The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) recognized 261 wastewater facilities for outstanding operations in 2025. 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 protect their health and our rivers and streams,” said Nicole Blasing, Municipal Division director at MPCA. “Wastewater operators are critical to preserving water quality, and the MPCA is deeply grateful for their considerable efforts and service to their communities.”
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 ensure water is clean before it’s returned to a river or stream.
The MPCA recognizes outstanding wastewater operators each year. Approximately 1,600 municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities operate across Minnesota. The MPCA reviewed a total of 743 facilities, from communities of all sizes, with 261 qualifying for the outstanding operations recognition.
| Facility | City | County |
|---|---|---|
| Albert Lea WWTP (Class A) | Albert Lea | Freeborn |
| Appleton WWTP (Class A) | Appleton | Swift |
| Bemidji WWTP (Class A) | Bemidji | Beltrami |
| Big Lake WWTP (Class A) | Big Lake | Sherburne |
| Buffalo WWTP (Class A) | Buffalo | Wright |
| Byron WWTP (Class A) | Byron | Olmsted |
| Cambridge WWTP (Class A) | Cambridge | Isanti |
| Central Iron Range Sanitary Sewer District WWTP (Class A) | Chisholm | Saint Louis |
| Chisago Lakes Joint STC (Class A) | Chisago City | Chisago |
| Claremont WWTP (Class A) | Claremont | Dodge |
| Clear Lake/Clearwater Sewer Authority (Class A) | Clear Lake | Sherburne |
| Cold Spring WWTP (Class A) | Cold Spring | Stearns |
| Delano WWTP (Class A) | Delano | Wright |
| Elk River WWTP (Class A) | Elk River | Sherburne |
| Fergus Falls city of WWTP (Class A) | Fergus Falls | Otter Tail |
| Glacial Lakes SSWD (Class A) | Spicer | Kandiyohi |
| Grand Rapids WWTP (Class A) | Grand Rapids | Itasca |
| Little Falls WWTP (Class A) | Little Falls | Morrison |
| Long Prairie WWTP (Class A) | Long Prairie | Todd |
| Marshall WWTP (Class A) | Marshall | Lyon |
| Met Council - Blue Lake WWTP (Class A) | Shakopee | Scott |
| Met Council - Eagles Point WWTP (Class A) | Cottage Grove | Washington |
| Met Council - Empire WRRF (Class A) | Farmington | Dakota |
| Met Council - Saint Croix Valley WWTP (Class A) | Oak Park Heights | Washington |
| Met Council Metropolitan Water Resource Recovery Facility (Class A) | Saint Paul | Ramsey |
| New Prague WWTP (Class A) | New Prague | Scott |
| Northfield WWTP (Class A) | Northfield | Dakota |
| Pine Island WWTP (Class A) | Pine Island | Goodhue |
| Plainview-Elgin Sanitary District (Class A) | Plainview | Wabasha |
| Rochester WWTP/Water Reclamation Plant (Class A) | Rochester | Olmsted |
| Saint Francis WWTP (Class A) | Saint Francis | Anoka |
| Saint Michael WWTP (Class A) | Saint Michael | Wright |
| Sauk Centre WWTP (Class A) | Sauk Centre | Stearns |
| Two Harbors WWTP (Class A) | Two Harbors | Lake |
| Willmar WWTP (Class A) | Willmar | Kandiyohi |
| Windom WWTP (Class A) | Windom | Cottonwood |
