Terms and Definitions
Terms & Definitions
Easement – Also called utility easement, this is a portion of land, shared by a property owner and a public agency, that contains a public utility, such as a sewer pipe.
Exterior Cleanout – The outside sewer cleanout is an external entry point to your main sewer line that can be opened and closed to allow for cleaning, blockage removal.
Interceptor – An interceptor is a large diameter gravity sewer line which receives flow from many trunk sewers, force mains and sewer mains and generally, has no side sewer connections.
Sewer Lateral – The “Sanitary Sewer Line” is the lateral sewer line that connects your home to the public sewer system. Wastewater from your toilets, sinks, showers, and washing machine travels through the sanitary sewer line to the public sewer main line which then carries it to the wastewater plant for treatment.
The main is the responsibility of Northampton, Bucks County, Municipal Authority. The lateral sanitary line that runs from the main to your home is your responsibility to keep in good repair.
Treatment Facility – A wastewater treatment plant is a facility in which a combination of various processes (e.g., physical, chemical and biological) are used to treat industrial wastewater and remove pollutants and converting wastewater into water that can be safely discharged back into the environment. The basic function of wastewater treatment is to speed up the natural processes by which water is purified.
