Edit: OK, I am not sure where I got 2.5 gallons from because it turns out standard toilets in the US are 1.6 gallons, as the comment below states. It still seems crazy to me that 1.6 gallons can push waste all the way from the toilet to the sewer. I feel like it would stop at some point and need more water to get to the street.
On a side note, I find plumbing and water treatment fascinating.
In: Engineering
Your poo basically liquifies from the agitation of going through the toilet trap as well as the typical vertical drop in the sewer pipe drop to your sewer line. Then it makes its way to the larger diameter sewer pipe in your street. All the water from showers, sinks and other sources add to the liquified poo making it a very liquid emulsion. The slope of the sewer line is critical. It should either be a slight slope for laminar flow or a vertical drop. A steep slope like 45 degrees actually causes clogs and is avoided.
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