| Worthington WWTP (Class A) | Worthington | Nobles |
| Adams WWTP (Class B) | Adams | Mower |
| Aitkin WWTP (Class B) | Aitkin | Aitkin |
| Albertville WWTP (Class B) | Albertville | Wright |
| Braham WWTP (Class B) | Braham | Isanti |
| Browerville WWTP (Class B) | Browerville | Todd |
| Camp Ripley WWTP (Class B) | Little Falls | Morrison |
| Cannon Falls WWTP (Class B) | Cannon Falls | Goodhue |
| Coleraine-Bovey-Taconite Joint WWTP (Class B) | Bovey | Itasca |
| Crosslake WWTP (Class B) | Crosslake | Crow Wing |
| Dassel WWTP (Class B) | Dassel | Meeker |
| Dodge Center WWTP (Class B) | Dodge Center | Dodge |
| Greenfield WWTP (Class B) | Greenfield | Hennepin |
| Harmony WWTP (Class B) | Harmony | Fillmore |
| Harris WWTP (Class B) | Harris | Chisago |
| Jordan WWTP (Class B) | Jordan | Scott |
| Lake City WWTP (Class B) | Lake City | Wabasha |
| Le Center WWTP (Class B) | Le Center | Le Sueur |
| Madison WWTP (Class B) | Madison | Lac qui Parle |
| Met Council - East Bethel WWTP (Class B) | East Bethel | Anoka |
| Met Council - Hastings Water Resource Recovery Facility (Class B) | Hastings | Dakota |
| Met Council - Rogers WRRF (Class B) | Rogers | Hennepin |
| Montrose WWTP (Class B) | Montrose | Wright |
| Morristown WWTP (Class B) | Morristown | Rice |
| Norwood Young America WWTP (Class B) | Norwood Young America | Carver |
| Olivia WWTP (Class B) | Olivia | Renville |
| Order of Saint Benedict WWTP (Class B) | Collegeville | Stearns |
| Otsego WWTP West (Class B) | Otsego | Wright |
| Renville WWTP (Class B) | Renville | Renville |
| Rockford WWTP (Class B) | Rockford | Wright |
| Stewartville WWTP (Class B) | Stewartville | Olmsted |
| Wabasha WWTP (Class B) | Wabasha | Wabasha |
| Walnut Grove WWTP (Class B) | Walnut Grove | Redwood |
| Wanamingo WWTP (Class B) | Wanamingo | Goodhue |
| Whitewater River Regional WWTP (Class B) | Saint Charles | Winona |
| Albany WWTP (Class C) | Albany | Stearns |
| Altura WWTP (Class C) | Altura | Winona |
| Breezy Point WWTP (Class C) | Breezy Point | Crow Wing |
| Brownsville WWTP (Class C) | Brownsville | Houston |
| Canton WWTP (Class C) | Canton | Fillmore |
| Chatfield WWTP (Class C) | Chatfield | Fillmore |
| Clearwater Forest LLC (Class C) | South Haven | Stearns |
| Cokato WWTP (Class C) | Cokato | Wright |
| Crane Lake WWTP (Class C) | Crane Lake | Saint Louis |
| Credit River city of - Monterey H&S Passage (Class C) | Credit River | Scott |
| Credit River city of - Stonebridge (Class C) | Prior Lake | Scott |
| Credit River city of - Territory (Class C) | Prior Lake | Scott |
| Delft Sanitary District WWTP (Class C) | Windom | Cottonwood |
| Delhi WWTP (Class C) | Delhi | Redwood |
| Fosston WWTP (Class C) | Fosston | Polk |
| Hammond WWTP (Class C) | Hammond | Wabasha |
| Heritage at Lutsen (Class C) | Lutsen | Cook |
| Hidden Meadows/Rockpoint Church WWTP (Class C) | Lake Elmo | Washington |
| Highland Farms WWTP (Class C) | Zimmerman | Sherburne |
| Hills of Spring Creek WWTP (Class C) | Baytown Township | Washington |
