What is the difference between “sanitary sewers” and “storm drains”?
“Sanitary sewers” collect and convey sewage to a treatment plant where the sewage can be treated. It is important to understand that sanitary sewers are a completely different set of pipes from “storm drains.” An independent system of pipes called “storm drains” is used to only transport storm water (i.e., rainwater) to artificial ponds, streams, bays and the ocean with little or no treatment. The separate “sanitary sewer system” (see definition above) is “sanitary” because it keeps sewage out of the storm drains and sends the sewage to a treatment plant before it is released into the environment.
