Cottonwood Lagoon Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cottonwood, Alabama

Cottonwood Lagoon is a wastewater treatment facility located in Cottonwood, Houston County, Alabama, serving a population of approximately 773 residents. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level for small communities in the United States, ensuring that effluent meets regulatory requirements before discharge. The plant has a designed capacity of 586.74 volume units and currently treats an average daily flow of 227.13 volume units, indicating it operates well below capacity. As a US facility, it operates under the Clean Water Act, with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, which set limits on effluent quality to protect receiving waters. Treated effluent from Cottonwood Lagoon is discharged into Boggy Creek, a tributary that flows into the larger Chattahoochee River system. This river ultimately drains to the Gulf of Mexico via Apalachicola Bay. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream aquatic habitats and maintaining water quality in the region's freshwater ecosystems.

Cottonwood Lagoon discharges into Boggy Creek, which flows into the Chattahoochee River, a major waterway in the southeastern United States. The Chattahoochee River eventually reaches Apalachicola Bay, an ecologically important estuary in the Gulf of Mexico. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and pollutant loads, supporting the health of these downstream waters, which provide habitat for diverse fish and wildlife species.