Lumber City Pond Wastewater Treatment Plant, Lumber City, Georgia

Lumber City Pond is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located on Oxidation Pond Road in Lumber City, Telfair County, Georgia. The plant serves a population of approximately 1,339 residents, classifying it as a small-scale treatment facility within the state's wastewater infrastructure. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the U.S. Clean Water Act for most municipal plants. Secondary treatment typically involves biological processes to reduce organic matter and suspended solids. The plant has a designed capacity of 832.79 volume units and currently handles a discharge volume of 492.10 volume units, indicating operational capacity below its design limit. The treated effluent is discharged into local receiving waters that ultimately flow into the Altamaha River basin, one of Georgia's major river systems. The Altamaha River drains into the Atlantic Ocean, supporting diverse aquatic habitats and estuarine ecosystems along the Georgia coast. The plant's operations are regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, administered by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

The plant discharges into the Altamaha River watershed, which flows southeast through Georgia's coastal plain to the Atlantic Ocean. The Altamaha River is one of the largest free-flowing rivers on the U.S. East Coast, supporting a rich diversity of fish, mussels, and migratory birds. Downstream, the river forms a large estuary that provides critical nursery habitat for marine species. The plant's secondary treatment helps protect water quality in this ecologically significant river system.