What is the purpose of a lift station in a sewer system?

• A. To reduce odor
• B. To aerate water
• C. To lift water from a lower elevation to a higher elevation
• D. To screen solids

Answer: (C)

A lift station’s job is to move wastewater from a lower point to a higher point when gravity alone can’t do the job. In sewer systems, the terrain or pipe layout can prevent a continuous downhill flow, so a lift station collects the wastewater in a wet well and uses pumps to push it uphill into the next sewer segment or toward the treatment plant. The system also includes controls and backflow prevention to start/stop pumps safely and keep wastewater from flowing backward.

Other options aren’t the primary purpose of a lift station. Reducing odor is typically handled by odor-control equipment, aerating water is a treatment process for mixing air into wastewater, and screening solids is done by screens at the headworks or other pretreatment devices.