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Sewage is the mainly liquid waste
WASTE

WASTE is a peer-to-peer and friend-to-friend protocol and software application developed by Justin Frankel at Nullsoft in 2003 that features instant messaging, chat rooms and file browsing/sharing capabilities....
 containing some solids produced by humans which typically consists of washing water, feces
Feces

Feces, faeces, or f?ces is a waste product from an animal's gastrointestinal tract expelled through the anus during defecation....
, urine
Urine

Urine is a liquid waste product of the body secreted by the kidneys by a process of filtration from blood called urination and excreted through the urethra....
, laundry waste and other material which goes down drains and toilets
Plumbing fixture

A plumbing fixture is a device which is part of a system to deliver and drain away water, but which is also configured to enable a particular use....
 from households and industry. It is one type of wastewater
Wastewater

Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations....
 and is a major actual or potential source of pollution
Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms ....
, especially in urban area
Urban area

An urban area is an area with an increased Population density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be city, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlet ....
s. It is estimated that pollution of drinking water due to feces is by far the biggest cause of death worldwide.






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Sewage is the mainly liquid waste
WASTE

WASTE is a peer-to-peer and friend-to-friend protocol and software application developed by Justin Frankel at Nullsoft in 2003 that features instant messaging, chat rooms and file browsing/sharing capabilities....
 containing some solids produced by humans which typically consists of washing water, feces
Feces

Feces, faeces, or f?ces is a waste product from an animal's gastrointestinal tract expelled through the anus during defecation....
, urine
Urine

Urine is a liquid waste product of the body secreted by the kidneys by a process of filtration from blood called urination and excreted through the urethra....
, laundry waste and other material which goes down drains and toilets
Plumbing fixture

A plumbing fixture is a device which is part of a system to deliver and drain away water, but which is also configured to enable a particular use....
 from households and industry. It is one type of wastewater
Wastewater

Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations....
 and is a major actual or potential source of pollution
Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms ....
, especially in urban area
Urban area

An urban area is an area with an increased Population density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be city, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlet ....
s. It is estimated that pollution of drinking water due to feces is by far the biggest cause of death worldwide. Well-organized sewage services prevent pollution of the environment due to sewage by managing the collection, treatment, and recycling or safe disposal of sewage in the environment
Natural environment

The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a term that encompasses all life and non-living things occurring nature on Earth or some region thereof....
. As of 2004 in the U.S., 850 billion gallons of raw sewage were dumped into waterways every year.

Etymology

  • The words 'sewage' and 'sewer' come from Old French
    Old French

    Old French was the Romance languages dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300....
     seuwiere or from Anglo-Norman
    Anglo-Norman

    The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the conquest by William I of England in 1066, although a few Normans were already in England before the conquest....
     sewere or from Anglo-French
    Anglo-French

    Anglo-French is a term that may be used in several contexts:*Nationality, e.g. a person with one English parent and one French parent may be said to be Anglo-French...
     assewer, essiver meaning "(channel) to drain the overflow from a fish pond" or "to drain" and ultimately from Vulgar Latin *exaquare or *exaquria, from Latin ex- ‘out of’ + aqua ‘water’.
  • The words 'sewerage' and 'sewage' were used interchangeably (but wrongly) in the past. This use is correct in US English.


Sewage services


Collection and disposal
A system of sewer
Sewer

Sewer may refer to:*A system for transporting sewage:**Sanitary sewer, a system of pipes used to transport human waste**Storm drain, a collection and transportation system for storm water...
 pipes (sewers) collects sewage and takes it for treatment or disposal. The system of sewers is called sewerage or sewerage system (see London sewerage system
London sewerage system

The London sewerage system is part of the water infrastructure serving London. The modern roots of the system were first developed during the late 19th century, but as London has grown the system has been expanded and needs further investment....
) in UK English and sewage system in US English. Where a main sewerage system has not been provided, sewage may be collected from homes by pipes into septic tank
Septic tank

