How do the drains from houses of all different topographies end up at the same water treatment plant?

Question

Are all water treatment plants somehow *lower* than all the drains/houses/buildings/sewer lines that go to it? (I.e., to make sure all water drains to the treatment plants.) Surely this can’t be the case…?

In: 0

Answer 1

> Are all water treatment plants somehow lower than all the drains/houses/buildings/sewer lines that go to it?

Generally yes. If not, then pumping is required, but pumping sewage is expensive. It’s usually less expensive to just select the piece of land necessary to get all pipes to go downhill and use eminent domain to purchase the land.

Another alternative is forcing everyone that’s below the treatment plant to be on septic, but that’s not good either.