| Hokah WWTP (Class C) | Hokah | Houston |
| Houston WWTP (Class C) | Houston | Houston |
| Laketown Community WWTP (Class C) | Chaska | Carver |
| Mabel WWTP (Class C) | Mabel | Fillmore |
| Maynard WWTP (Class C) | Maynard | Chippewa |
| Mazeppa WWTP (Class C) | Mazeppa | Wabasha |
| MDNR Myre Big Island State Park (Class C) | Albert Lea | Freeborn |
| Nisswa WWTP (Class C) | Nisswa | Crow Wing |
| Perham WWTP (Class C) | Perham | Otter Tail |
| Rich Prairie Sewer Treatment Facility (Class C) | Pierz | Morrison |
| Ridges of Rice Lake WWTP (Class C) | Elk River | Sherburne |
| Rushford WWTP (Class C) | Rushford | Fillmore |
| Sebeka WWTP (Class C) | Sebeka | Wadena |
| Thumper Pond WWTP (Class C) | Ottertail | Otter Tail |
| USCOE Leech Lake Rec Area WWTP (Class C) | Federal Dam | Cass |
| Vermillion WWTP (Class C) | Vermillion | Dakota |
| Viking WWTP (Class C) | Viking | Marshall |
| Wabasso WWTP (Class C) | Wabasso | Redwood |
| Wild Mountain Ski Area (Class C) | Taylors Falls | Chisago |
| Windsor Meadows WWTF (Class C) | Elk River | Sherburne |
| 7-Clans Casino WWTP (Class D) | Thief River Falls | Pennington |
| Adrian WWTP (Class D) | Adrian | Nobles |
| Anchor Bay Mobile Home Park (Class D) | Baudette | Lake of the Woods |
| Atwater WWTP (Class D) | Atwater | Kandiyohi |
| Bagley WWTP (Class D) | Bagley | Clearwater |
| Barrett WWTP (Class D) | Barrett | Grant |
| Battle Lake WWTP (Class D) | Battle Lake | Otter Tail |
| Beardsley WWTP (Class D) | Beardsley | Big Stone |
| Bejou WWTP (Class D) | Bejou | Mahnomen |
| Bellechester WWTP (Class D) | Bellechester | Wabasha |
| Bethel WWTP (Class D) | Bethel | Anoka |
| Big Falls WWTP (Class D) | Big Falls | Koochiching |
| Bigfork WWTP (Class D) | Bigfork | Itasca |
| Blomkest Svea Sewer Board WWTP (Class D) | Blomkest | Kandiyohi |
| Brandon WWTP (Class D) | Brandon | Douglas |
| Bricelyn WWTP (Class D) | Bricelyn | Faribault |
| Browns Valley WWTP (Class D) | Browns Valley | Big Stone |
| Brownsdale WWTP (Class D) | Brownsdale | Mower |
| Callaway WWTP (Class D) | Callaway | Becker |
| Caribou Highlands Lodge WWTP (Class D) | Lutsen | Cook |
| Cass Lake WWTP (Class D) | Cass Lake | Cass |
| Clarks Grove WWTP (Class D) | Clarks Grove | Freeborn |
| Clements WWTP (Class D) | Clements | Redwood |
| Cleveland WWTP (Class D) | Cleveland | Le Sueur |
| Climax WWTP (Class D) | Climax | Polk |
| Community of Roseland WWTP (Class D) | Blomkest | Kandiyohi |
| Currie WWTP (Class D) | Currie | Murray |
| Cyrus WWTP (Class D) | Cyrus | Pope |
| Dalton WWTP (Class D) | Dalton | Otter Tail |
| Deer Creek WWTP (Class D) | Deer Creek | Otter Tail |
| Dennison WWTP (Class D) | Dennison | Rice |
| Dent WWTP (Class D) | Dent | Otter Tail |
| Dumont WWTP (Class D) | Dumont | Traverse |
| Eagle Bend WWTP (Class D) | Eagle Bend | Todd |
| Eden Valley WWTP (Class D) | Eden Valley | Stearns |
| Eitzen WWTP (Class D) | Eitzen | Houston |
| Ellendale WWTP (Class D) | Ellendale | Steele |
| Ellsworth WWTP (Class D) | Ellsworth | Nobles |
