SALINE STP - Advanced Wastewater Treatment in Saline, Louisiana

SALINE STP is a municipal wastewater treatment facility located in Saline, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. Serving a small population of 272, the plant provides advanced treatment to protect local water quality. Its location in rural northern Louisiana places it within the Red River basin, which ultimately drains to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The plant operates with advanced treatment processes, exceeding the secondary treatment standard typically required for small communities under the U.S. Clean Water Act. With a designed capacity of 151.42 units and a current discharge volume of 128.70 units, the facility maintains operational headroom. As a publicly owned treatment works (POTW), it is subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting overseen by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The treated effluent from SALINE STP is discharged into local waterways that flow into the Red River, a major tributary of the Mississippi River. This river system supports diverse aquatic life and provides drinking water for downstream communities. The plant's advanced treatment helps reduce nutrient loading and protect the ecological health of the Atchafalaya Basin and the Gulf of Mexico, which are sensitive to hypoxia and algal blooms.

SALINE STP discharges into the Red River watershed, which flows south through Louisiana to the Atchafalaya River and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. This region supports diverse aquatic habitats, including bottomland hardwood forests and wetlands that provide critical spawning and nursery grounds for fish and migratory birds. The plant's advanced treatment helps minimize nutrient and pollutant loads to these sensitive downstream ecosystems.