Infiltration/Inflow
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Infiltration/Inflow is the process of groundwater, or water from sources other than domestic wastewater, entering sanitary sewers. I/I causes dilution in sanitary sewers, which decreases the efficiency of treatment, and may cause sewage volumes to exceed design capacity. Although inflow is technically different from infiltration, it may be difficult to determine which is causing dilution problems in inaccessible sewers. The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines the term infiltration/inflow as combined contributions from both.
Sanitary manhole inflow due to a flood
Excessive infiltration/inflow may cause sanitary sewer overflows during wet weather.
Sanitary sewer
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A sanitary sewer is an underground pipe or tunnel system for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to a sewage treatment plant or disposal.
PVC sanitary sewer installation. Sanitary sewers are sized to carry the amount of sewage generated by the collection area. Sanitary sewers are much smaller than combined sewers designed to also carry surface runoff.
Manhole access to sewer
Schematic of a conventional sanitary sewer to convey blackwater and greywater from households to a centralized sewage treatment facility.
A manhole cover for a sanitary sewer access point.