| Evan WWTP (Class D) | Evan | Brown |
| Felton WWTP (Class D) | Felton | Clay |
| Fertile WWTP (Class D) | Fertile | Polk |
| Foreston WWTP (Class D) | Foreston | Mille Lacs |
| Franklin WWTP (Class D) | Franklin | Renville |
| Frazee WWTP (Class D) | Frazee | Otter Tail |
| Garfield WWTP (Class D) | Garfield | Douglas |
| Ghent WWTP (Class D) | Ghent | Lyon |
| Gibbon WWTP (Class D) | Gibbon | Sibley |
| Glenwood WWTP (Class D) | Glenwood | Pope |
| Glyndon WWTP (Class D) | Glyndon | Clay |
| Goodridge WWTP (Class D) | Goodridge | Pennington |
| Graceville WWTP (Class D) | Graceville | Big Stone |
| Grasston WWTP (Class D) | Grasston | Kanabec |
| Hackensack WWTP (Class D) | Hackensack | Cass |
| Hallock WWTP (Class D) | Hallock | Kittson |
| Hancock WWTP (Class D) | Hancock | Stevens |
| Hayward WWTP (Class D) | Hayward | Freeborn |
| Hendricks WWTP (Class D) | Hendricks | Lincoln |
| Herman WWTP (Class D) | Herman | Grant |
| Heron Lake WWTP (Class D) | Heron Lake | Jackson |
| Hewitt WWTP (Class D) | Hewitt | Todd |
| Hoffman WWTP (Class D) | Hoffman | Grant |
| Iron Junction WWTP (Class D) | Iron | Saint Louis |
| Janesville WWTP (Class D) | Janesville | Waseca |
| Jasper WWTP (Class D) | Jasper | Rock |
| Kellogg WWTP (Class D) | Kellogg | Wabasha |
| Kimball WWTP (Class D) | Kimball | Stearns |
| Lake Bronson WWTP (Class D) | Lake Bronson | Kittson |
| Lake Lillian WWTP (Class D) | Lake Lillian | Kandiyohi |
| Lake Shore WWTP (Class D) | Lake Shore | Cass |
| Lake Wilson WWTP (Class D) | Lake Wilson | Murray |
| Lamberton WWTP (Class D) | Lamberton | Redwood |
| Larsmont Cottages on Lake Superior WWTF (Class D) | Two Harbors | Lake |
| Leota Sanitary District WWTP (Class D) | Leota | Nobles |
| Longville WWTP (Class D) | Longville | Cass |
| Loretto WWTP (Class D) | Loretto | Hennepin |
| Lowry WWTP (Class D) | Lowry | Pope |
| Magnolia WWTP (Class D) | Magnolia | Rock |
| Marine on Saint Croix WWTP (Class D) | Marine on Saint Croix | Washington |
| MCF-TOGO (Class D) | Togo | Itasca |
| McGregor WWTP (Class D) | McGregor | Aitkin |
| MDNR Itasca State Park (Class D) | Park Rapids | Clearwater |
| MDNR Lake Bronson State Park (Class D) | Lake Bronson | Kittson |
| Milaca WWTP (Class D) | Milaca | Mille Lacs |
| Mobile Manor Park (Class D) | Shakopee | Scott |
| Nelson's Resort Inc (Class D) | Crane Lake | Saint Louis |
| Neuhof Hutterian Brethren - Feedlot (Class D) | Mountain Lake | Cottonwood |
| New Auburn WWTP (Class D) | New Auburn | Sibley |
| New Munich WWTP (Class D) | New Munich | Stearns |
| New York Mills WWTP (Class D) | New York Mills | Otter Tail |
| Nielsville WWTP (Class D) | Nielsville | Polk |
| Oakland Sanitary District WWTP (Class D) | Oakland | Freeborn |
| Ogema WWTP (Class D) | Ogema | Becker |
| Oklee WWTP (Class D) | Oklee | Red Lake |
| Oslo WWTP (Class D) | Oslo | Marshall |
| Park Rapids WWTP (Class D) | Park Rapids | Hubbard |
| Pease WWTP (Class D) | Pease | Mille Lacs |
| Pequot Lakes WWTP (Class D) | Pequot Lakes | Crow Wing |
| Pioneer Campsite (Class D) | Wabasha | Wabasha |
