De Valls Bluff WWTP: Secondary Treatment Plant in Prairie County, Arkansas

De Valls Bluff WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Prairie County, Arkansas, United States. The plant serves a small population of 619 residents, reflecting its role in a rural community. It operates under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Water Act, which governs wastewater discharges through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level required for most municipal facilities in the United States. Its designed capacity is 757.08 units, with an actual discharge volume of 170.34 units, indicating operational headroom. Secondary treatment typically involves biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The treated effluent is discharged into a local water body, likely a tributary of the White River or Arkansas River, which ultimately drains into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The plant's inland location, over 50 km from the coast, reduces direct marine impact but still influences downstream freshwater ecosystems.

The plant's discharge enters a local stream or river within the Mississippi River Basin, flowing eventually to the Gulf of Mexico. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life, including fish and invertebrates, and is part of a larger network of rivers that carry nutrients and pollutants downstream. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce organic load, but nutrient removal may be limited, contributing to downstream eutrophication risks in the Gulf of Mexico's hypoxic zone.