This project consisted of two simultaneous phases. One phase was the construction and preliminary application of a prototype, experimental wastewater treatment seawater aquaria research facility. This facility, the Sewage Treatment and Bioeffects Laboratory (STABEL), was designed to replicate, as closely as possible the wastewater treatment process, the outfall disposal method, and the surrounding marine environment found along the southeast coast of Florida. The other phase was the collection of field data for the establishment of operating parameters, comparison data and baseline information, so that a context for the interpretation of experimental results could be developed. This included the collection of operating parameters and data from the largest sewage treatment plant discharging wastewater to the study area.