A wastewater system collects, transports, treats, and safely returns used water to the environment, protecting public health, waterways, infrastructure, and communities. 

Every day, homes, schools, hospitals, restaurants, offices, and manufacturing facilities produce wastewater. Most people simply flush a toilet or drain a sink without thinking about where that water goes next. Behind the scenes, however, an extensive network of underground infrastructure works continuously to collect, transport, and treat wastewater before it is safely returned to the environment.

Understanding what a wastewater system is helps homeowners, businesses, engineers, and municipal leaders appreciate one of the most important public infrastructure investments in modern society. Without properly functioning wastewater systems, communities would face increased risks of disease outbreaks, environmental contamination, flooding, unpleasant odors, and costly infrastructure failures.

Although wastewater collection often remains hidden underground, it requires constant planning, inspection, maintenance, and modernization to continue operating efficiently. As infrastructure ages across many cities, adopting smarter maintenance strategies has become increasingly important for protecting both public health and municipal budgets.

What Is a Wastewater System?

A wastewater system is an interconnected network of underground pipes, manholes, lift stations, pumps, force mains, and treatment facilities designed to collect used water from homes, businesses, industries, and public buildings. After collection, wastewater is transported to a treatment plant where contaminants are removed before treated water is safely discharged back into rivers, lakes, or reused where regulations permit.

Wastewater includes far more than toilet waste. It also contains water from sinks, showers, washing machines, commercial kitchens, manufacturing processes, hospitals, and stormwater intrusion in some systems. Because this water carries bacteria, chemicals, nutrients, grease, debris, and other pollutants, it cannot simply be released untreated into the environment.

Why wastewater collection matters

The collection system serves as the critical first step in protecting communities. Even the most advanced treatment plant cannot perform effectively if wastewater cannot reliably reach the facility. Well-maintained collection systems minimize leaks, sewer overflows, blockages, and environmental contamination while ensuring continuous service for residents and businesses.

How Does a Wastewater System Work?

Although system designs vary between municipalities, the basic process follows several essential stages.

Collection

Wastewater leaves homes and businesses through plumbing connected to local sewer lines. Gravity carries the wastewater through progressively larger underground pipes toward the municipal sewer network.

Transportation

In areas where gravity alone cannot move wastewater, lift stations equipped with pumps raise wastewater to higher elevations so it can continue flowing toward treatment facilities. Force mains transport pressurized wastewater where necessary.

Treatment

Once wastewater reaches the treatment plant, it undergoes several treatment stages that remove solids, organic matter, nutrients, and harmful microorganisms. Modern treatment processes may include screening, sedimentation, biological treatment, filtration, and disinfection.

Safe discharge or reuse

After meeting environmental standards, treated water is safely released into nearby waterways or reused for irrigation, industrial applications, or other approved purposes depending on local regulations.

Efficient transportation throughout every stage depends on a reliable wastewater collection system operating without significant blockages, structural failures, or excessive infiltration.

What Are the Main Components of a Wastewater Collection System?

A wastewater collection system consists of multiple infrastructure components working together to move wastewater efficiently from its source to a treatment facility. Each component serves a specific purpose, and failure in one area can affect the performance of the entire network.

Sewer Pipes

Gravity sewer pipes make up the largest portion of any wastewater collection system. These underground pipelines transport wastewater from residential, commercial, and industrial properties to larger interceptor sewers. Pipe materials vary depending on the age of the system and local requirements, with common options including PVC, ductile iron, reinforced concrete, and high-density polyethylene.

Manholes

Manholes provide access points for maintenance crews to inspect, clean, repair, and monitor underground sewer lines. They also allow changes in pipe direction, elevation, and diameter while improving accessibility for emergency repairs.

Lift Stations

Not every community has terrain that allows wastewater to flow entirely by gravity. Lift stations use pumps to move wastewater from lower elevations to higher points so it can continue toward the treatment plant. These facilities are carefully monitored because pump failures can quickly lead to sewer backups or overflows.

Force Mains

Force mains are pressurized pipelines that carry wastewater pumped from lift stations. Unlike gravity sewers, force mains rely on mechanical pumping to transport wastewater across challenging terrain or long distances.

Interceptor Sewers

Interceptor sewers are large-diameter pipelines designed to collect wastewater from numerous smaller sewer lines. They serve as the main transportation routes that deliver wastewater to centralized treatment facilities.

Types of Wastewater Systems: Sanitary, Combined, and Decentralized

Not every municipality uses the same type of wastewater infrastructure. Local geography, climate, population density, historical development, and available funding all influence system design.

