Cherokee WWTP - Secondary Treatment Plant in Colbert County, Alabama

Cherokee WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located on Industrial Drive in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. The plant serves a small population of 750 residents, reflecting its role in a rural or small-town community within the Tennessee River watershed. The facility operates at the secondary treatment level, which is the standard required by the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal plants to remove biodegradable organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 1022.06 volume units and a current discharge volume of 416.40 volume units, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal variability. The plant's treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Tennessee River, a major tributary of the Ohio River and part of the Mississippi River basin. This downstream connection underscores the plant's role in protecting water quality in a region known for its aquatic biodiversity and recreational uses.

The plant discharges into the Tennessee River basin, which flows into the Ohio River and then the Mississippi River before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including numerous fish species and migratory birds. The secondary treatment process helps reduce nutrient loads that could otherwise contribute to algal blooms in downstream waters.