Patterson WWTP - Secondary Wastewater Treatment in Patterson, Arkansas

Patterson WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Patterson, Arkansas, United States. The facility serves a small population of 452 residents and operates under secondary treatment standards, which is the minimum required by the US Clean Water Act for municipal plants of this scale. The plant has a designed capacity of 363.40 million gallons per day and currently discharges 3.79 million gallons per day, indicating significant available capacity. As a US facility, it operates under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which sets effluent limits to protect water quality. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Mississippi River Basin. The plant's location in rural Arkansas places it within an agricultural region, where proper wastewater treatment is essential for protecting downstream aquatic ecosystems and maintaining water quality for recreational and ecological uses.

Patterson WWTP discharges into the Cache River watershed, which flows into the White River and eventually the Mississippi River. The Cache River supports diverse aquatic life and provides critical habitat for migratory birds. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loads and organic pollutants, protecting downstream water quality in this ecologically sensitive river system.