PORT OF EPES LAGOON Wastewater Treatment Plant, Sumter County, Alabama

PORT OF EPES LAGOON is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Sumter County, Alabama, within the United States. The plant serves a small population of 186 residents and operates under secondary treatment standards, which is the minimum required by the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater treatment. As a secondary treatment plant, PORT OF EPES LAGOON employs biological processes to remove organic matter and suspended solids. The plant has a designed capacity of 105.99 million gallons per year and currently discharges 49.21 million gallons per year, indicating it operates below its capacity. Under the Clean Water Act, such facilities are regulated through National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. The plant's treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Tombigbee River basin, which flows into the Mobile River and then the Gulf of Mexico. This discharge contributes to the overall water quality of the region's aquatic ecosystems, supporting diverse freshwater and estuarine habitats.

The plant's discharge enters the Tombigbee River watershed, which flows into the Mobile River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. This region supports diverse aquatic life, including fish and migratory species. The secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient loads and organic pollutants, protecting downstream water quality in the ecologically sensitive Mobile Bay estuary.