In this day it is highly important that sewage and waste water is disposed of correctly so not to cause any damage to the environment and not to cause a health hazard to any body.
Many years ago sewage disposal was not of high importance in society and people would literally throw their waste water in the streets which as you can imagine caused countless problems when it came to peoples health.
Below the article focuses on how the Sewage Disposal Systems have developed over the years and the processes that the waste water must go through once it has been taken away.
Sewage Disposal Throughout History
The history of sewage disposal stretches as far back as Roman times although these drain systems were mainly used for drainage of rain water and waste water would just be taken away when the rain took it or there was a storm.
By the end of the Middle Ages sewage disposal systems were put in place specifically to remove waste water. This is where people would have cess pits below their houses to catch waste. When cess pits became full people would remove them from the premises at a charge and then use the waste as fertilizer on nearby farms.
As sewage disposal developed more rapidly over the years after this there were storm drains running through towns that would be used to carry away just storm water but it was discovered it could also carry away waste water very quickly.
It wasn't until the 19th Century that people discovered the proper removal of human waste caused less health problems than having waste water sitting stagnant in public area.
As technology became more advanced more technical sewage disposal systems came into place with underground drain networks being built.
To find out about more about The History of Drainage visit the History page.
Sewage Treatment Systems
When the waste water has been taken away it has to go through a series of processes before it can be released into any natural water source again. These Sewage Treatment Systems are now more effective at ensuring water is as clean as possible before being released into water where waste may affect the surrounding wildlife.
Waste water goes through a series of filters to remove any solids. Some sewage treatment systems have a current in them that cause solids to settle at the bottom ready to be removed. When waste water has been through this sewage treatment systems it will go through a washer cycle where certain chemicals will be used to kill bacteria and neutralise the water.
After the waste water has gone through sewage treatment systems it can then be released into a natural water source such as a river or the sea. Although the water has to pass various tests before being released if the water were to not pass these tests then it would not be legal to release it.