PURVIS POTW - Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant in Purvis, Mississippi

PURVIS POTW is a publicly owned treatment works located in Purvis, Lamar County, Mississippi. The plant serves a population of about 1,955 residents, classifying it as a small-scale facility within the state's wastewater infrastructure. As a municipal plant, it handles domestic wastewater from the local community. Under the US Clean Water Act, plants of this size are typically required to meet secondary treatment standards through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) administers these permits, ensuring compliance with effluent limits designed to protect water quality. Secondary treatment is the baseline expectation for municipal facilities. The plant discharges treated effluent into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Gulf of Mexico via the Pascagoula River basin. The receiving waters support diverse aquatic life and are part of a larger watershed that includes sensitive coastal estuaries. Proper treatment helps maintain the ecological health of these downstream environments.

The treated effluent from PURVIS POTW flows into tributaries of the Pascagoula River, one of the last free-flowing river systems in the contiguous United States. The Pascagoula River basin drains into the Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico, supporting critical habitats for fish, shellfish, and migratory birds. The plant's discharge contributes to the overall water quality in this ecologically significant coastal watershed.