DECATUR POTW NUMBER 1 - Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant in Decatur, Mississippi

DECATUR POTW NUMBER 1 is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Decatur, Newton County, Mississippi. The plant serves a small community of approximately 2,768 residents and operates as a secondary treatment facility, which is standard for communities of this size in the United States. As a secondary treatment plant, it utilizes biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids from wastewater. The plant has a designed capacity of 529.96 million gallons per year and currently discharges 215.77 million gallons per year, indicating it operates well below its capacity. Under the U.S. Clean Water Act, such facilities must comply with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Pearl River basin, which flows south into the Gulf of Mexico. The plant plays a key role in protecting the water quality of the surrounding watershed and downstream ecosystems, including wetlands and aquatic habitats in the Pearl River system.

The plant discharges into local streams that are part of the Pearl River watershed, which flows through central Mississippi and Louisiana before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. This region supports diverse aquatic life, including fish and freshwater mussels, and the river provides important habitat for migratory birds. The secondary treatment process helps reduce nutrient and pollutant loads, protecting downstream water quality in the Pearl River and its associated wetlands.