The History of Sewers

P – P in

1 I’m driving down the road . . .

2 I’m driving down the road . . .

3 And I notice a treatment plant . . .

4 And I think . . what treatment plant is that?

5 Raise your hand if this sounds familiar??

6 The History of Sewers

P – P in Paris

7 { The Orkney Islands (Scotland) are the ltilocation of excavati ons shhiowing earl y drainage systems. 8 StldScotland - 3200 BC

{ First lavatory-like plumbing systems were fitted into recesses in the walls of homes - with drained outlets. { Certain liquid wastes drained to areas either under or outside of bu ildings /homes.

9 The E arl y Y ears

{ Drains were constructed of sun-baked bricks or cut stone. { Babylonia was documented by many as the origin of the earliest known place to mold clay into pipe (via potter' s wheel) { People in larger homes squatted over an opening in the floor, their waste going into a cesspool below

10 { Until Roman times, Minoan plumbing and drainage were the most developed in what was then the Western World z Many of the drains from 2000 BC are still in service today on Crete

{ In Egypt, certain more well-to-do homes had "toilets" - the toilets used beds of sand to catch/contain the wastes z Servants cleaned the sand regularly

11 300 BC - 500 AD Greece

{ Pippoadadboes of lead and bronze were u udbysed by the Greeks to distribute water. { Greece had a system of aqueducts, but for the most part, few above-ground structural arches were incorporated; a lot of tunnels through hills, siphons under valley/rivers, etc. { Sewers in Athens delivered storm water and human wast es to a coll ecti on basi n out sid e of town, { From there brick-lined conduits took the wastewater to agricultural fields which used the wastewater for irrigation and to fertilize crops

12 800 BC - 300 AD Rome

{ Around 800 BC the Romans constructed the Cloaca Maxima, the central sewer system, to drain the marsh upon which Rome was later built { The initial purpose of the early sewers was to accommodate storm water runoff { It wasn’t until later that sanitaryyg sewage was added to the flow.

13 800 BC - 300 AD Rome - LiLatrines

{ Latrines - elongated rectangular platforms with several adjacent seats { Roman officials would sometimes continue discussions with visiting dignitaries while sitting on them

14 DjDejec tiEffiti Effusive A Atct:

{ Damages to be paid by the throwers of wastes into the street - if the person hit was injured { And only if the incident happened in daytime hours { No damaggpes paid for clothing 15 WHAT ???

No money for damaged clothes??

16 800 BC - 300 AD Rome

{ Roman courtesyy, also extended to visitors, and to people with emergencies: z Huge vases were provided at the edges of towns at entrance roads and at exit roads (i.e., early port-a-potties.) { Vendors worked the streets of Rome and other cities providing access to pottery jars (and "modesty capes") - for a price. { Men would also be available with a board to put down over the “sewer” so you could step across and not get your clothing wet

17 Very little progress was made from 100 BC through early nineteenth century

{ The Roman Emppygire fell in early AD along with the concepts of baths, basic sanitation, aqueducts, engineered water or sewage syy,stems, etc. { During this period the main form of waste disposal (solid or liquid) in European cities such as Paris and London was simply to dispose of it in the streets. { Diseases were commonplace; epidemics decimated towns and villages. The rat population thrived among the mess and stench. Twenty-five percent (or more) of the ancient European population died of disease (cholera, plague, etc.). 18 Paris

{ Paris was founded upon the ruins of the Roman city Lutece in 360 AD { It used the water from the for drinking water { The wastewater was poured onto fields or unpaved streets { Around 1200 Philippe Auguste had the streets paved and drains put in

19 Early Paris

{ In the 12th century the wat erways and the moat that surrounded Paris helped to cleanse the city { Tanners and dyers worked along different canals z Their chemicals were dilute enough to help purify the water but not kill the fish { AdAround the 14th century each section around Paris created dumps outside the city walls

20 Paris

{ In 1370 Hugues Aubibriot, a Pariiisian provost had a vaulted, stone walled sewer built in the "rue Montmartre". This sewer collected the wastewater and took it to the "Ménilmontant" brook. { The Ménilmontant sewer, was initially an open wash and later a closed conduit. { It was called the "Great Drain“ - grand ègout (ZAY-goo) or ègout de ceinture.