Sanitary Sewer Systems

Sanitary sewer systems collect only wastewater generated from homes, businesses, and industrial facilities. Rainwater is directed into separate storm drainage systems, reducing the amount of water entering treatment plants during storms. Today, sanitary sewer systems are considered the preferred design because they improve treatment efficiency and reduce the likelihood of overflow events.

Combined Sewer Systems

Combined sewer systems transport both sanitary wastewater and stormwater through the same network of pipes. While this approach was common in many older cities, heavy rainfall can overwhelm system capacity, resulting in combined sewer overflows (CSOs) that discharge untreated wastewater into nearby rivers, lakes, or coastal waters. Many municipalities continue investing in infrastructure upgrades to reduce these events.

Decentralized Wastewater Systems

In rural communities or areas without access to centralized sewer infrastructure, decentralized systems provide wastewater treatment closer to the source. Septic systems are the most familiar example, although some communities use small-scale treatment facilities that serve neighborhoods, campuses, or commercial developments. Proper maintenance remains essential to ensure these systems operate safely and effectively.

Why Are Wastewater Systems Important for Communities?

Understanding a wastewater system also means recognizing its impact on everyday life. These systems quietly protect communities around the clock, often without residents realizing how much they depend on them.

Reliable wastewater infrastructure helps prevent sewage backups into homes and businesses, reduces contamination of drinking water sources, protects recreational waterways, and limits the spread of waterborne diseases. Businesses also rely on dependable wastewater services to operate without interruptions, making wastewater infrastructure an important contributor to local economic development.

Environmental protection is another major benefit. Proper wastewater collection and treatment reduce nutrient pollution, protect fish and wildlife habitats, preserve groundwater quality, and improve the health of rivers, lakes, and coastal ecosystems.

Beyond environmental and health benefits, effective wastewater management also supports long-term financial sustainability. Preventive maintenance costs significantly less than emergency repairs following pipe collapses, sewer overflows, or major infrastructure failures. Municipalities that invest in proactive asset management often experience lower operating costs over time while extending the service life of expensive underground infrastructure.

What Are the Biggest Challenges Facing Wastewater Collection Systems Today?

Many wastewater collection systems across the United States were built decades ago and are now approaching or exceeding their intended service life. Aging infrastructure, growing populations, changing weather patterns, and limited municipal budgets have created significant challenges for utilities responsible for maintaining reliable service.

Aging Infrastructure

One of the most pressing concerns is the deterioration of underground sewer pipes. Corrosion, ground movement, root intrusion, pipe deformation, and decades of wear can gradually weaken infrastructure until failures occur. Because sewer systems are buried underground, deterioration often goes unnoticed until a blockage, collapse, or overflow disrupts service.

Inflow and Infiltration (I&I)

Inflow and infiltration, commonly referred to as I&I, occur when groundwater or stormwater enters sanitary sewer systems through cracked pipes, deteriorated manholes, leaking joints, or illegal connections. This additional water increases the volume flowing through the collection system, placing unnecessary strain on lift stations and wastewater treatment plants. During heavy rain events, excessive I&I can contribute to sanitary sewer overflows and significantly increase treatment costs.

Population Growth

Communities continue to expand, placing greater demands on wastewater infrastructure originally designed for much smaller populations. Increased residential development, commercial construction, and industrial activity can accelerate wear on existing systems if capacity upgrades do not keep pace with growth.

Limited Budgets

Many municipalities face difficult financial decisions when balancing infrastructure investments with other public services. As a result, preventive maintenance projects may be postponed until emergency repairs become unavoidable. Unfortunately, reactive maintenance usually costs substantially more than proactive asset management.

Changing Workforce

As career wastewater professionals retire, they take decades worth of knowledge and experience with them. Not only critical knowledge walking out the door, but post-pandemic changes in the workforce have made it difficult to keep systems fully staffed. In the face of critical labor shortfalls, many systems are bridging the gap with technology.

Climate Change and Extreme Weather

More frequent heavy rainfall events increase the risk of flooding, sewer surcharging, and excessive inflow and infiltration. In some regions, prolonged drought followed by intense storms also places additional stress on aging wastewater infrastructure. Utilities must increasingly prepare for changing environmental conditions while maintaining reliable service year-round.

How Wastewater Systems Are Inspected, Monitored, and Maintained

Effective maintenance begins with understanding the actual condition of wastewater infrastructure. Rather than relying solely on fixed maintenance schedules, many municipalities now combine routine inspections with condition-based monitoring to prioritize work where it is needed most.

Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) Inspections

CCTV inspection remains one of the most widely used methods for evaluating underground sewer pipes. Remote-controlled cameras travel through pipelines, allowing inspectors to identify cracks, root intrusion, offset joints, grease buildup, corrosion, and structural defects without excavation. These inspections provide valuable information for planning repairs and rehabilitation projects.

