Water Reclamation Plant
The Water Reclamation Plant treats wastewater for the City’s residents, industries, and numerous visitors. The original plant was built in 1926 and was one of the first wastewater treatment plants to operate in Minnesota. Since that time, five additional major upgrades have occurred to comply with effluent regulations and meet the needs of the growing Rochester community. The Water Reclamation Plant is located at 37th Street NW and West River Parkway.
The Water Reclamation Plant is staffed 24 hours per day and has 30 full-time employees. The site is situated on 32 acres with buildings covering 8 acres. Two parallel treatment processes are used on-site. The High Purity Oxygen (HPO) plant began operations in 1983, and the Aeration Basin Complex (ABC) began operations in 2007. The Rochester Water Reclamation Plant currently treats an average of 13 million gallons of wastewater per day, using a combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove pollutants. The wastewater undergoes at least 10 steps, which take approximately 24 hours to complete, before being discharged to the South Fork of the Zumbro River.
Learn more about the Water Reclamation Plant and Water Treatment Programs at: