Lake Charles Plant D - Municipal Wastewater Treatment in Lake Charles, Louisiana

Lake Charles Plant D is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. It serves a population of approximately 8,500 residents within the city's wastewater collection system. The plant is situated in southwestern Louisiana, near the Gulf Coast region. As a US facility, Lake Charles Plant D operates under the Clean Water Act and is subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting. The plant has a designed capacity of 1.00 million gallons per day, which is typical for a small to medium-sized community. Treatment processes are expected to meet secondary treatment standards as defined by the EPA for municipal wastewater. The plant discharges treated effluent into local waterways that drain into the Calcasieu River system, which flows southward to the Gulf of Mexico. The Calcasieu River basin supports diverse aquatic life and is an important estuarine environment. Proper treatment helps protect downstream water quality and the ecological health of the Gulf Coast.

The plant's treated effluent enters the Calcasieu River watershed, which flows through southwestern Louisiana into the Calcasieu Ship Channel and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. This estuarine zone supports critical habitats for fish, shellfish, and migratory birds. The region's flat coastal terrain and humid subtropical climate influence hydrology and pollutant transport, making effective treatment essential for maintaining water quality in the sensitive Gulf Coast ecosystem.