Article library
Browse plain-English guides to sanitary sewers, lift stations, force mains, treatment plants, inflow and infiltration, overflows, biosolids, funding, asset management, and resilience.
A plain-English overview of wastewater systems, from collection sewers and lift stations to treatment plants, effluent, biosolids, maintenance, and planning.
Topics: wastewater systems, sewers, treatment plants
How sanitary sewers collect wastewater, why slope and pipe condition matter, and how service connections, manholes, trunk sewers, and maintenance fit together.
Topics: sanitary sewers, gravity sewers, manholes
How wastewater treatment plants use physical, biological, chemical, disinfection, and solids-handling processes before treated effluent is released or reused.
Topics: treatment plants, primary treatment, biological treatment
Why wastewater systems use lift stations and force mains, how pumps move sewage through difficult terrain, and why reliability matters.
Topics: lift stations, force mains, pumps
How rainwater and groundwater enter sanitary sewers, why that extra flow can overload pipes and treatment plants, and how utilities reduce it.
Topics: inflow, infiltration, I&I
What combined sewers are, why combined sewer overflows happen, and how communities reduce overflow frequency and impact.
Topics: combined sewers, CSO, overflows
How sewer camera inspection helps utilities find cracks, roots, sags, grease, blockages, infiltration, collapsed pipes, and renewal priorities.
Topics: CCTV inspection, sewer inspection, roots
Why utilities clean sewers, what causes blockages, and how grease, roots, sediment, debris, and poor slope affect wastewater capacity.
Topics: sewer cleaning, blockages, grease
How FOG programs reduce sewer blockages through grease interceptors, inspections, education, enforcement, maintenance, and business cooperation.
Topics: FOG, grease interceptors, restaurants
What primary, secondary, and tertiary wastewater treatment mean, and how each stage reduces different pollutants before discharge or reuse.
Topics: primary treatment, secondary treatment, tertiary treatment
Why wastewater plants may remove nitrogen and phosphorus, how nutrients affect receiving waters, and why nutrient removal can be expensive.
Topics: nutrient removal, nitrogen, phosphorus
What happens to solids removed during wastewater treatment, and how sludge thickening, digestion, dewatering, reuse, hauling, and disposal are managed.
Topics: sludge, biosolids, digestion
How treated wastewater effluent is discharged, what outfalls do, and why monitoring, mixing, receiving waters, and permits matter.
Topics: effluent, outfalls, receiving waters
Why industrial users may need pretreatment before discharging to municipal sewers, and how local limits protect sewers and treatment plants.
Topics: industrial wastewater, pretreatment, local limits
How stormwater and wastewater systems interact through combined sewers, inflow, infiltration, wet-weather flows, flooding, and public works planning.
Topics: stormwater, wastewater, wet weather
How wastewater systems are funded through rates, capital budgets, grants, debt, connection fees, reserves, and long-term renewal planning.
Topics: funding, rates, capital planning
How wastewater utilities prioritize sewer renewal, lift-station upgrades, treatment-plant improvements, and risk reduction using asset data.
Topics: asset management, sewer renewal, risk
How wastewater utilities prepare for pump failures, power outages, floods, overflows, treatment upsets, chemical shortages, and severe weather.
Topics: emergency planning, overflows, backup power
Why wastewater force mains fail, what makes them high-risk assets, and how utilities monitor, inspect, maintain, and plan emergency response.
Topics: force main failure, pressurized sewer, corrosion
Why sewer odours occur, how hydrogen sulphide can cause corrosion, and why ventilation, retention time, force mains, and maintenance matter.
Topics: odour, hydrogen sulphide, corrosion
