ABSTRACT
The portion of liquid waste produced by the human intervention with the hydrologic cycle is known as wastewater. Such interventions can be the use of water for washing dishes, clothes, and automobiles; the provision of a recreational pool for public use; or, the use of water by a local factory to maintain proper temperatures within their machinery. The use of water is important in each community's daily events in order to function normally and comfortably. In each case, the wastewater must be treated and disposed of, or discharged, into a naturally occurring water source (lakes, rivers, bays, etc.). Therefore, the use and disposal of water can be considered as an artificial water cycle. Wastewater is that which can be generated by the liquid wastes removed from residential, municipal, and industrial areas requiring collection, treatment, and disposal in accordance with local, state, and federal standards. However, municipal wastewater is the general term applied to the liquid collected in sanitary sewers and treated in a municipal plant and will be the focus of this chapter.
