BENTON STP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant in Benton, Louisiana

BENTON STP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Benton, Louisiana, within Bossier Parish. The plant serves a population of approximately 4,200 residents, providing secondary treatment to meet state and federal water quality standards. The plant operates with secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the US Clean Water Act for municipal facilities of this scale. It has a designed capacity of 832.79 million gallons per year and currently discharges 719.23 million gallons per year, indicating operational headroom. The plant is regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program administered by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Red River basin, a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream aquatic ecosystems and ensuring water quality in the region's surface waters.

The plant discharges into the Red River basin, which flows southward through Louisiana and into the Mississippi River. The Red River supports diverse aquatic life and is an important migratory corridor for fish species. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and organic pollutant loads, protecting downstream water quality in the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.