Water is a precious natural resource that is indispensable for all of us. Water becomes "wastewater" once we use it for drinking, washing, bathing, cooking, industrial, etc. All too often we are unaware of how much we pollute and waste our water in our daily lives.

Increased demands placed on water supply and wastewater disposal imposes on us that we treat wastewater to an appropriate level of treatment. These levels of use after wastewater disposal vary from drinking water, contact and recreation, fish and wildlife, etc. The standards for water quality have significantly increased with a marked decrease in raw-water quality available.

Although the collection of wastewater dates from ancient times, the treatment of wastewater dates recently to the late 1800s and early 1900s. The practice evolved as a prevention of man induced epidemics due to water pollution.

Sewage or wastewater treatment plant effluents normally discharge into a stream, lake, ocean or another body of water. In Miami-Dade County, our discharges are to an ocean outfall, deep well injection and underground irrigation. 

The degree of treatment required is determined by the ability of the receiving water to assimilate the wastes, and the uses to which the receiving waters are put. Methods of treatment varies and they include physical treatment such as screening and sedimentation; biological treatment such as activated sludge and trickling filters; and chemical treatment such as chlorination.