21 In the beginning . . .

{ Sewers were little more than gullies that ran down the center of the street { Construction, repair, maintenance and the upkeep of sewers was not clearly defined { The city hired contractors when needed

22 Early Paris

{ State and municipal authorities intermittently addressed the problem of human and other types of waste { Every epidemic brought about new ordinances z Three years after the plague of 1530 a royal decree ordered property owners to construct cesspools in each new dwelling

23 Paris

{ In 1539, when plagues again swept , King Francois I ordered house owners to build cesspools (indoor pit toilets) for sewage collection in new houses, constructed so they leaked and did not have to be emptied often. { In 1721 the Parliament of Paris required property owners to reimburse the city for the cost of cleaning the sewers which ran under dwellings z Since they were paying, people thought they could dump anything in the sewer

24 Sewer Laws

{ In 1736 an ordinance was issued which set a fine for householders and corporal punishment for their servants if found dumping garbage in the covered sewers { In 1772 architects proposed an underground system that was similar to what we have today { But resources and unavailability of materials at thetimemadetheprojectimpossible

25 Covered Sewers

{ Cov ered seeewers hid theitheir contents btbut were more difficult to clean { They weren’t all the same diameter z Making maintenance difficult { The lklack of even hihtheight made it difficult for air to circulate { There was no incline z Flow didn’t flow

26 Covered Sewers

{ EeptExcept when it rained, oor if the seeewer was near a fountain { Records were poorly kept, some sewers were totally forgotten { Until a sudden downpour, then people would complain { It was decided Paris wasn’t ready to be responsible for covered sewers

27 Early Paris

{ ClCesspools were not t hiiifhhe main recipient of the majority of the city’s organic waste { Paris produced enormous quantities of mud impregnated with rotting organic material including horse manure { It made excellent fertilizer but gave off offensive odors { Street sweepers and cesspool cleaners ttkook the waste to dumps scattered throughout the city

28 Early Paris

{ In 1761 muniiicipa l author ities didesigna tdted Montfaucon, northeast of Paris, as the city’s primary dump { In 1781, the city closed other refuse heaps leaving Montfaucon as the city’s only dump { And the place that prisoners were tortured, killed and hung, allowing their flesh to fall off of the bones as they decayed z It was also the didumping ground for { Dead animals from the slaughter houses { Contents of cesspool pits

29 Montfaucon

{ Had it’ s version of toshers and mudlarks who would wade nude through the piles of excrement to look for objects of value to sell { The cesspools were also dried out, aged for years and sold to farmers for fertilizer or “poudrette.” { Late 19th century engineers and public hlthhealth offici al swould come toseethe sewer system as the antithesis of dumps like Montfaucon

30 Michel-Etienne Turgot

{ Was the mayor of Paris from 1729 – 1740 { Constructed a large reservoirat the hdhead of the new sewer for flushing { Built five foot walls along the sewer with footbridges { When he died in 1779 his sewer was abandoned

31 Before the Second Empire

{ Until the 1820’sseeewers weeere built using hewn stone { Millstone and cement mortar were used for fabrication { Using cement allowed curved sewer floors - making cleaning easier { Using millstone reduced the cost and duration of construction

32 New Sewers

{ In 1824 sewers were in their infancy and those that were there, weren’t being cleaned routinely { Around 1835, new sewers were constructed that were 6 feet high or more

33 Mid 19th Century Paris

{ Was an unsanita ry, dangerous and congested city. { Between 1800 and 1850, the population had literally doubled to more than one million inhabitants,,/ 2/3rds of whom lived well below the poverty level. { Nothing had really changed since the reign of Louis XIV and the Parisians were suffering.

