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The amount of oxygen needed by the organisms to break down organic material.

Biological material from living or recently living organisms

A type of sewage treatment plant that contains a submerged medium with a large surface area which is aerated

A circular tank that uses a pump to spread waste through the system

Represents the interests of the UK water and wastewater industry on UK and European regulations and legislation

A watertight holding tank for sewage and effluent that is used where ground conditions prevent the use of a septic tank or sewage treatment plant

Material which forms on top of the effluent and sludge in a tank that is removed when the system is desludged

Permission from the Environment Agency to discharge final, trade or industrial effluent, surface water or storm water to a receiving watercourse

Your legal responsibility to make sure any waste that you produce, store, transport or dispose of is done without harming the environment

Wastewater mixed with waste

Regulatory body for England and Wales

A secondary settlement tank where the treated waste flows and settlesFat Oil and Grease (FOG),By-products of cooking from kitchens and food processing sites; the waste gets washed down the sink and can block pipes and drains when it cools

A device to separate grease, fat and oil from wastewater

A settlement tank following the primary and secondary treatment tanks

A way of connecting a property to the mains sewer, using either gravity or a pumpMains Sewer,An underground system, which collects sewage and wastewater and transports it to a sewage works for treatment

Material within a sewage treatment plant that the microbes live on

Another name for a sewage treatment plant

The volume in litres that a single domestic person uses per day with the organic and ammonia load expressed in grams

The maximum number of people a premises can accommodate based on 60 gallons BOD per head per day. Used when sizing a sewage treatment plant

The test shows if the land around a septic tank or sewage treatment plant is absorbent enough for effluent to soak away

Releases bacteria into drain runs to prevent the build-up of FOGs in pipes

Where solid matter is allowed to settle by sedimentation

Connecting a property's sewerage system straight to the mains sewer, using either gravity or a pump

Reeds planted over a gravel bed which offer a form of additional treatment for sewage

Used in sewage treatment plants; a series of slowly rotating parallel discs on a horizontal shaft. The discs rotate in and out of the settled effluent and the treatment takes place on the discs

A treatment process that distributes oxygen through the waste to reduce the BOD

Where treatment happens using naturally occurring micro-organisms

A simple treatment tank with an outlet pipe which allows effluent to soak away

A multistage tank using biological processes and pumps to treat sewage and effluent to a high standard for discharge to a watercourse

Regulatory body for Scotland

Sludge is the matter that is produced by all sewage systems and must be removed regularly

A submerged mechanical device that distributes oxygen through the waste

Reducing the amount of surface runoff into drains by either diverting the volume or velocity of water entering in the first place, or diverting the water for other purposes

Rainwater which falls onto roofs, drives, car parks, roads, etc.

Allows treated effluent from a septic tank or sewage treatment plant to seep slowly into the ground, usually in the form of perforated pipes laid out in a herringbone design

Everything that gets put down drains from toilets, sinks, washing machines, dishwashers, showers, etc.Storm Water,Runoff water from roofs, car parks, highways, etc.

The infrastructure that conveys sewage

A moving body of water such as a stream or river

The underground depth at which the ground is totally saturated with waterWaste Carrier / License,Any business operating a waste carrying business is required by law to have a waste carrier's license from the Environment Agency

A waste transfer note is a legal document that details the transfer of waste from one person to another. They must be kept for a minimum of two years after a job date