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A wastewater collection system gathers the used water from our homes and businesses and conveys it to a wastewater treatment plant. This water may come from the many different sources such as: kitchens, bathrooms, processes of businesses and industries, groundwater and in some cases surface water and storm water.
Before wastewater can be treated and safely returned to the environment it must be collected. Wastewater is "captured" in a number of ways. The first is through a direct connection to the sewage collection system called a sanitary lateral. A sanitary lateral is a pipe from a home or business that transports wastewater into larger pipes that lead to the wastewater treatment plant.
Another way wastewater is collected is through catch basins. A catch basin is a chamber or well used with storm or combined sewers as a means of collecting water. Catch basins also capture large grit before it enters the sewer pipes. If grit was allowed to flow freely into the sewer system it could contribute to sewer blockages. By using catch basins grit is captured and can be cleaned from the system more easily than if it were allowed to accumulate within the sewer pipes.
Some of the components of a collection system include: gravity sewers, force mains, manholes, regulators and lift stations. Proper operation and maintenance of the collection system ensures that the wastewater is safely and efficiently transported to the wastewater treatment and is not allowed to back up and overflow into the street, someone's home, or into the streams, rivers or Lake Erie.
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