Cleveland WWTP - Secondary Treatment Facility in Cleveland, Alabama

Cleveland WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located on County Road 1 in Cleveland, Blount County, Alabama. It serves a small population of approximately 1,020 residents, reflecting the rural character of the area. The plant operates under the regulatory framework of the United States Clean Water Act, which requires secondary treatment for municipal discharges to protect water quality. The plant provides secondary treatment, a biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 1,135.62 megaliters per year, the facility treats an average annual discharge volume of 249.84 megaliters, indicating significant reserve capacity. The plant's permit is administered by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), ensuring compliance with effluent limits. Treated effluent from Cleveland WWTP is discharged into a local waterway that ultimately drains into the Black Warrior River basin, part of the larger Mobile River system that flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream aquatic ecosystems, including the diverse fish and mussel populations of the Mobile River basin, by reducing nutrient and pollutant loads.

Cleveland WWTP discharges into a tributary of the Black Warrior River, which flows through the Mobile River basin to the Gulf of Mexico. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including several endemic fish and mussel species. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic pollution and nutrient loading, protecting downstream water quality in this ecologically sensitive region.