PART-III

Wastewater collection

At the end of this lesson, student will able to;

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 Wastewater collection system

 The function of the collection system is to collect the

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 Wastewater must be transported from the point of
collection to the treatment plant as quickly as possible
to prevent septic conditions.
 Waste flows are highly variable.
 Waste flows contain solids.
 System may carry storm runoff.
Sewer refer to:
 A system for transporting sewage:
 Sanitary sewer, a system of pipes used to transport
sanitary/domestic waste.
 Storm drain, a collection and transportation system for
storm water
 Combined sewer, a system performing both the functions of
a sanitary sewer and a storm sewer.
 Solid-free the waste water is pre-setteled and solids
removed before entering to the system. E.g septic tank.

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Wastewater sewer systems

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 1)Sanitary sewer
 A sanitary sewer (also called, especially in the UK, a foul
sewer) is a type of underground carriage system for
transporting sewage from houses or industry to treatment.
 In some areas, sanitary sewers are separate sewer systems
specifically for the carrying of:
– Domestic.
– Industrial wastewater.
– Operated separately and independently of storm drains.
 Carries domestic and industrial wastewater plus infiltration.
 Design flows are based on population served (per capita
quantities).

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 Carries waste to treatment plant from:
 Toilets.
 Showers.
 Washing machines.
 Anything that sends water down a drain.
 Problems:
 Too much wastewater or cracks and clogs in the sewer can cause
backups.
 Pipes age and must be repaired.

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 2)Strom water sewer
 Carries storm water that run off the served area.
 Usually larger than sanitary sewer.
 Climatic conditions are incorporated by using local rainfall
intensity-duration formula.
 A major difference in design philosophy between sanitary and
storm sewers is that the latter are assumed to overflow
periodically.
 Separating sewer systems are suitable if:
 Waste waters are nearby.
 High percentage of rainwater not needing treatment.
 Treatment plant is a small technical one.

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 Combined sewer
 A type of sewer system which provides partially separated
channels for sanitary sewage and storm water runoff or totally non
separated.
 This system allows to provide backup capacity for the runoff sewer
when runoff volumes are unusually high.
 But it is vulnerable to combined sewer overflows during peak
rainfall events.
 Carries both sanitary and storm water to treatment plant from;
 Toilets
 Showers
 Streets
 Storm drains
Problems
 Can be overloaded and overflow into our streams during wet
weather.
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 Combined systems are suitable if:
 Waters are far away.
 Building conditions are not suitable.
 High percentage of rainwater needing treatment.
Sewer types
A. Gravity Sewers
 Gravity sewers use gravity to transport sewage.
 However, small diameter gravity sewers are always preceded
by a septic tank.
 The settling that first occurs in the septic tank eliminates
much of the solid matter from the wastewater.
 This enables the collection pipes to have a smaller diameter

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 The pipes used are made of light weight plastic and
can be buried at a relatively shallow depth.
 Manholes are not required for small diameter gravity
systems.
 High water alarms are normally installed in the
septic tanks to alert property owners of any potential
problems.
 Small diameter gravity sewers are well suited for
communities where the houses are far apart, or
where most houses are served by an existing septic
tank.
 Areas with a high housing are not as conducive for
the use of this type of system.
 Operation and maintenance costs for small diameter
gravity sewer systems are compatible to that of
conventional gravity systems.

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 B.Pressure Sewers
 Pressure sewers utilize the force supplied by pumps,
which deliver the wastewater to the system from each
property.
 Since pressure sewers do not rely on gravity, the
systems network of piping can be laid in very shallow
trenches that follow the contour of the land.
 There are two kinds of pressure sewer systems, based
upon the type of pump used to provide the pressure.
 Systems that use a septic tank effluent pump
combination are referred to as STEP pressure sewers.

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 Like the small diameter gravity system, STEP pressure sewers
utilize septic tanks to settle out the solids.
 This allows for the use of piping that is extremely narrow in
diameter.
 The effluent pump delivers the wastewater to the sewer pipes
and provides the necessary pressure to move it through the
system.
 The other type of pressure sewer uses a grinder pump.
 Wastewater from each property goes to a tank containing a
pump with grinder blades that shred the solids into tiny
particles.
 Both solids and liquids are then pumped into the
sewer system.
 Because the effluent contains a mixture of solids as
well as liquids, the diameter of the pipes must be
slightly larger.
 Both the STEP and grinder systems are installed
with high water alarms.
 Because of the addition of the pumps, pressure
sewers tend to require more operation and
maintenance than gravity sewers.

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 C. Vacuum Sewers
 Wastewater from one or more homes flows by gravity
to a holding tank known as the valve pit.
 When the wastewater level reaches a certain level,
sensors within the holding tank open a vacuum valve
that allows the contents of the tank to be sucked into
the network of collection piping.
 There are no manholes with a vacuum system;
instead, access can be obtained at each valve pit.
 Vacuum stations are small buildings that house a
large storage tank and a system of vacuum pumps.

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THANK YOU