34 Paris Mid 19th Century

{ Parihdis had an out brea k of Cholera in 1832 that killed approximately 20,000 people { The second outbreak of cholera was in 1849 { People had two theories of what was causing the disease

35 Paris – Cholera 1830’s Epidemic { One was the Miasmatists who believed peopleweremade ill bypoidisoned air z Florence Nightingale and Edwin Chadwick supported this theory { The other, “Contagionists” believed that disease was passed by physical contact, whether from human to human, or through the consumption of infected food or water. z Drs. John Snow and William Budd were among those who thought that infected drinking water seemed to be the likeliest source of disease and particularly cholera

36 Cholera

{ Dr.JohnSnowcompared the mortality rate of the two private water companies supply ing waterate to ttehe Soho district (London). { He thought the water was being contaminated by the sewer pipes { After the handle was removed from theBroad Street water pump it ended the local Soho outbreak (1853 – 1854)

37 Cholera

{ Dr. Snow conddducted his own investigation { There were 500 outbreaks of cholera in 11 days { People fled the area { He tracked down ifinformati on on the people who lived in the area and had died

38 Dr. Snow

{ Chec ked places of employment in the area: { Workhouse z 535 workers – only 5 had died { Brewery z 70 workers – none died { Dug up the water pump site

39 Cholera { It wasn’t until 1885 that Robert Koch identified Vibrio cholerae as the bacillus that was causing the disease

40 { Paris had experienced 9 uprisings, as it was very easy to erect barricades in the narrow and dark streets. { III wanted to avoid this in the future while also making it easier for the cavalry to get through. { He carefully calculated the width of the avenues based on the turning radius of horse- drawn canons. { Baron Haussmann was tasked with modernizing the city

41 Baron Haussmann

{ One of Haussmann's first priorities was cleaning up the city { Haussmann increased the frequency of street cleaning z This caused more sand and silt in the sewers z The new sewers were built with depressions in the galler ies z Once the depressions were filled the flow was diverted and the wet sand removed { Par is ians still use d water carri ers, an d were only allowed 2 1/2 liters of water per day.

42 Sewers o There already was a sewer system in place, but it was outdated and only extended for 100 miles. o Haussmann's massive undertaking extended well bdbeyond thecreationof large avenues, grandiose monuments and the development of magnificent parks. o He chose an unknown engineer to overhaul the sewer system – Eugene Belgrand

43 Eugene Belgrand

{ Designed the sewers to be clean, easily access ible and substantially larger than previous years { Paris’ sewer system expanded fourfold between 1852 and 1869 { In 20 years, the production of potable water tripled, and the sewer system grew from 100 to 373 miles in length.

44 Eugene Belgrand

{ Water was collected from underground springs – some of which were located over 60 miles from Paris, then directed by aqueducts to be stored in water tanks built right at the entrance to the capital.

45 Belgrand

{ Because of his contributions to Parisian Civil Engineering, his name is one of 72 that are engraved on the Eiffel Tower

46 The Paris Sewers Museum is open every day except Thursday and Friday. From May through September, hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., From October through April, hours are 11 to 4 p.m. 47 The First Paris Sewer Tours

{ Besides the sanitary function of the sewers, in Paris they were also a source of tourism. { Starting in 1867 at the Paris Expp,osition, tours were given of sections of the sewer, and were very popular ddiuring the time of Victor Hugo (author of Les Miserable)

48 Paris Sewer Tours

{ People were loaded onto a cart (boat) modified from cleaning use { The sewermen were dressed in white coveralls and boots

49 Paris Sewer Tours

{ The sewermen were on either side of the channel and pulled the people on the carts or boats through the channels { The public tours impressed upon visitors the good health of the sewermen

50 Paris Sewer Tours

{ Boats and carts were abandoned around the 70’s and the tour is now a walk through of certain sections of the sewer

51 Paris Sewer Maintenance

{ The boat used in cleaning large sewers

52 Paris Sewer Maintenance

53 Paris Sewer Maintenance

{ Sewermen and engineers celebrated the new sewer system and it’s mechanical elegance { Mains in the sewer piped water throughout the city, the force of gravity flushed water out 54 Th’he Musee’ carts

