Wastewater Treatment

In the Twin Cities region, most homes, businesses, schools, industries, and the other places we work and play are connected to one of the Metropolitan Council's nine wastewater treatment plants through an extensive network of sewer pipes.

Image showing the path used water takes away from homes and businesses into the sewer system to our treatment facilities.

Whenever someone takes a shower, flushes a toilet, or runs a washing machine, the used water is carried through a pipe away from the property into a municipal sanitary sewer pipe. That pipe, in turn, is connected to a regional sewer interceptor, and finally to the wastewater treatment plant.

Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) operates and maintains the regional interceptor system and all nine regional treatment plants.

Virtual tour of the Metropolitan Plant

The Metropolitan Plant is the largest wastewater treatment plant in Minnesota, processing over half of the wastewater in the Twin Cities region before returning clean water back to the Mississippi. The video below walks through each step of the water resource recovery process to give viewers an understanding of what happens to used water when it leaves their home or business. The Metropolitan Plant is working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to protect our region’s water and provide clean water for future generations.

Award-winning service

MCES provides high-quality, cost-efficient service that protects public health and the environment. Our operations consistently achieve near-perfect compliance with federal and state clean water discharge standards while holding wholesale customer rates well below the national average. We consistently receive state and national awards for excellence in many disciplines.

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