History & Construction of Sewer System & Wastewater Sewage Treatment in Floral Park, NY

Sloughs (slew or slue) are defined as spongy land saturated or partially covered with water. Some would say a swamp. Back in the day or in areas without sewage control the slough caught all the sewage, needless say not very sanitary. Dry wells are pits with the bottoms covered with gravel, and the hole is covered. The sides were built out of stacks of rock without mortar. The idea is that the solids would settle as the liquid flow out into the surrounding soil. Just a bit better than a hole in the ground like those used in the early day outhouses.

Septic Tank Construction

Next came the septic tank and that is still with us. Today the tank is either made from plastic or concrete. The septic tank has two chambers. The sewage is dumped in the first chamber and is where the solids settle out of the liquids, which then flow into and outlet tank and from there to the leach field. The water is then reabsorbed into the soil where the capillary action filters the water to near purity down stream from the field. The primary or first tank is where most of the microbial action takes place. Bacteria breaks down the sewage solids. The tank is supposed to be sized to allow this break down to occur without affecting the drainage from the home. But at times it is overwhelmed and needs to be pumped out usually about every 5-10 years.

Wastewater Treatment Systems

Many of the early municipalities in the eastern seaboard of the US just dumped the waste into the rivers, severely compromising the quality of the water downstream. Coastal towns and cities dumped their sewage directly into the ocean, a practice that we are paying for today with bays so polluted you cannot eat any of the sea foods drawn from these areas. Today our sewage is sent to treatment plants that by law must clean up the water before discharging into any waterway and the specifications as to water quality are set by statute. An additional challenge for community sewage treatment plants is that they need to deal with commercial and industrial waste, rich in heavy metals and toxic chemicals. Of course, the commercial entities are more recently being charged with some pollutant removal before discharge into the sewer system. Household chemicals still find their way into our drains. All this sewage from days past when it was just thrown into the streets, through the development of sewage systems must be transported away from its point of origin. This is done by the means of pipe.

Sewer Pipe Slope & Materials

The typical slope of drain lines is a minimum of ¼ inch to the foot up to 3 inches per foot. These lines form the diameter of sink drains, 1 ½ inches in diameter to the main lines, which also accommodate storm runoff, with diameter over 10 feet. Drain materials run from plastic (PVC mostly, some older systems with ABS), copper, stainless steel, steel, cast iron, clay, lead and concrete. Most homeowners only concerned about their house drains and the line leading to the municipal sewer system buried under the street.

Unclogging Drain Pipes & Sewer Lines in Staten Island, Maspeth, Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Yonkers, Queens, NYC Boroughs, New York City NY

It is when they don’t drain that we have a problem. There are entrapped articles, tree roots and broken lines, and when this occurs is when you call The Original S49.95 Plumber. We are drainage specialists and have the special diagnostic equipment coupled with our knowledge and experience to help you get the sewer and water back to “rollin’ downhill” again. Call us today!

Call Now Button