Your Guide to Sewage Treatments

Every person, at least once a day, will flush the loo or wash their hands, but where does this waste and dirt go?

A sewage system ensures that waste can be disposed off in a way that it is not harmful to other people or the environment. There are two different types of sewage systems, namely an on-site system or effluent/ wastewater system.

On-Site Sewage Systems

An on-site system treats the sewage in a septic tank, which means most of the sewage is disposed of in an area close to the property.

How It works

Liquid waste from drains such as the toilet, bathroom, laundry and sink go into pipes which carry it to a septic tank. The waste from the tank is then disposed of through disposal drains often referred to as leach or French drains. In these systems, the effluent (liquid waste) slowly soaks into the surrounding soil out of the leach drains.

These systems can not be installed into every property as the ground may not be suitable to soak up the effluent. For example, clay or similar soils are not absorbent. Other factors that would not allow an on-site disposal system from being installed include flood areas, areas that have a high water table, and areas near to drinking water supplies.

Effluent/ Wastewater Disposal Systems

Effluent disposal system are the solution to properties and communities that can not have on-site systems since it disposes waste from a community at a central place usually called a sewage lagoon or effluent pond.

How It Works

In this system the effluent from a community is carried by large pipes and pumped into a sewage lagoon. The sewage is then treated either at the lagoon, in a large septic tank before it reaches the lagoon, or in the septic tanks of the individual houses or buildings it came from before it reaches the lagoon. There are no leach or French drains in this system.

If the sewage enters the lagoon without being treated, then the sewage will go through a series of cutting blades that help break up the solid matter before it enters the lagoon. These blades are called macerators.