MN0068144) | Villard | Pope |
| Wabasha WWTP (MN0025143) | Wabasha | Wabasha |
| Wabasso WWTP (MN0025151) | Wabasso | Redwood |
| Wadena WWTP (MN0020672) | Wadena | Wadena |
| Wahkon WWTP (MNG585051) | Wahkon | Mille Lacs |
| Waldorf WWTP (MN0021849) | Waldorf | Waseca |
| Walker WWTP (MN0041157) | Walker | Cass |
| Walnut Grove WWTP (MN0021776) | Walnut Grove | Redwood |
| Warren WWTP (MNG585073) | Warren | Marshall |
| Warroad WWTP (MN0025194) | Warroad | Roseau |
| Waseca WWTP (MN0020796) | Waseca | Waseca |
| Waterville WWTP (MN0025208) | Waterville | Le Sueur |
| Watkins WWTP (MN0051365) | Watkins | Stearns |
| Wheaton WWTP (MNG585044) | Wheaton | Traverse |
| Wheeler's Point Sanitary District (MN0071048) | Baudette | Lake of the Woods |
| Whitewater River Regional WWTP (MN0046868) | Saint Charles | Winona |
| Willmar WWTP (MN0025259) | Willmar | Kandiyohi |
| Wilmes Lake Alum Treatment Facility (MN0071749) | Woodbury | Washington |
| Windsor Meadows WWTF (MN0067768) | Elk River | Sherburne |
| Windsor Oaks of Elk River Home Owners Association (MN0066613) | Elk River | Sherburne |
| Windsor Park Homeowner's Association (MN0065412) | Elk River | Sherburne |
| Winnebago WWTP (MN0025267) | Winnebago | Faribault |
| Winthrop WWTP (MN0051098) | Winthrop | Sibley |
| Winton WWTP (MNG585187) | Winton | St. Louis |
| Woodstock WWTP (MNG585192) | Woodstock | Pipestone |
| Worthington WWTP (MN0031186) | Worthington | Nobles |
| Wyldewood Acres WWTP (MN0066567) | Scandia | Washington |
| Zumbro Falls WWTP (MN0051004) | Zumbro Falls | Wabasha |
| Zumbrota WWTP (MN0025330) | Zumbrota | Goodhue |