{ The plate is lowered by the chains, allowing the sewage to backup and flush underneath clearing the sediment { The shield is pierce d with a hole large enough to permit water to force itself through, but small enouggph to keep solids behind

55 Th’he Musee’ carts

{ When the cart or boat reached the end of the sewer { Sewermen lifted the gate and manually pulled it back against the current to it’s point of departure { Motors couldn’t be used with the gases present

56 Paris Sewer Maintenance

{ Metal Balls used to clean sewers

57 Paris Sewer Maintenance

{ Wooden Sewer Ball 58 Paris Sewer Maintenance

59 How is the WW cleaned? The ww collected is transported to purification plants. Different areas are cleaned before being returned to the wild The sanitation of ww is performed in several stages

1. The screening

Water passes through a grid that holds the largest floating wastes (rags, wood, plastics)

2. The grit and oil removal

The heavy materials such as sand, sin k to the bottom of a pool, while the fatty materials (oils, greases, hydrocarbon) are brought to the surface where they are scraped

60 3. The decant

The suspended solids are deposited in the bottom basin and form the ppygrimary sludge. It is then recovered by scraping and then treated

4. Biological Treatment

The water loaded with dissolved organic material is present in an aeration basin. The oxygen is injected into the basin to enable the work of the bacteria which digested the pollution. In agglomerate, they form so-called biological sludge 61 5. Clarification

This step separates the purified water residual sludge. Water can finally be returned to rivers and streams

Did you know ?

Everything is done to prevent odors from (factories) purification plants. The buildings are now covered and the air is vacuumed and deodorized

And the sludge

Half of the sludge produced is used in agriculture for spreading. The remainder is dried and used to generate energy or used as compost

62 Where will the wastewater go?

When it leaves our homes, sewage is directly discharged into the sewers. In Paris, they are underground

63 The cycle of water in Paris In Paris, the water flows everywhere, under bridges, canals, beneath the city streets, fountains, apartments 1. Capture

In Paris, the water comes from two sources: groundwater sources within a radius of 150 km around the capital, as well as surface water taken from the Sei ne and the Marne

Groundwater is gravitationally conveyed into Paris by up to 600 kilometers of aquaducts

64 2. Treatment

The river and spring water is treated to become potable 3. Storage

The drinking water is stored before being distribution in 5 major reservoirs in Paris. The reservoir can store the equivalent of two times the amount of water consumed per day in Paris 4. Distribution

The water stored in reservoirs is then distributed to Paris by underground pipes to the base of buildings 65 5. The collection of WW When clear from our homes, the wastewater runs into the sewers where it mingles with rainwater

6. Sanitation and remediation into the natural environment

The wastewater is transported to purification plants where they are decontaminated before bibeing ret urne d to the rivers and streams

66 Paris Sewers

{ EtExtens ion of the sewer syst em cont tibtdributed significantly to the decline of waterborne epidemic disease in Paris { Cholera epidemics in the city fell off in frequency and intensity after 1854 { Today, almost 2,113 miles of sewers wind their way under the city. { Telegraph and telephone wires, pneumatic tubes for the postal service, tubes carrying compressed and, later the electrical system governing traffic lights stretched across the roof of the galleries

67 Paris Sewers

{ At the end of World War I, the sewage fields were no longer sufficient to protect the Seine. A general sewage treatment program, designed to meet the needs for 50 years, was drawn up and became state-approved in 1935. { This was the beginning of industrial sewage treatment. 68 Paris Sewers and Sewermen by Donald Reid http://www.deh.enr.state.nc.us/osww_new/new1/images/HIST ORYOSWS.pdf

The Sewer: Guardian against Disease by Laura Kahn

Urban Metabolism and River Systems: a Historical Perspective – Paris and the Seine by S. Barles

France Monthly Paris : the Baron Haussmann http://www.translucency.com/frede/parisproject/index.html www.sewerhistory.org

69 BkTi?Break Time ?

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