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431:, New York, most households still use cesspools for waste drainage. Cesspool collapses have occurred in the area, for example on December 8, 2009, when two workers in a decommissioned cesspit were trapped, requiring a two-hour rescue mission. Since 1998, six cases have been reported of cesspools collapsing and sucking in human residents standing over them, injuring a total of seven people, and killing one in 2001, one in 2007, and one in 2010.
240:
123:
38:
109:; in North America, this is simply referred to as a "holding tank". Because it is sealed, the tank must be emptied frequently – on average every 6 weeks – but frequency varies a great deal and can be as often as weekly or as rarely as quarterly. Because of the need for frequent emptying, the cost of maintenance of a cesspit can be high. If owners in the UK do not maintain their cesspits, they can be fined up to £20,000.
402:
problems. Municipal reforms required that cesspits be built of solid walls of stone and concrete. This kept liquid waste in the cesspit, forcing cesspits to be cleaned more frequently, on average two or three times per year. Liquid cesspit waste would be removed with pumps by cesspit cleaners, and then solid waste, valuable as fertilizer and for manufacturing
397:
using shovels and horse-drawn wagons. Cesspools were cleaned only at night, to reduce the smell and annoyance to the public. The typical cesspit was cleaned out once every 8 to 10 years. Fermentation of the solid waste collecting in cesspits, however, resulted in dangerous infections and gases that
338:
In the case of sale or transfer of residential property that uses an existing waste cesspool system, local laws may differ. Some counties or jurisdictions do not permit the sale of residential property that utilizes a waste cesspool. Other counties or villages may recognize the "grandfather clause"
401:
Before construction reforms were introduced in the early 19th century, liquid waste would seep away through the ground, leaving solid waste behind in the cesspit. While this made removal of solid waste easier, the seeping liquid waste often contaminated well water sources, creating public health
413:
estimated that 100 cesspits were cleaned in Paris every night, by 200–250 total cesspit cleaners in the city, and out of a total of 30,000 cesspits. The replacement of Paris' cesspit system was challenged for decades by officials not on public hygiene grounds, but on economic ones, based on the
187:
lined with loose-fitting brick or stone, used for the disposal of sewage via infiltration into the soil. Liquids leaked out through the soil as conditions allowed, while solids decayed and collected as composted matter in the base of the cesspool. As the solids accumulated, eventually the
414:
desire to conserve human waste as fertilizer rather than disposing of it in a modern sewer system. Paris' sewer system began modernizing in the 1880s, with the conversion of storm sewers for public sewage. Some cesspits were still in use in Paris into the 20th century.
225:
The waste cesspool is vulnerable to overloading or flooding by heavy rains or snow melt because it is not enclosed and sealed like conventional septic tank systems. It is also vulnerable to the entry of tree roots, which can eventually cause the system to fail.
446:, which dramatically decreases the risk of collapse. All new construction in areas without sewerage systems use the new precast cesspools. In addition, cast concrete cesspools are used commonly in commercial construction, for storm water collection.
454:
Archaeologists often use the term cesspit (or cess pit) to refer to a pit dug to receive human waste. The word "cess" is sometimes used by archaeologists to refer to the contents found in cesspits, despite this not being etymologically correct.
72:
or with soak pits. Traditionally, it was a deep cylindrical chamber dug into the ground, having approximate dimensions of 1 metre (3') diameter and 2–3 metres (6' to 10') depth. Its appearance was similar to that of a hand-dug water well.
370:
said in his city "the stink is enough to knock you down." Improvement was slow, and large cities of the East and South depended to the end of the century mainly on drainage through open gutters. Pollution of water supplies by
392:
were emptied each day. There was no regulation of cesspit construction until the 18th century, when a need to address sanitation and safety concerns became apparent. Cesspits were cleaned out by tradesmen known in the UK as
387:
Cesspits were introduced to Europe in the 16th century, at a time when urban populations were growing at a faster rate than in the past. The added burden of waste volume began overloading urban street gutters, where
222:) extending outward below the level of the intake connection. The concrete cover often has a cleanout pipe extending above ground. Some are constructed with concrete walls on one or more sides.
