What is the difference between a sanitary sewer and a storm sewer?
Sanitary sewers take household wastewater (such as water from sinks, toilets, washers, etc.) and carries it through a home’s plumbing and into an underground sewer pipe. This water then travels to a formal wastewater treatment plant where the water is cleaned to regulated standards. Storm sewers take rainwater that falls on our communities travels via the storm drain system (e.g. MS4) which may include public streets, gutters, catch basins, storm pipes, retention basins, channels, washes, etc. This water flows directly to your community’s local parks, basins and waterways without receiving any formal treatment.
