Water and wastes：Water Plumbing.pdfVIP

P a r t II WATER AND WASTES C h a p t e r 10 Waste Plumbing Each building has a sanitary plumbing system that chan- In the 1700s, shallow wells, springs, or streams pro- nels all the waste downward through the building to the vided potable water for farms. Widely separated dry-pit municipal sewer or a septic tank below. The sanitary privies (outhouses) produced only limited ground pol- system begins at the sink, bathtub, toilet, and shower lution. By the nineteenth century, natural streams were drains. It carries wastewater downhill, joining pipes enclosed in pipes under paved city streets. Rain ran into from other drains until it connects with the sewer buried storm sewers and then to waterways. When flush toilets beneath the building. The sanitary system has large were connected to the storm sewers later in the nine- pipes to avoid clogs. Since the system is drained by grav- teenth century, the combined storm water and sanitary ity, all pipes must run downhill. Underground pipes for drainage was channeled to fast-flowing rivers, which sewage disposal are made out of vitrified clay tile, cast kept pollution levels down. Some sewers continued to iron, copper, concrete pipe, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or carry storm water only, and separate sanitary sewers were acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) plastic. The large eventually installed that fed into sewage treatment size of waste pipes, their need to run at a downward an- plants. Older cities still may have a combination of gle, and the expense and difficulty of tying new plumb- storm sewers, sanitary sewe