311:
In many countries, planning and development regulations for the protection of the watershed prevent home-owners who live close to rivers and environmentally sensitive areas from installing a
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sometimes asphyxiated cesspit cleaners. Cesspits began to be cleaned out more regularly, but strict regulations for cesspit construction and ventilation were not introduced until the 1800s.
327:", i.e. allowed to continue operations until they no longer function. Once defunct, they must be disconnected and replaced by modern septic systems. In areas that have a higher than usual
438:, drowned after becoming overwhelmed by fumes and trapped in a backyard cesspool measuring 16 feet (4.9 m) deep. Collapsing cesspools are mostly older ones, built with brick or
685:
76:
The pit can be lined with bricks or concrete, covered with a slab, and needs to be emptied frequently when in use as an underground holding tank. In other cases (if soil and
358:
The typical
American urbanite in the 1870s relied on the rural solution of individual well and outhouse (privy) or cesspools. Baltimore in the 1880s smelled "like a billion
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in some contexts are terms with various meanings: they are used to describe either an underground holding tank (sealed at the bottom) or a
857:
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Most residential waste cesspools in use in the US today are rudimentary septic systems, consisting of a concrete-capped pit lined with
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and undrinkable water supplies. It is for this reason that deep water wells on the property must be drilled far from the cesspool.
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that provides some degree of attenuation of the pollutants present, but a deep cesspool can allow raw sewage to directly enter
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Modern environmental regulations either discourage or ban the use of cesspools, and instead connections to municipal
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503:(2nd Revised ed.). Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Duebendorf, Switzerland.
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particulate solids blocked the escape of liquids, causing the cesspool to drain more slowly or to overflow.
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accounted in large measures for the public health records and high mortality rates of the period.
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conditions allow), it is not constructed watertight, to allow liquid to leach out (similar to a
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686:"Teen dies after falling into open cesspool outside of Long Island Dunkin' Donuts"
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In the UK, a cesspit is a closed tank for the reception and temporary storage of
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In some localities in the U.S., existing rural residential waste cesspools are "
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Mission and Method: The Early
Nineteenth-Century French Public Health Movement
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Mission and Method: The Early
Nineteenth-Century French Public Health Movement
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784:"The environmental archaeology of garderobes, sewers, cesspits and latrines"
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On June 1, 2011, two teenagers, from the
Suffolk County neighborhood of
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Scheme of a cesspit that is constructed like an underground holding tank
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Tilley, E.; Ulrich, L.; Lüthi, C.; Reymond, Ph.; Zurbrügg, C. (2014).
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711:"Two teens die after trapped in backyard cesspool on Long Island"
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and allow the property sale or transfer with the cesspool.
30:"Cesspool" redirects here. For the G.I. Joe character, see
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553:
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214:(cinder blocks) laid on their sides with perforated
528:"How Often Should Cesspit Emptying be Carried Out?"
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195:forms in the loose soil surrounding a cesspool or
587:. Cambridge University Press. pp. 209, 215.
500:Compendium of Sanitation Systems and Technologies
64:, excreta, or fecal sludge as part of an on-site
1351:
667:L.I. Landscaper Dies After Falling Into Cesspool
607:
562:. Cambridge University Press. pp. 207–09.
642:"Man, Son, Neighbor Sucked Into N.Y. Cesspool"
203:with minimal biological cleansing, leading to
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746:The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology
268:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
151:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
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288:Learn how and when to remove this message
171:Learn how and when to remove this message
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183:A cesspool was at one time built like a
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583:La Berge, Ann Elizabeth Fowler (2002).
558:La Berge, Ann Elizabeth Fowler (2002).
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1385:Foundations (buildings and structures)
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349:History of water supply and sanitation
68:system and has some similarities with
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754:10.1093/acref/9780199534043.001.0001
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315:, requiring a holding tank instead.
266:adding citations to reliable sources
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149:adding citations to reliable sources
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27:Underground holding tank or soak pit
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1219:Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation
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96:An empty, old cesspool in Slovakia
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1089:Agricultural wastewater treatment
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409:In 1846, French public hygienist
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1149:Industrial wastewater treatment
1119:Decentralized wastewater system
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1360:Biodegradable waste management
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1169:Rotating biological contactor
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308:are encouraged or required.
