Glossary of Terms

Clean Water Act – The primary federal law that governs water pollution throughout the United States of America.

CCTV - CCTV stands for Closed Circuit Television. CCTV inspections generally consist of a remotely-operated camera, mounted on a self-propelled robotic crawler that is inserted into pipes and drains to identify defects and connected to a video monitor above ground. CCTV can detect cracked pipes, collapsed drains, blockage caused by tree roots, grease, debris, and other damage.

Consent Decree – An agreement between two parties to resolve a dispute without admission of fault.

EPA – United States Environmental Protection Agency whose mission is to protect the health of humans and the environment.

EPD – Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources that protects Georgia’s environment.

FOG – Fats, Oils, and Grease. FOG, which is commonly discarded improperly, can cause major buildup in the public sewer system. To learn more about proper disposal of FOG please visit the DeKalb Department of Watershed Management’s website FOG.

Flow Meter – A device mounted inside of sewers that measures the depth and velocity of sewer flow. The meter conveys data to assess and mitigate sanitary sewer overflows.

Inflow – Water entering the sanitary sewer system from undesired locations or connections.

Infiltration – Groundwater entering the sanitary sewer system through defective or broken pipes.

Lift Station – A facility designed to move wastewater to a higher elevation from a lower elevation through pipes. Lift stations can reduce the cost of sewer system construction.

Manhole – A small opening in the ground that leads to an underground utility that allows a person to enter to make connections or perform maintenance.

Pipe Bursting – A method to replace buried pipes without the need to dig deep construction trenches.

Rain Gauge - Rain gauges are devices used to gather data and calculate the amount of rainfall over a period of time. The purpose of a rain gauge is to provide efficient and effective data to assess capacity and infiltration/inflow issues within the wastewater collection and transmission systems.

SSES - SSES stands for Sewer System Evaluation Survey. An SSES is a comprehensive, systematic process aimed at identifying and investigating sanitary sewer system problems and developing maintenance and rehabilitation methods to correct the problems. The survey typically includes data collection, CCTV inspection, smoke testing, manhole inspection, and dyed water testing.

SSO – SSO stands for Sanitary Sewer Overflow and is sewage that flows out of a sanitary sewer pipe or overflows from a manhole onto a surface or into a stream.

Smoke Testing – A method used to locate points of inflow and infiltration in the public portion of the sanitary sewer system that have the potential to create overflows during storms.