Overview
Chickasaw Lagoon in Saraland, Alabama serves about 5,938 people. The plant is located within 50 km of the Gulf Coast and operates under U.S. EPA and Alabama regulatory frameworks.
Chickasaw Lagoon is a municipal wastewater treatment plant serving the Saraland area in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The facility is designed to handle a capacity of 1.00 million gallons per day and serves a population of approximately 5,938 residents. As a lagoon-based system, it is part of the region's wastewater infrastructure for the Mobile metropolitan area. Plants of this scale in the United States typically provide secondary treatment as required by the Clean Water Act. The facility operates under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, administered by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The plant's treated effluent discharges into local waterways that ultimately flow into Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. This coastal watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including fish, shellfish, and migratory birds. The plant's proximity to the coast underscores the importance of proper nutrient removal to prevent eutrophication and protect downstream estuarine habitats.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into tributaries of Mobile Bay, a large estuary on the Gulf Coast of Alabama. Mobile Bay is a critical nursery habitat for shrimp, crabs, and finfish, and supports extensive seagrass beds and oyster reefs. The watershed drains into the Gulf of Mexico, which is ecologically sensitive due to seasonal hypoxia zones. Proper wastewater treatment is essential to minimize nutrient loading and protect these downstream ecosystems.
Frequently asked questions
Chickasaw Lagoon is located in Saraland, Mobile County, Alabama, United States, near the Gulf Coast.
The plant serves approximately 5,938 residents in the Saraland area.
The plant discharges treated effluent into local waterways that flow into Mobile Bay and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico.
The plant operates under the U.S. Clean Water Act and is permitted through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), enforced by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
Plants of this size typically provide secondary treatment, which includes biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids, meeting EPA secondary treatment standards.
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