Water - The Most Valuable Fluid In The World -

Water - The most valuable fluid in the World -

* The regulated control of water, especially within human populated urban areas, is an ongoing challenge for persons responsible for guaranteeing the quality and sufficient quantity of water for human consumption.

* Storm rain water eventually flows into natural drainage systems - creeks, streams, rivers, and ultimately seas and oceans - and for the best quality for the Planet should remain uncontaminated through human activity. 

* All water for human consumption must pass continuing tests to exceed quality limits acceptable to governmental agencies charged with setting standard.

* All sewage must be treated to accepted levels of purity before being returned into natural drainage systems. 

< A nagging problem incurred, especially in urban sewage collection systems, is something called I&I. >

* I&I stands for infiltration and inflow. Both cause an unnecessary increase in the amount of sewage needed to be treated during and after a rain event. 

* Infiltration is rain water inadvertently flowing into deficient piping inherent in all systems. This problem  is very difficult to find since infiltration can occur in a pipe in a house, from the house to the main trunk line, and even in trunk lines themselves. Suspect pipes are replaced in a never ending battle to make the system free from rain water entering it.

* Inflow is also rain water getting into the sewage system, but in this case, this inflow is not primarily inadvertent, it is caused by humans. In earlier times  houses drained their rain spouts into the newly constructed sewer systems, also sump pumps were piped into the sewage system, and cellar floor drains which took in seepage of rain water into cellars were also hooked in. By ordinance of most modern municipalities today these hook ups are illegal.

This unnecessary inflow, long tacitly overlooked, is
an area of deepening interest for keepers of the system. It is a must for you rate payers in the system to investigate your own circumstance and disconnect any illegal connections. 

The operators of our local sewage system plan to increase methods of surveillance targeted at inflow. A true control of inflow will have a positive effect on both the operation of the sewer system and the cost structure of operating it. Your involvement counts.

Ronald C. Downie, Chairman,
The Pottstown Municipal Authority