Most of us never think about what happens after we flush a toilet, run the dishwasher, or take a shower. The water disappears, and life moves on. But below the surface, a carefully designed sewer system is carrying that wastewater away from your home.
It starts inside your house
Water from toilets, sinks, showers, tubs, washing machines, and other plumbing fixtures flows through the drain piping inside your home. Those smaller pipes come together and leave the building through a larger pipe often called the building sewer or service lateral.
Your lateral connects to the public sewer
The service lateral carries wastewater from the property to the sanitary sewer main. The sewer main is a much larger pipe that serves multiple homes and businesses in the neighborhood. Gravity moves much of the wastewater through the system, while pump stations are used where the ground elevation does not allow gravity alone to do the job.
Sanitary sewer and stormwater are different systems
The sanitary sewer is intended for wastewater from homes and businesses. Rainwater belongs in the stormwater system, not the sanitary sewer. Keeping those two systems separate matters because unnecessary rainwater adds volume that must be transported and treated. You can read more in our article on sanitary sewer and stormwater systems.
Then the wastewater is treated
Once wastewater leaves the neighborhood collection system, it continues toward treatment. At the treatment plant, solids and contaminants are removed before the treated water can be safely returned to the environment.
Why maintenance matters
Every section of the system has to work together. Cleanouts provide access to private lines. Manholes provide access to public mains. Sewer cameras help crews inspect the inside of pipes. Repairs, lining, cleaning, and replacement work all help keep wastewater moving in the right direction.
If you are having a sewer problem and are unsure whether it is on your property or in the public system, contact the Ben Davis Conservancy District and we can help point you in the right direction.
