A literature review to establish the state-of-the-are of biological waste treatment for cold regions applications was conducted. Comments were solicited from operating agencies throughout the cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in the United States and Canada. These agencies have provided discussion of their experiences and offered their recommendations through letters and other forms of personal communications. The review centers on the feasibility for cold regions application of lagoons (aerated, facultative, and anaerobic) and extended aeration (12 to 36 hour detention activated sludge) with emphasis placed on the effectiveness of processes at low temperatures while treating domestic sewage. Although definite design criteria are not established, many of the recommendations and conclusions provide a better basis for cold regions design of biological waste treatment facilities. The limitations of existing knowledge are expressed and recommendations for continued research are presented. (Author)