Louann WWTP - Advanced Wastewater Treatment in Ouachita County, Arkansas

Louann WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Ouachita County, Arkansas, serving a small population of 164 residents. The plant is situated in a rural area of southern Arkansas, near the border with Louisiana, and plays a key role in managing local wastewater for the community. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond secondary treatment to remove nutrients and other pollutants. With a designed capacity of 242.27 million gallons per day and an actual discharge volume of 3.79 million gallons per day, the facility operates well below its capacity. As a US plant, it is subject to the Clean Water Act and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent from Louann WWTP is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Ouachita River basin. The Ouachita River flows south through Arkansas and Louisiana before joining the Tensas River to form the Black River, which empties into the Mississippi River. This downstream connection highlights the plant's role in protecting water quality in a region known for its diverse aquatic ecosystems and floodplain forests.

Louann WWTP discharges into the Ouachita River basin, which flows through Arkansas and Louisiana before joining the Mississippi River. The Ouachita River supports diverse aquatic life, including several species of freshwater mussels and fish. The surrounding watershed includes bottomland hardwood forests and wetlands that provide critical habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. Protecting water quality in this basin is important for maintaining the ecological health of the Mississippi River Delta downstream.