Wastewater, also written as
waste water, is any
water that has been adversely affected in quality by
anthropogenic influence. Municipal wastewater is usually conveyed in a
combined sewer or
sanitary sewer, and treated at a wastewater treatment plant or
septic tank. Treated wastewater is discharged into a receiving water via an effluent sewer.
Sewage is the subset of wastewater that is contaminated with
feces or
urine, but is often used to mean any wastewater. Sewage includes domestic, municipal, or industrial liquid
waste products disposed of, usually via a
pipe or sewer (sanitary or combined), sometimes in a
cesspool emptier.
Sewerage is the physical infrastructure, including pipes,
pumps, screens, channels etc. used to convey sewage from its origin to the point of eventual treatment or disposal. It is found in all types of sewage treatment, with the exception of septic systems, which treat sewage on-site.