Lecompte STP - Advanced Wastewater Treatment in Lecompte, Louisiana

Lecompte STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Lecompte, Rapides Parish, Louisiana. The plant serves a population of approximately 1,400 residents and is part of the state's wastewater infrastructure for small communities. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the secondary treatment standard required by the US Clean Water Act. With a designed capacity of 378.54 cubic meters per day and a discharge volume matching that capacity, the facility is operating at full capacity. Advanced treatment typically includes nutrient removal to protect sensitive water bodies. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that drain into the Red River basin, ultimately reaching the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. This makes the plant's advanced treatment important for reducing nutrient loads that contribute to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone.

The plant discharges into the Red River watershed, which flows south through Louisiana to the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico experiences seasonal hypoxia due to nutrient pollution from upstream sources. Advanced treatment at this plant helps reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loads, supporting downstream aquatic life and mitigating eutrophication risks in the receiving waters.