How Sewers Work (feat. Fake Poop)

Some fundamental engineering principles behind the safe transport of human waste.

Humans are kind of gross. We collectively create a constant stream of waste that threatens city-dwellers with plague and pestilence unless it is safely carried away. Sewers convert that figurative stream into a literal one that flows below ground away from public view (and hopefully public smell). Your friendly neighborhood sewage collection system is not a magical place where gross stuff goes to disappear. It is a carefully planned, thoroughly tested system designed to keep the stuff we don’t want to see - unseen.

Practical Engineering is a YouTube channel about infrastructure and the human-made world around us. It is hosted, written, and produced by Grady Hillhouse. We have new videos posted regularly, so please subscribe for updates. If you enjoyed the video, hit that ‘like’ button, give us a comment, or watch another of our videos!

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DISCLAIMER
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This is not engineering advice. Everything here is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Contact an engineer licensed to practice in your area if you need professional advice or services. All non-licensed clips used for fair use commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

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This video is sponsored by Nebula.
Stock video and imagery provided by Getty Images, Shutterstock, Pond5, and Videoblocks.
Tonic and Energy by Elexive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License
Producer/Host: Grady Hillhouse
Assistant Producer: Wesley Crump

[gordonwiley]

As a process operator at a waste treatment plan, thanks for giving our awful, yet incredibly important service a spotlight. This all looks pretty good to my eye. You definitely have a bigger budget than my plant though, as horrifying as that might sound. And flushable wipes do a real number on septic tanks too!

[gohantanaka]

I remember when History, Discovery, and PBS filled this hole in the market.

Your channel is proof people do want educational content.

[stevej]

We should all take a moment to appreciate the scientists and engineers who ended up going into wastewater treatment as a career. It's definitely not glamorous but it is so incredibly important.

[j.ritter]

Interesting fact: Sewers are only modern in how we know them today. On the Isle of Crete nearly 4, 000 years ago, the ancient Minoans had a very efficient, albeit primitive, sewer system. There is even evidence to suggest that they had properly functioning indoor plumbing. The sewers were a mixture of open-topped drains and clay pipes and the lavatories are actually thought to have been able to “flush” with the assistance of an overhead water reservoir. Additionally, the Minoans even utilized these plumping methods to carry fresh water into their city some 2, 500-3, 000 years before the Roman’s introduced and used their aqueducts.

[Jan-bilk]

I work in Construction and it‘s really sad how most people react when you tell them you build sewer lines because they dont recognize without them they would need to poop in the woods

[moxxy]

"We don't have to pay a gravity bill..."

STOP GIVING THEM IDEAS!

[Life_of_Matthew]

Amazing how there's so much infrastructure in society that makes life so easy that we just take for granted

[ShukenFlash]

I remember someone representing the flushable wipe companies coming to WEFTEC several years back and trying to tell a room full of civil engineers that their wipes WERE flushable and it was our fault they were clogging pumps. He got booed off the stage.

Glad people like you and Adam Ruins Everything are helping bring awareness to how bad those wipes are.

[HeBreaksLate]

"Synthetic Feces Designer" was definitely not presented as an option at Career Day.

[iQKyyRK]

So the Golden Rule of Sewers: "Shit's about to go down"

[nasonguy]

Please PLEASE make this a series. I’ve always been fascinated with “water works” as they were called when I was growing up, and still love seeing how they work, how waste is processed, broken down, separated, etc.

[Thegunguy]

I'm a wastewater operator in California and I can't tell you how much I loath those dang "flushable" wipes. I wish more people understood how damaging they are from flush to treatment plant. Thank you for shedding some light on the subject.

[SureShotImages]

Keep flushing those “flushable” wipes. As a plumber, my wallet LOVES it.

[ChrisConnett]

I was half expecting the transition: "Poop and sewers! Have you tried Hello Fresh?"

[fireandcopper]

"Flushable" is a dishonest marketing term. Anything is technically flushable, if it fits

[trackie]

In the days following hurricane Ian, we were asked to avoid putting anything down the drain because there was no power to the lift stations. Of course, not everyone thought they needed to heed that, so sewer covers on some low streets had raw sewage bubbling out. Makes me appreciate the system and the work of the people who keep it working. Being able to flush is a blessing!

[nietzschesghost]

My monthly gravity bill is going through the roof, and so am I since I can't afford to pay it.

[csatterley]

I would say that the oversizing of buried pipelines that are not expected to operate at full bore (such as sewers and other drains) is almost always the right economic decision. The costs of retrofitting buried infrastructure vastly outweigh the marginal cost of increased pipe diameters during initial construction.

[martinstent]

Look at the smooth curves of the brickwork at 01:55. All of it laid by hand by skilled bricklayers 150 years ago. They would be so proud to see it still in perfect condition and still in use 150 years later!

[panagiotischristo]

I just want to thank all the workers.
These ppl should be appreciated and acknowledge...not celebrities or fake modern social stars.

Thank you for the hard work.