The Muskegon County Wastewater Management Facility in western Michigan has become a popular recreation area — and a whole lot more. Spanning 11,000 acres and designed to process 43 mgd (12 mgd average flow), the sprawling aeration and lagoon system treats waste from 16 communities before delivering clean effluent to the Muskegon River, three miles away.
With two 850-acre storage lagoons, two 10-acre extended aeration cells and two 20-acre settling lagoons, the facility attracts native and migrating birds, making it one of the premier birdwatching locations in the state.
"The birdwatchers appreciate the opportunity
