Effluent sewer
Encyclopedia
Effluent sewer is also known as a STEP system (Septic Tank Effluent Pumping) and is a type of pressure sewer.
collection system that pumps only the liquid portion of sewage
. At each home, a buried tank collects and passively separates solids from the liquid effluent. High head pumps then pump the effluent through small diameter pipes (typically 2" to 4") to downstream treatment. Because the system is pressurized, pipes can be laid just under the surface, along the ground's contour.
Because an effluent stream has a lower waste strength than raw sewage, the downstream treatment plant capacity can often be downsized.
How it works
Effluent sewer is a wastewaterWastewater
Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations...
collection system that pumps only the liquid portion of sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
. At each home, a buried tank collects and passively separates solids from the liquid effluent. High head pumps then pump the effluent through small diameter pipes (typically 2" to 4") to downstream treatment. Because the system is pressurized, pipes can be laid just under the surface, along the ground's contour.
Because an effluent stream has a lower waste strength than raw sewage, the downstream treatment plant capacity can often be downsized.