HURTSBORO HCR LAGOON Wastewater Treatment Plant, Hurtsboro, Alabama

HURTSBORO HCR LAGOON is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located on Industrial Boulevard in Hurtsboro, Russell County, Alabama. The plant serves a small community of approximately 444 residents, reflecting the rural character of the area. As a lagoon-based system, it provides secondary treatment, which is the standard for small communities in the United States. The plant has a designed capacity of 984.20 cubic meters per day and currently discharges an average volume of 189.27 cubic meters per day, indicating significant spare capacity. Under the US Clean Water Act, facilities of this scale operate under National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, which set effluent limits to protect receiving waters. The treated effluent from HURTSBORO HCR LAGOON ultimately drains into the Chattahoochee River basin, which flows south to the Gulf of Mexico. The plant plays a key role in protecting local streams and groundwater from untreated sewage, supporting aquatic life and downstream water quality in this ecologically diverse region.

The plant discharges into the Chattahoochee River watershed, which flows through Alabama and Georgia before reaching the Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. This basin supports diverse aquatic species, including several endemic fish and mussel species. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loading and pathogen levels, protecting downstream ecosystems and recreational water uses.