How is sewage treated?

In: Waste and Recycling, Water Pollution [Edit categories] Answer: Domestic sewage from washrooms and toilets is taken to sewage treatment facilities which can range in size and complexity from septic tanks to tertiary treatment systems. The simplest of municipal treatment systems is simply a series of sewage lagoons which hold the total volume of sewage allowing lumps tp settle and the organics to be removed by natural oxidation and bacterial processes. After holding for about a year the sewage is released, generally at the time of high spring flows, to a local watercourse. There are often two lagoons in a system one fills while the other sits idle and dry. The full lagoon is taken off line when full, the second lagoon fills while the first ages. The full lagoon is emptied. When empty, the flow is once more diverted to it while the (now full lagoon ages until it discharged, restarting the cycle. The steps in the processes at larger treatment plants are: Primary Treatment (De Lumping) The incoming sewage is comminuted (blended) to reduce large lumps. The fine particles are put in a separator where floating material is skimmed off for alternate disposal, settleable material is removed for alternate disposal. The water in the middle is either discharged or sent to Secondary Treatment Secondary Treatment (Removing fine particulates and dissolved organics) The fluid from the Primary system is put into an aerated basin where the sewage is mixed with air. Microbes in the sewage eat the dissolved organics. The mixture of uneaten particles and microbes is transferred to a seperator where the microbes settle and are collected. They are divided. Part of them are sent back to eat more sewage, part are sent to disposal This sludge is transferred to a separation tank where A portion of the sludge's are removed for disposal in anaerobic digesters. Anaerobic digesters which convert the microbe bodies and particulate to methane gas to power the treatment processes. The solid free liquid from the separator is discharge to the environment or sent to Tertiary treatment. An option at this stage is to adjust the bacteria colony for nitrogen removal. Tertiary Treatment (A final polishing) To remove traces of organics, odours, viruses and very fine particulates some sewage treatment plants provide another stage of treatment. This can include chlorination, filtration or even