| Plummer WWTP (Class D) | Plummer | Red Lake |
| Red Lake Falls WWTP (Class D) | Red Lake Falls | Red Lake |
| Remer WWTP (Class D) | Remer | Cass |
| Revere WWTP (Class D) | Revere | Redwood |
| Rice WWTP (Class D) | Rice | Benton |
| Rollingstone WWTP (Class D) | Rollingstone | Winona |
| Roseau WWTP (Class D) | Roseau | Roseau |
| Round Lake WWTP (Class D) | Round Lake | Jackson |
| Russell WWTP (Class D) | Russell | Lyon |
| Sargeant WWTP (Class D) | Sargeant | Mower |
| Shelly WWTP (Class D) | Shelly | Norman |
| Sherburne Mobile Home Park (Class D) | Princeton | Sherburne |
| Shetek Area Water & Sewer District WWTP (Class D) | Currie | Murray |
| South Haven WWTP (Class D) | South Haven | Wright |
| Stewart WWTP (Class D) | Stewart | McLeod |
| Storden WWTP (Class D) | Storden | Cottonwood |
| Taunton WWTP (Class D) | Taunton | Lyon |
| Taylors Falls WWTP (Class D) | Taylors Falls | Chisago |
| Tower/Breitung WWTP (Class D) | Soudan | Saint Louis |
| Trosky WWTP (Class D) | Trosky | Pipestone |
| Twin Valley WWTP (Class D) | Twin Valley | Norman |
| Tyler WWTP (Class D) | Tyler | Lincoln |
| Underwood WWTP (Class D) | Underwood | Otter Tail |
| Upsala WWTP (Class D) | Upsala | Morrison |
| Urbank WWTP (Class D) | Urbank | Otter Tail |
| Utica WWTP (Class D) | Utica | Winona |
| Vergas WWTP (Class D) | Vergas | Otter Tail |
| Verndale WWTP (Class D) | Verndale | Wadena |
| Walker WWTP (Class D) | Walker | Cass |
| Waltham WWTP (Class D) | Waltham | Mower |
| Wanda WWTP (Class D) | Wanda | Redwood |
| Warba WWTP (Class D) | Warba | Itasca |
| Westbrook WWTP (Class D) | Westbrook | Cottonwood |
| Wilderness Park Owner's Association (Class D) | Crosslake | Crow Wing |
| Windsor Park Homeowner's Association (Class D) | Elk River | Sherburne |
| Wyldewood Acres WWTP (Class D) | Scandia | Washington |
| YMCA of the North Camp Gathering Pines (Class D) | Lakeville | Scott |
| Young Life Castaway Club (Class D) | Detroit Lakes | Otter Tail |
| Zumbro Falls WWTP (Class D) | Zumbro Falls | Wabasha |
| Green Plains Otter Tail LLC (Industrial) | Fergus Falls | Otter Tail |
| CenterPoint Energy - Waterville (Industrial) | Waterville | Le Sueur |
| Cold Spring Granite Co - Main Campus (Industrial) | Cold Spring | Stearns |
| Seneca Foods Corp. - Glencoe (Industrial) | Glencoe | McLeod |
| Order of Saint Benedict WWTP (Industrial) | Collegeville | Stearns |
| Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend LLC (Industrial) | Inver Grove Heights | Dakota |
| Seneca Foods - Montgomery (Industrial) | Montgomery | Le Sueur |
| United Taconite LLC - Fairlane Plant (Industrial) | Forbes | St. Louis |
| Hibbing Taconite Co - Tails Basin Area (Industrial) | Hibbing | St. Louis |
| Northshore Mining Co - Peter Mitchell (Industrial) | Babbitt | St. Louis |
| Dairy Farmers of America - Dalbo (Industrial) | Dalbo Township | Isanti |
| Boomerang Laboratories (Industrial) | Spring Park | Hennepin |
| SkyWater Technology Foundry Inc (Industrial) | Bloomington | Hennepin |