Sanitary Sewer System: A Complete Guide on How It Operates

You wouldn't be entirely wrong if you assumed that you picture a foul-smelling sludge flowing through pipes under the road outside when you think of sewage.

Sewer systems come in a few different varieties, each serving a particular function for collecting effluent and wastewater.

Interested to know more about how sanitary sewer systems work? Read on to know more!

What Are Sanitary Sewer Systems?

A wastewater or sewer systems is a system of pipes, pumping stations, and other parts used to discharge sewage from areas and transport raw sewage to treatment and disposal.

Overflows have the potential to contaminate our water supplies and risk public health. This happens when sewage backups up our homes and offices.

Sanitary sewers, stormwater sewers, and combined sewers are three different types. The transportation and treatment of sludge result from these three separate systems.

Sanitary sewers are distinct from combined sewer systems, which are made to hold both sewage and industrial wastewater and significant amounts of stormwater.

Stormwater sewers are made to gather and transport irrigation runoff, snowmelt, and stormwater into inappropriate connections like roof drains, and storm drains

This stormwater is transported from these drains to local water bodies such as rivers and lakes via a network of underground pipes without receiving any treatment or maintenance.

What Is the Main Function of Sanitary Sewer Systems?

Sanitary sewers are primarily used to transport garbage from residences and buildings to industrial wastewater treatment plants.

These systems were created primarily to deal with human waste and easily biodegradable manufactured solids like tissues and toilet paper.

To move the trash through the system, these systems include miles of piping, manholes, and pumping stations. These transport the sludge to the treatment plant.

How Do Sanitary Sewers Work From Flushing to the Sewage Treatment Plant

Sewage effluent is transported through small plumbing pipes in the home to progressively larger pipes outside until it reaches the main sewer line in the street.

The dirty water is moved to a wastewater treatment plant, cleaned up, and safely released into the environment.

What Are the Advantages of Sanitary Sewers?

Having a sanitary sewer overflow system is undoubtedly advantageous. Here are some of the reasons why you should use this system:

• The effects of flooding in the street or basement are significantly less
• A smaller ecological impact on aquatic environments nearby
• A decrease in the development of unclean water-related diseases through water sources

What Are the Disadvantages of Sanitary Sewers?

It takes significant construction to transition from a combined stormwater sewer to a sanitary sewer.

Additionally, the spread of pollution to nearby waterways and the surrounding ecosystem is more likely to occur when construction is underway.

Upgrading to a sanitary sewer could have a negative environmental impact if there is insufficient rainfall during construction.

Conclusion

More and more cities in the United States are adapting a sanitary sewers system over the old combined sewer system. It is more energy efficient and is cleaner for the environment.

Whatever type of sewer system is in operation, one thing always needs to be done to keep it working and clean. And cleaning a sanitary sewer system is far easier than a combined one.