Vacuum Sewers—A Viable Alternative for Wastewater Collection and Transport in Coastal Areas

In response to the growing need to protect the fragile and beautiful environment of the Coastal regions there has been increased desire to provide sewer collection systems to areas previously not sewered using less environmentally intrusive construction methods. Gravity sewer systems are the standard for wastewater collection worldwide. Although gravity sewers have been and remain the first choice among design engineers, the topography and constraints encountered in many Coastal locations precludes their use. Some of those constraints include rock at shallow depths, high groundwater table, a saltwater environment, unstable soil and mostly flat topography. The intent of this paper is to show how the use of Vacuum Sewers may help the design engineer overcome these constraints with shallow, narrow trenches and the elimination of infiltration and exfiltration. This technology has proved to be sustainable from both financial and environmental perspectives.