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1234:Wastewater treatment plant
1001:Adsorbable organic halides
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1370:Environmental engineering
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1006:Biochemical oxygen demand
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740:Darvill, Timothy (2009),
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1194:Sewage sludge treatment
1134:Fecal sludge management
1094:API oil–water separator
1061:Wastewater surveillance
542:The National Experience
87:
1051:Total suspended solids
1046:Total dissolved solids
1011:Chemical oxygen demand
672:June 14, 2007, at the
375:as well as dumping of
212:concrete masonry units
97:
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918:Industrial wastewater
205:groundwater pollution
95:
40:
1375:Hydraulic structures
1260:Groundwater recharge
262:improve this section
145:improve this section
113:Infiltration systems
1174:Secondary treatment
1159:Membrane bioreactor
1114:Constructed wetland
913:Infiltration/Inflow
800:. 25 February 2021.
418:Society and culture
84:or to a soak pit).
32:Cesspool (G.I. Joe)
1339:Category: Sewerage
1300:Septic drain field
1265:Infiltration basin
1209:Stabilization pond
1129:Facultative lagoon
993:Quality indicators
873:Blackwater (waste)
853:Acid mine drainage
98:
43:
1347:
1346:
1124:Extended aeration
1071:Treatment options
1021:Oxygen saturation
868:Blackwater (coal)
846:Sources and types
763:978-0-19-953404-3
615:, The Straggler,
594:978-0-521-52701-9
569:978-0-521-52701-9
530:. 2 January 2019.
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1199:Sewage treatment
1099:Carbon filtering
1079:Activated sludge
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319:United States
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1320:Vacuum sewer
1204:Sewer mining
1154:Ion exchange
1104:Chlorination
1026:Heavy metals
983:Urban runoff
923:Ion exchange
903:Fecal sludge
792:
786:. p. 1.
777:
767:, retrieved
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723:. Retrieved
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693:. Retrieved
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650:. Retrieved
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440:cinder block
436:Farmingville
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390:chamber pots
386:
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306:septic tanks
299:
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260:Please help
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220:weeping tile
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143:Please help
131:
104:
101:Holding tank
75:
70:septic tanks
53:
49:
45:
44:
1310:Storm drain
1305:Sewage farm
1229:Vermifilter
1184:Septic tank
1144:Imhoff tank
1041:Temperature
948:Return flow
938:Papermaking
725:7 September
695:7 September
652:7 September
470:Gong farmer
450:Archaeology
395:gongfermors
329:water table
278:August 2021
230:Regulations
216:drain field
201:groundwater
197:pit latrine
161:August 2021
82:pit latrine
78:groundwater
1365:Sanitation
1354:Categories
1275:Irrigation
1139:Filtration
839:Wastewater
798:"Cesspool"
769:2020-04-23
742:"cess pit"
481:References
347:See also:
331:or fail a
66:sanitation
1109:Clarifier
1056:Turbidity
908:Greywater
629:0028-0038
623:(1): 55,
465:Garderobe
423:Accidents
368:Chicagoan
249:does not
132:does not
1380:Sewerage
1036:Salinity
928:Leachate
863:Bathroom
719:Archived
670:Archived
646:Fox News
459:See also
366:, and a
360:polecats
218:piping (
185:dry well
58:soak pit
54:soak pit
50:cesspool
18:Cesspool
963:Septage
715:Reuters
404:ammonia
343:History
270:removed
255:sources
193:biofilm
153:removed
138:sources
46:Cesspit
1337:
978:Toilet
968:Sewage
933:Manure
760:
627:
591:
566:
507:
383:Europe
373:sewage
107:sewage
883:Brine
62:feces
1224:UASB
758:ISBN
727:2015
697:2015
654:2015
625:ISSN
589:ISBN
564:ISBN
505:ISBN
253:any
251:cite
136:any
134:cite
88:Uses
52:and
750:doi
427:In
304:or
264:by
147:by
1356::
1031:pH
756:,
744:,
713:.
688:.
644:.
621:63
619:,
550:^
519:^
489:^
191:A
48:,
831:e
824:t
817:v
752::
729:.
699:.
656:.
597:.
572:.
544:.
513:.
291:)
285:(
280:)
276:(
272:.
258:.
174:)
168:(
163:)
159:(
155:.
141:.
34:.
20:)
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