Sewage

:Sometimes (particularly in older documents) the word sewage is used incorrectly to mean sewerage.

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Sewage is domestic, municipal, or industrial liquid waste products. How it is disposed varies by the area, and the local commitment to the environment. In most developed countries, national law mandates sanitary treatment of sewage, and outfalls are regulated. Surprisingly, many quite wealthy countries have untreated outfalls directly to surface water, often causing disease, pollution and undrinkable tap water. The infrastructure that collects, transports, and treats sewage is collectively called sewerage.

Related Topics:
Liquid waste product - Sanitary - Outfall - Tap water - Sewerage

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Sewage may be carried directly through pipelines to outfalls, or from upstream sources via river systems. Sewage is often from storm water runoff of streets, parking lots, lawns and commercial and industrial areas. In some urban areas, sewage is carried separately in sanitary sewers while runoff from streets is carried in storm drains. Access to either of these is typically through a manhole. The water in such sanitary sewers and storm drains is also commonly called backwater when flow blockages cause the pipeline contents to backflow in areas where it is not desired.

Related Topics:
Pipelines - River - Runoff - Parking lot - Lawn - Sanitary sewer - Storm drain - Manhole - Backwater - Pipeline

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Sewage may drain directly into major watersheds with minimal or no treatment. When untreated, sewage can have serious impacts on the quality of an environment and on the health of people. Pathogens can cause a variety of illnesses. Some chemicals pose risks even at very low concentrations and can remain a threat for long periods of time because of bioaccumulation in animal or human tissue.

Related Topics:
Watershed - Pathogen - Bioaccumulation

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The solution is sewage treatment.

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