Sewerage System

Definition of some common terms

Sewage
Wastewater may be defined as a combination of the liquid
or water-carried wastes removed from residences,
institutions, and commercial and industrial establishments
together with groundwater, surface water, and storm water.
Domestic sewage
Liquid wastes coming from residential complex.
Sewer
A pipe or conduit which carries sewage.
Sewerage
Network of sewers used for the purpose of transporting
sewage

Definition of some common terms

Raw sewage
Untreated sewage which is in fresh state
Sullage
Liquid wastes flowing from kitchen and bathrooms.
Drainage
The run-off resulting from the rain storms was called to be
storm sewage, but the modern approach is to call it storm
drainage or simply drainage.

Systems of sanitation
Conservancy system (dry system)
Different types of wastes (dry or wet, foul or non-foul) are manually
collected separately and transported over vehicles to the outskirts of
the city and disposed off by composting method.
Disadvantages
Health hazards to the personnel handling the sewage
Nuisance condition prevail while collecting and transporting
It is inhuman practice and social injustice

Water carriage system

The wastes from water-closets (WC) are collected by flushing with
water and this water is used to transport the wastes to treatment works
by a system of pipes.
Advantages
Hygienic but costly
Waste strength is reduced by dilution and the waste becomes more
amenable for treatment.

Wastewater Treatment System

Wastewater Generation

Wastewater Collection
& Conveyance
Wastewater Treatment
Safe Disposal of
Treated Water

Systems of sewerage and their lay-outs

Sewerage systems
They are classified mainly into three types
Separate system
Combined system
Partly separate system

Separate system
Two separate sets of sewers are installed, one for sanitary sewage and other for
storm water.
This system is desirable on the following conditions

When it is required to treat only sanitary sewage and storm-water is not treated
When the topography is flat which necessitates deep-cutting if combined sewers
are used
Frequency and intensity of storms are not of high magnitude, where storm water
can be collected by surface drains
Sewer laying requires rock-cutting, where cost of cutting is more for large
combined sewers
When the financial position does not permit to have large combined sewers
When there is a chance of combined sewers backing-up the flow into the house
sewers

Separate system .
Merits

Size of sewer requires less

Less harmless storm water can be disposed-off by dilution
In a combined system, there is a chance of pollution of stream where overflow
weirs are used. In a separate system, there is no such possibility
Loading on treatment plant is less
Capacity of pumps and their running cost is reduced

Demerits

Self-cleaning velocity cannot be attained during small quantity of dry weather

flow (DWF)
In the absence of favorable gradients for the sewer, flushing tanks are to be
installed for cleaning
Initial cost is high, when two separate sets are used
Maintenance cost of sewer is high

Combined system

When both sanitary sewage and storm water are carried in a

single sewer, it is called a combined system.

Combined system is used in the following circumstances

When both the sanitary sewage and the storm water require
pumping
When density of population is so high, the space may not be
available to have two separate sewers
When the storm sewer exists already, sanitary sewage also can be
admitted in the same sewer provided its quantity is small
compared to storm water
When the rainfall is evenly distributed during the whole year

Combined system ..
Merits

Degree of complication and expense is reduced for house plumbing of the

individual
Both domestic sewage and storm water can be carried in a single sewer, so
construction cost is less
Sanitary sewage strength gets reduced because of dilution of storm water

Demerits

Size of sewer is large

Excavation depth is more for self-cleaning velocities during DWF
Pumping cost is more and treatment plant size becomes larger
During heavy rains, there is a possibility of back-flow into the house plumbing
fixtures.

Partly separate system

In this system, in addition to the sanitary sewage, the initial washings

from the drainage area due to rains is included in a common sewer.

Merits

House drainage connections becomes simplified

Decomposition of sewage solids in sewer does not occur
Sewers are of reasonable size.

Demerits

During DWF deposition takes pace in sewers

As initial storm water is included, the cost of pumping and disposal units size
increases
It requires the construction of storm-water overflows.

Patterns of sewerage lay-out

The network of sewers can be laid in different patterns, depending on

the topography and development pattern of a city or town. The types
of patterns are as follows

Perpendicular pattern
Interceptor pattern
Zone pattern
Fan pattern
Radial pattern

The factors which determine the pattern of sewerage are as follows

Type of system (combined or separate)

Street lay-out
Topography and hydrological characteristics of the area
Location of treatment works

Patterns of sewerage lay-out

Interceptor pattern

Perpendicular pattern

Fan pattern

Zone pattern

Radial pattern

Patterns of sewerage lay-out

If storm water drains are laid through shortest route to the existing
surface water courses, it is called perpendicular pattern.

The natural water courses may be overflowed during flood season,

which results back flow of wastewater in sewers, when sewers empty
directly into a river. Then the sewers will be under pressure and
surrounding area may be flooded, when the sewers burst. So to avoid
such back-flows, an interceptor sewer is laid to collect the sewage
from all the main sewers and transport it either to a treatment plant or
natural water course at a downstream point. Also, when the flow in
the diluting water course is minimum, then entire sewage cannot be
emptied directly into the river.

Patterns of sewerage lay-out

If the area is of different elevations, then the entire area is divided into
zones of different elevations.

In fan pattern, the flow is collected from outward to inward, to a

central trunk-sewer. This is used when the city is located in a valley.

In radial pattern, the wastewater is collected from heart of the city to

outside periphery by two or three trunk-sewers, where they are laid
radially to the area to be served. This system is suitable when the city
is developed in two or more directions in an elongated pattern from
the heart of the city

Sewer materials

Asbestos cement
Plain or reinforced cement concrete
Vitrified clay or stoneware
Brick
Cast iron
Steel
Plastic

Factors to be considered for

selection of sewer material

Hydraulic efficiency
Resistance to abrasion
Resistance to corrosion
Strength
Durability
Cost
Weight
Imperviousness

Sewer sections

Circular
Egg shaped
Horse shoe
Parabolic section
Semi elliptical section
Semicircular section
U-shaped section
Basket handle section