Glossary of Water and Wastewater Terms

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5 random terms from our glossary

branch sewer

A wastewater collection pipe that receives wastewater from a relatively small area and discharges into a main collection pipe serving multiple branch collection areas.

conventional pollutants

Those pollutants that are usually found in domestic, commercial, or industrial wastes, including suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand, pathogens, and oil and grease.

sewer cleanout

A capped opening in a sewer main that allows access to the pipes for rodding and cleaning. Usually such cleanouts are located at terminal pipe ends or beyond terminal manholes. An earlier version rarely in use today was called a flusher branch.

carcinogen (kar-SIN-o-jen)

Any substance that tends to produce cancer in an organism.

sludge digestion

The process of changing organic matter in sludge into a gas or a liquid or a more stable solid form. These changes take place as microorganisms feed on sludge in anaerobic (more common) or aerobic digesters.