TABLE OF CONTENTS Proper management of wastewater is one of the most important factors for ensuring the general health of a community and its surface water quality. Much has been written about the early sewer systems, such as the underground drains installed in ancient Rome, but these early sewer systems were generally storm drains. In most urban areas, it was unlawful to discharge sanitary sewage into these drains prior to the mid-1800s. Thus, the history of sanitary sewers only covers the period from the mid-1880s to the present.
Major construction of sewer systems in many communities occurred during the 1930s period of economic depression as a part of the federal government's Works Progress Administration (WPA) program. Many smaller communities obtained their first central sewer system and sewage treatment facilities as a part of this program. This was the first significant period of sanitary sewer construction in this country. This period was also noted for the significant increase in the popularity of indoor plumbing.
World War II was a period of both urban and industrial growth throughout the United States. At the end of the war, many segments of surface streams were excessively polluted. Two of the reasons were the substantial increase in the discharge of untreated industrial wastes and the untreated overflow from combined sewers. Many older urban areas installed storm drains prior to the time of widespread adoption of indoor plumbing. When indoor plumbing became fashionable, the building sewers were connected...