Cleaning and Debris Removal

Routine sewer cleaning removes grease, sediment, roots, and debris that can restrict flow or contribute to blockages. High-pressure water jetting and mechanical cleaning equipment help maintain pipe capacity while reducing the likelihood of emergency sewer backups.

Manhole Inspections

Regular manhole inspections allow maintenance teams to identify signs of deterioration, infiltration, corrosion, and structural damage before problems spread throughout the system. Since manholes provide access to underground infrastructure, they play an essential role in ongoing maintenance programs.

Condition-Based Asset Management

Many utilities are moving away from cleaning every pipe on a fixed schedule. Instead, they prioritize maintenance based on inspection data, flow monitoring, acoustic assessments, and other condition indicators. This targeted approach improves efficiency by focusing resources where they deliver the greatest benefit while avoiding unnecessary maintenance on pipes that remain in good condition.

Why Wastewater Systems Matter for Public Health and the Environment

The importance of understanding a wastewater system extends beyond engineering and infrastructure. These systems directly influence the health, safety, and quality of life of every community they serve.

Without reliable wastewater collection, untreated sewage could contaminate drinking water supplies, spread harmful bacteria and viruses, damage aquatic ecosystems, and expose residents to serious public health risks. Proper wastewater management helps prevent outbreaks of waterborne illnesses while protecting beaches, rivers, streams, wetlands, and groundwater resources.

Wastewater treatment also removes nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus that can contribute to harmful algal blooms. By reducing pollution before treated water is released back into the environment, wastewater systems help preserve healthy ecosystems for future generations.

Reliable wastewater infrastructure supports schools, hospitals, businesses, restaurants, and manufacturing facilities that depend on uninterrupted sewer service every day. In many ways, wastewater systems form one of the most essential foundations of modern urban life, even though they remain largely invisible beneath our streets.

How Technology Is Changing Wastewater System Maintenance

Technology is shifting maintenance from fixed schedules to condition-based decisions driven by real data. Acoustic sensors assess pipe blockage levels in minutes without sending a camera down the line. Permanent sensor networks detect inflow and infiltration sources continuously, showing crews exactly where water is entering. Digital models of manholes and assets let engineers judge condition and prioritize rehabilitation remotely. The result is less wasted labor, fewer emergencies, and infrastructure that lasts longer.

Partnering with RH Borden for Smarter Wastewater System Maintenance

Understanding what a wastewater system is, and how much depends on it, makes clear why smart maintenance is no longer optional. RH Borden and Company is a trusted wastewater technology provider based in Lehi, Utah, serving municipalities across the United States with advanced, data-driven sewer system maintenance solutions. We specialize in helping cities transition from traditional, labor-intensive maintenance to smarter, technology-enabled infrastructure management.

At RH Borden, we deliver innovative wastewater solutions including Acoustic Assessments using SL-RAT technology to quickly identify cleaning priorities, BASINiQ sensor networks for detecting inflow and infiltration (I&I) sources across sewer basins, and Manhole Virtual Models (MVM) that create digital twins of infrastructure assets to assess condition and guide rehabilitation decisions. Our solutions are designed to improve efficiency, reduce unnecessary maintenance costs, and extend the life of wastewater infrastructure through accurate, actionable data-driven insights. Contact us today at 385-510-3223.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if a wastewater system needs maintenance?

Warning signs include frequent spills or sewer system overflows, slow drainage, sewer odors, and rising treatment volumes during rain (a classic I&I signal). Regular inspection and monitoring catch these issues before they turn into emergencies.

What causes sewer systems to fail more often than expected?

Most premature failures trace back to aging pipes, ground movement, root intrusion, corrosion, and inflow and infiltration that overloads the system. Deferred maintenance accelerates all of these.

How can cities reduce the cost of maintaining wastewater infrastructure?

Cities save money by targeting work where it is actually needed instead of cleaning on a fixed cycle. Data from acoustic assessments and sensor networks lets crews focus labor on the highest-priority segments and cut unnecessary truck rolls.

Can modern technology detect sewer problems before they become emergencies?

Yes. Acoustic tools, continuous sensor networks, and digital condition models flag blockages, I&I sources, and deterioration early, giving utilities time to plan repairs rather than react to a collapse or overflow.

What are the benefits of using data instead of routine sewer cleaning schedules?

Data-driven maintenance reduces wasted cleaning, saves valuable crew hours, extends infrastructure life, lowers costs, and improves reliability. Crews stop guessing and start working from an accurate picture of which assets need attention.