DERMA POTW - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in Derma, Mississippi

DERMA POTW (Publicly Owned Treatment Works) is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located on Strong Street in Derma, Calhoun County, Mississippi. The plant serves a small community of approximately 1,023 residents and operates under the regulatory framework of the U.S. Clean Water Act, which requires secondary treatment for municipal discharges to surface waters. The plant provides secondary treatment, a biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 794.93 units and an average discharge volume of 529.96 units, the facility operates below its design capacity. As a small agglomeration, it is subject to EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent from DERMA POTW is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Mississippi River basin. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream aquatic ecosystems by reducing nutrient and pollutant loads before discharge.

The plant discharges into small streams within the Mississippi River basin, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. This region is part of the larger Mississippi River watershed, which is ecologically significant for its diverse aquatic life and as a migratory corridor for fish and birds. The discharge contributes to the nutrient load in the basin, which is a concern for downstream hypoxia zones in the Gulf.