Forest Hill STP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant in Forest Hill, Louisiana

Forest Hill STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) serves the small community of Forest Hill in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. With a population served of 353, it is classified as a small-scale municipal wastewater facility. The plant is located on Butter Cemetery Road and operates under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Water Act. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for municipal wastewater. Its designed capacity is 378.54 thousand cubic meters per year, and the current discharge volume is 113.56 thousand cubic meters per year, indicating operational capacity well below design. The plant is permitted under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program, administered by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The treated effluent is discharged to local streams that drain into the Red River basin, eventually reaching the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The plant plays a key role in protecting water quality in the surrounding watershed, which supports diverse aquatic life and recreational uses.

Forest Hill STP discharges into small tributaries of the Red River, which flows south to the Mississippi River and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. The local watershed is part of the larger Mississippi River drainage basin, one of the largest in the world. The area supports a mix of forested wetlands and agricultural lands, and the plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and pathogen loads to protect downstream aquatic ecosystems.