A cesspit, or cesspool,(also known as "zesspit" or "zesspool") is a pit, conservancy tank, or covered cistern, which can be used for sewage or refuse. // Getting water out of a cistern A cistern (Middle English cisterne, from Latin cisterna, from cista, box, from Greek kistê, basket) is a receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. ... Sewage is the liquid water produced by human society which typically contains washing water, laundry waste, faeces, urine and other liquid or semi-liquid wastes. ... This article is about waste matter. ...

In the UK a cesspit is a sealed tank for the reception and temporary storage of sewage. Because it is sealed, the tank must be emptied frequently — in many cases as often as weekly. Because of the need for frequent emptying, the cost of maintenance of a cesspit can be very high.

In many rural communities, sometimes the builder or installer of a cesspit will illegally breach the floor of the pit after the final inspection by building inspectors so as to allow liquid from the tank to escape into the ground. Such incidents can give rise to locally acute pollution and may contaminate the drinking water supplies of others. Using a cesspit in such a condition constitutes a criminal offence in the UK. It has been suggested that Pollutant be merged into this article or section. ... Drinking water Mineral Water Drinking water is water that is intended to be ingested by humans. ...

In the US, a cesspool is a dry well for the disposal of sewage. Liquids leach out promptly if soil conditions allow. Some solids decay and are leached out after some time. Some solids accumulate, eventually blocking the escape of liquids, causing the familiar cesspool failure or overflow. Cesspools are discouraged, or are banned by local plumbing codes, and instead connections to municipal sewage systems or septic systems are encouraged or required. Dry well refers to an underground storage facility for water, typically storm water runoff. ... A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures. ... On-site septic disposal systems are common in rural areas where public sewage treatment systems do not exist. ...

The typical American urbanite in the 1870s relied on the rural solution of individual well and outhouse (privy) or cesspool. Baltimore in the 1880s smelled "like a billion polecats," according to H. L. Mencken, and a Chicagoan 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 sewage as well as dumping of industrial waste accounted in large measures for the public health records and staggering mortality rates of the period. (The National Experience) It has been suggested that boogle be merged into this article or section. ...

In Huntington, New York, most households still use cesspools for waste drainage. There has been a chronic occurrence of cesspool collapses in this area. Since 1998, four cases of cesspools collapsing and sucking in human residents that were standing over them have been reported, injuring a total of five people, killing one in 2001 ^[1] and another in 2007.^[2] The Town of Huntington is located in northwestern Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. ... NY redirects here. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

See also

• Garderobe
• Gong Farmer
• Septic tank
• Wastewater treatment
• Plumbing
• Grease Trap
• Waste management
• Toilet

These were medieval toilets in large public buildings and castles. ... A gong farmer was the term used in Tudor Britain for a person who removed human excrement from privies and cesspits. ... A septic tank also known as a septic system is a small scale sewage treatment system common in areas with no connection to main sewerage pipes. ... Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater, both runoff and domestic. ... A plumber wrench for working on pipes and fittings Plumbing, from the Latin for lead (plumbum), is the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures for potable water systems and the drainage of waste. ... A grease trap is a receptacle that kitchen wastewater flows through before entering the sanitary sewer lines. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Waste For the company, see Waste Management, Inc. ... Flush toilet. ...

References

1. ^ Man, Son, Neighbor Sucked Into N.Y. Cesspool
2. ^ L.I. Landscaper Dies After Falling Into Cesspool

The National Experience Cesspools are regulated in the U.S. if they serve more than 20 people.

• The Hazzards of Improperly Abandoned Cesspools on L.I., NY