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ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
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Wastewater generated in industries can be treated
on-site or released to municipal systems, but it is
necessary that discharge permissions have been
granted and that quality limits are being respected.
Wastewater generated in the agricultural sector
(for example livestock production, green houses),
if collected and treated, can be used within the
establishment for irrigation or other purposes. However, separate sewers do not always operate as
efficiently as expected, for example when insufficient
controls favour illegal sewage connections to the
runoff pipelines. The endpoint of a sewerage network
should be a treatment plant, which aims to remove
contaminants from wastewater so that it can either be
safely used again (fit-for-purpose treatment) or returned
to the water cycle with minimal environmental impacts.
WASTEWATER COLLECTION
The sewerage network used for wastewater
transportation can be separated or combined. In
separate systems, different sets of pipes are used
to transport the sewage and urban runoff, while in
combined systems both flows are convey