RICHTON POTW - Richton, Mississippi Wastewater Treatment Plant

RICHTON POTW is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Richton, Perry County, Mississippi. The facility serves a small population of 1,184 residents and operates under the regulatory framework of the United States Clean Water Act, which requires secondary treatment for municipal wastewater discharges. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard level that removes biodegradable organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 1,249.18 million gallons per year and an actual discharge volume of 302.83 million gallons per year, the plant operates well below its capacity. The facility is permitted under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program, administered by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. The treated effluent is discharged into a local waterway that ultimately drains into the Gulf of Mexico via the Pascagoula River basin. The plant plays a key role in protecting downstream water quality and aquatic ecosystems in the region.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Pascagoula River, which flows into the Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. The Pascagoula River is one of the last free-flowing river systems in the contiguous United States, supporting diverse aquatic life including several species of freshwater mussels and fish. The plant's secondary treatment helps reduce nutrient and pollutant loads to this ecologically important watershed.