Effluent sewer
Effluent sewers also currently serve fewer people than septic systems, which also use septic tanks, but simply dispose of the effluent by draining it into a leach field. About one quarter of United States homes dispose of their wastewater with septic tanks. However, effluent sewers are being looked at as a sewage treatment solution in areas where gravity sewer systems are not well-suited or when the high capital cost to build a gravity system is prohibitive. Areas that are less than ideal for gravity systems include areas that are large, but extremely flat and areas that require long-distance pumping, such as where homes are widely spread out or when several small villages or towns connect their sewage systems so that a centralized plant can be built.
Cesspit
On June 1, 2011, two teenagers from Farmingville in Long Island, New York, drowned after becoming overwhelmed by fumes and trapped in a backyard cesspool measuring 16-feet deep. The collapsing cesspools were mostly due to older cesspools built with brick or cinder block. These structures weakened over their lifespan leading to increased risk of collapse. Newer cesspools are cast concrete which dramatically decrease any risk of collapse. All new construction in areas without waste sewer systems use these new precast cesspools. In addition, cast concrete cesspools are used commonly in commercial construction for storm water collection.