Methods of Sewage Disposal
One of the greatest problems the hygienists and sanitary engineers have to solve is the disposal of sewage and refuse without contaminating the water supply and in other ways rendering the environment unhealthful.
The methods used for the immediate removal of sewage may be either the dry method or the water method. By far the more common one in towns and cities is the water carriage system. In small towns, however, the more prevalent way is to provide a house some distance from the dwelling which contains a privy vault.
Where sewage is removed by the water method and carried through sewers to the waterways, such as rivers and lakes, the great problem which the sanitary engineers have to solve is how to dispose of the sewage and not pollute the water supply of the city.
When there is a sufficient amount of water to insure proper dilution sewage may be emptied directly into it without treatment. But where there is a limited amount of water, as in a small stream, and a very large amount of sewage to be disposed of, the water may become overloaded and thus the supply of other towns become polluted. When sewage is disposed of in the ocean, oyster beds may become contaminated as well as the bathing beaches.