Rawls Springs Util Dist Creekwoo Wastewater Treatment Plant, Forrest County, Mississippi

Rawls Springs Util Dist Creekwoo is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Forrest County, Mississippi, serving a population of approximately 1,653 residents. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level for smaller communities in the United States, ensuring that effluent meets federal and state water quality standards before discharge. The plant has a designed capacity of 499.67 megaliters per year and currently processes 378.54 megaliters annually, indicating operational headroom. As a US facility, it operates under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which sets effluent limits and monitoring requirements to protect receiving waters. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that drain into the Pascagoula River basin, eventually reaching the Gulf of Mexico. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream aquatic ecosystems and maintaining water quality in the region's sensitive coastal watershed.

The plant discharges into tributaries of the Pascagoula River, one of the largest free-flowing river systems in the contiguous United States. This river system supports diverse aquatic life, including several species of freshwater mussels and fish, and drains into the Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. The surrounding watershed is ecologically sensitive, with extensive wetlands that provide critical habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife.