Understanding Drainage

HOME DRAINAGE SYSTEM 

In any Town, private and public drainage systems work together to channel and move sanitary and stormwater safely away from homes and neighbourhood streets. The private system is the responsibility of residential, commercial and industrial property owners. The public system is owned and operated by the municipality, in this case the Town of Slave Lake. 

The Sanitary Sewer Main deals with all water disposed of inside the home. Water from showers, toilets, sinks, dishwashers, washing machines and floor drains is channelled to a pipe under your basement floor. This pipe is connected to a larger sanitary sewer pipe located under the street or the back lane. 

The Storm Sewer Main deals with roof and surface water that comes from rainfall or snowmelt. Sloped lawns and driveways direct water from the roof and the ground to the street or the back lane. Where is the water discharged to? 

Water that seeps through the ground is collected by weeping tile located at the bottom of your home’s foundation. Weeping tile is typically connected to a sump pump which sends excess water up to the surface. It is not permitted, within the Town of Slave Lake, to connect a weeping tile directly to a sewer pipe under your basement floor (see Figure 1). Instead, weeping tile should be connected to a sump pump which will direct water back onto the surface. 

PUBLIC (TOWN) DRAINAGE SYSTEM

The sanitary sewer main collects sewage and “grey water” and sends it to the Town of Slave Lake’s Lagoons for processing. 

We have seven (7) sewage lagoons in Slave Lake. A sewage lagoon is a large pond into which the sewage and effluent from the sewage system flows. The sewage and effluent are broken down by bacteria in the lagoon. The sun and wind play also an important role in the working of the lagoon as they provide light, warmth, and oxygen to the water. Light, warmth and oxygen are necessary to grow bacteria and algae in the water. The algae helps the bacteria to break down the sewage and effluent. 

The stormwater system collects rainwater and snowmelt and channels it via pipes or overland routes to wet and dry ponds, creeks, ravines, or directly into the Lesser Slave Lake .