Town of Elton Wastewater Treatment Plant, Elton, Louisiana

The Town of Elton wastewater treatment plant is located on Saint Mary Street in Elton, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. It serves a population of 1,128 people, classifying it as a small municipal facility. The plant operates under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Water Act, which requires secondary treatment for municipal wastewater discharges. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. Its designed capacity is 1,260.54 units, with an actual discharge volume of 571.60 units, indicating it operates below capacity. As a small facility in rural Louisiana, it is subject to state-level NPDES permitting through the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that drain into the Gulf of Mexico via the Mermentau River basin. This region supports diverse aquatic life and is part of the larger Mississippi River watershed. The plant's operations help protect downstream water quality in the Gulf's coastal ecosystems.

The plant discharges into the Mermentau River basin, which flows through southwestern Louisiana's coastal marshes before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. This area is ecologically sensitive, supporting diverse fish and bird species in its wetlands. The Gulf of Mexico receives the basin's waters, where nutrient management is critical to mitigate hypoxia zones.