A septic tank, the key component of a septic system, is a small scale sewage treatment system common in areas with no connection to main sewage pipes provided by private corporations or local governments....
s or cesspit
Cesspit

A cesspit, or cesspool, is a pit, conservancy tank, or covered cistern, which can be used for sewage or refuse. Traditionally, it was a deep cylindrical chamber dug into the earth, having approximate dimensions of 1 meter diameter and 2-3 meters depth....
s, where it may be treated or collected in vehicle
Vehicle

Vehicles, derived from the Latin word, vehiculum, are non-living means of transport. Most often they are manufactured , although some other means of transport which are not made by humans also may be called vehicles; examples include icebergs and floating tree trunks....
s and taken for treatment or disposal. Properly functioning septic tanks require emptying every 2-5 years depending on the load of the system.

Sewage and waste water is also disposed of to rivers, streams and the sea in many parts of the world. Doing so can lead to serious pollution of the receiving water. This is common in third world countries and may still occur in some developed countries, where septic tank systems are too expensive.

Treatment
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment

Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic....
 is the process of removing the contaminants from sewage to produce liquid and solid (sludge
Sludge

Sludge is the residual semi-solid material left from industrial, or wastewater Sewage_treatment#Secondary_treatment. When fresh sewage or wastewater is added to a settling Storage tank, approximately 50% of the suspended solid matter will settle out in an hour and a half....
) suitable for discharge to the environment or for reuse. It is a form of waste management
Waste management

File:Kathmandu-M?llabfuhr.jpgWaste management is the waste collection, transport, waste treatment, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials....
. A septic tank or other on-site wastewater treatment system such as biofilters can be used to treat sewage close to where it is created.

Sewage water is a complex matrix, with many distinctive chemical characteristics. These include high concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, phosphorus, high conductivity (due to high dissolved solids), high alkalinity, with pH typically ranging between 7 and 8. Trihalomethanes are also likely to be present as a result of past disinfection.

In developed countries sewage collection and treatment is typically subject to local, state and federal regulations and standards.

See also

  • Cloaca Maxima
    Cloaca Maxima

    The Cloaca Maxima was one of the world's earliest sewage systems. Constructed in ancient Rome in order to drain local marshes and remove the waste of one of the world's most populous city, it carried an effluent to the River Tiber, which ran beside the city....
  • Drainage system
    Drainage system

    *In geomorphology, a drainage system is the pattern formed by the streams, rivers, and lakes in a particular drainage basin. They are governed by the topography of the land, whether a particular region is dominated by hard or soft rocks, and the gradient of the land....
  • Directive on Urban Waste Water Treatment
  • Ecological sanitation
    Ecological sanitation

    Ecological sanitation, also known as ecosan or eco-san, is a new paradigm in sanitation that recognises human excreta and household wastewater not as waste but as resources that can and are recovered, treated , and reused....
  • Humanure
    Humanure

    "Humanure" is a neologism designating human excrement that is recycling via composting for agriculture or other purposes. The term was popularized by a 1994 book by Joseph Jenkins that advocates the use of this organic material soil amendment....
  • ISO 5667
  • ISO 10304
  • Jenkem
    Jenkem

    Jenkem is an alleged Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants Recreational drug use composed of noxious gas formed from fermented human feces....
  • Sanitary sewer overflow
    Sanitary sewer overflow

    Sanitary sewer overflow is a condition whereby untreated sewage is discharged into the environment prior to reaching treatment facilities thereby escaping wastewater treatment....
  • Sewage pumping
    Sewage pumping

    Sewage pumping is normally done by a submersible pump.This became popular in the early 1960s, when a guide-rail system was developed to lift the submersible pump out of the pump station for repair, and ended the dirty and sometimes dangerous task of sending people into the sewage or wet pit....
  • Waste management
    Waste management

    File:Kathmandu-M?llabfuhr.jpgWaste management is the waste collection, transport, waste treatment, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials....
  • Water quality
    Water quality

    Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed....


External links

  • - main focus is sewers, but also contains significant information on sewage, sewage treatment and disposal, and health impacts.