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'''Simplified Sewers describe a sewerage network that is constructed using smaller diameter pipes laid at a shallower depth and at a flatter gradient than conventional sewers. The Simplified Sewer allows for amore flexible design associated with lower costs and a higher number of connected households.'''
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===Adequacy===
Where the ground is rocky or the groundwater table is high, the excavation of trenches for pipes may be difficult. Under these circumstances, the cost of installing sewers is significantly higher than in favourable conditions. Regardless, Simplified Sewerage is less expensive than [[Conventional Gravity Sewer|Conventional Gravity Sewerage]] because of its shallow installation depth.
Simplified Sewers can be installed in almost all types of settlements and are especially appropriate for dense, urban settlements. To prevent clogging and maintain the sewers, good pre-treatment is required. It is recommended that the scum from greywater, heavy solids and garbage be removed from the wastewater prior to entering the sewer.
===Health Aspects/Acceptance===
If constructed andmaintained well, sewers are a safe and hygienic means of transporting wastewater. Users must be well educated about the health risks associated with maintaining/ cleaning blockages and inspection chambers.
===Upgrading===
Household inspection chambers can be upgraded to septic tanks so that fewer solids enter the Simplified Sewer network, but this will increase maintenance costs associated with emptying the septic tank.
===Maintenance===
Pre-treatment with interceptor tanks and a grease trap is essential. The homeowner must maintain the interceptor tanks and the grease trap. Ideally, households will also be responsible for the maintenance of the sewers, however in practice this may not be feasible. Alternatively, a private contractor or users committee can be hired to assume responsibility for the maintenance as inexperienced users may not detect problems before they become severe, and therefore, more costly to repair. A related problem is that households may drain stormwater into the sewer. This practice should be discouraged whenever possible. Blockages can usually be removed by opening the sewer and forcing a length of rigid wire through the sewer. Inspection chambers must be emptied periodically to prevent grit overflowing into the system.
===References===
* Azevedo Netto, MM. and Reid, R. (1992). Innovative and Low Cost Technologies Utilized in Sewerage. Technical Series No. 29, Environmental Health Program. Pan American Health Organization, Washington DC. (Refer to Chapters 3 and 4 for component diagrams and design formulae.)
* Watson, G. (1995). Good Sewers Cheap? Agency-Customer Interactions in Low-Cost Urban Sanitation in Brazil. The World Bank, Water and Sanitation Division, Washington, DC. (A summary of large scale projects in Brazil.)
===Acknowledgements===
{{:Acknowledgements Sanitation}}