{"id":38388,"date":"2022-06-17T14:56:09","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T18:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/?p=38388"},"modified":"2023-11-15T11:57:09","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T16:57:09","slug":"reseaux-degouts-comment-ca-fonctionne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/reseaux-degouts-comment-ca-fonctionne\/","title":{"rendered":"Sewer networks: how does it work?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sewer systems are invisible to us\u2026until they aren\u2019t! You have certainly already seen manholes in large urban centers transformed into veritable geysers circulating on social networks. What explains this strange phenomenon? And how do sewer systems work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/Ce4qzblLDja\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/Ce4qzblLDja\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewbox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/Ce4qzblLDja\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by #FNoMTL (@fucknomtl)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> <script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>A drop of rain can follow several paths. It can be directly absorbed by a vegetated surface, such as a vegetable garden or a forest. In town, it often lands on an asphalt or concrete surface. By a trickling phenomenon, the drop travels on the impermeable surface until it finds an exit point. These exit points are, very often <strong>street sumps <\/strong>also called <strong>manholes<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Types of sewer networks: separate and unitary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once in the sewer system, also called a pipe or conduit, two types of systems dictate the possible path of a drop of water. The drop of waste water from domestic use begins its journey here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized is-style-default\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FR_reseau.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38451\" width=\"648\" height=\"447\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FR_reseau.jpg 864w, https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FR_reseau-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FR_reseau-768x530.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 648px) 100vw, 648px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>First there are the <strong>separative networks <\/strong>which provide different conduits for rainwater and wastewater. Thus, in a separative network, wastewater is transported to treatment plants while rainwater is directly discharged into our waterways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/reseau_egout_separe_credit-Ville-de-Gatineau-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38424\" width=\"900\" height=\"656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/reseau_egout_separe_credit-Ville-de-Gatineau-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/reseau_egout_separe_credit-Ville-de-Gatineau-1-300x219.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/reseau_egout_separe_credit-Ville-de-Gatineau-1-1024x747.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/reseau_egout_separe_credit-Ville-de-Gatineau-1-768x560.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption>Separative network. Credit: City of Gatineau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Secondly, there are <strong>unitary networks<\/strong>, also called combined, which collect both domestic wastewater and rainwater. In this way, household drips and rainwater drips are all treated as wastewater and sent to sewage treatment plants. The oldest networks are often unitary networks. To give an idea of the distribution on the island of Montreal, two thirds of the sewer network are unitary while the remaining third is separate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/reseau_egout_unitaire_combine_credit-Ville-de-Gatineau-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38423\" width=\"437\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/reseau_egout_unitaire_combine_credit-Ville-de-Gatineau-1.jpg 583w, https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/reseau_egout_unitaire_combine_credit-Ville-de-Gatineau-1-300x236.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 437px) 100vw, 437px\" \/><figcaption>Unitary network. Credit: City of Gatineau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The unitary network, ineffective in the face of climate change<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With a unitary system, we frequently notice overflows in the event of heavy rain or when snow melts, because the water flow increases quite quickly. It can even happen that cesspool lids in the streets are lifted by the force of all this water, too abundant to be contained!&nbsp;<br>Once integrated into the sewer network, all this water goes to treatment plants which, too, can be subject to overflows. It also happens that the water heads towards overflow structures and that the<a href=\"https:\/\/deversements.fondationrivieres.org\/map.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">untreated wastewater empties into waterways<\/a>. Moreover, with climate change, <a href=\"https:\/\/portclim.ouranos.ca\/#\/fr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Ouranos research group<\/a> predicts that it will rain more often and that the rains will be heavier. So, if more water ends up in our pipes, the unitary systems will be the scene of many overflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Green infrastructures to mitigate the impacts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/eplv-toits-verts-credit_biosphere-musee-de-environnement-montreal.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38428\" width=\"450\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/eplv-toits-verts-credit_biosphere-musee-de-environnement-montreal.jpg 600w, https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/eplv-toits-verts-credit_biosphere-musee-de-environnement-montreal-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><figcaption>The Biosphere has green roofs. Credit: Biosphere \u2013 Environment Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>However, today there are alternatives to reduce the amount of water in our sewer systems by making surfaces less waterproof. They are commonly called <a href=\"https:\/\/robvq.qc.ca\/gdep\/sinspirer\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/robvq.qc.ca\/gdep\/sinspirer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">green infrastructure<\/a>, and they represent a series of initiatives such as blue roofs, rain gardens, drainage ditches and many others.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-text-color\">Main photo: The Mutual of Quebec Municipalities<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the author<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__avatar\"><img alt='' src='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d17069fc720a3504771dc134a50b37b07619a847f6dcc8012682368721d60053?s=48&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g' srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d17069fc720a3504771dc134a50b37b07619a847f6dcc8012682368721d60053?s=96&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' \/><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">Coralie Massey-Cantin<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:3px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Coralie is a water quality field technician trainee at Fondation Rivi\u00e8res. With a bachelor&#039;s degree in business administration specializing in sustainable development and marketing, she is a candidate for a master&#039;s degree in environmental management at the University of Sherbrooke.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Les r\u00e9seaux d\u2019\u00e9gouts nous sont invisibles\u2026 jusqu\u2019\u00e0 ce qu\u2019ils ne le soient plus! Vous avez en effet certainement d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu des bouches d\u2019\u00e9gout de grands centres urbains transform\u00e9es en v\u00e9ritables geysers circuler sur les r\u00e9seaux sociaux. Qu&rsquo;est-ce qui explique ce ph\u00e9nom\u00e8ne \u00e9trange? Et les r\u00e9seaux d\u2019\u00e9gouts, comment \u00e7a fonctionne au juste? Afficher cette publication sur [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":38416,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[37,40,58,98],"class_list":["post-38388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chroniques","tag-deversements","tag-eaux-usees","tag-infrastructures-vertes","tag-vulgarisation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38388\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}