Have you ever wondered what happens to household waste when you flush the toilet? No? Well don’t feel bad. Most people don’t think about it at all UNLESS it doesn’t go down! Water and wastewater are very underappreciated essentials.
Wastewater treatment is the process of removing “”solids” from the domestic or “household” sewage. Most systems do this through a natural biological process that removes those items which should not be returned to ground or water. Its objective is to produce an environmentally safe fluid waste stream (or treated effluent) and a solid waste (or treated sludge) suitable for disposal or reuse.
At our July meeting, the Park’s Utilities Operator, Dawn Liscomb, a/k/a the Poop Lady, spoke on Wastewater: 
A Surprisingly Natural Process. Dawn, with lots of good humor, described the trials and tribulations of keeping the Park’s small wastewater treatment plant working. She also described how your home system and large municipal systems differ. Most importantly, she helped us understand why a good, properly working system is so important for our health and the health of our environment.
Friends of Shenandoah River State Park 