outfall

noun out·fall \ ˈau̇t-ˌfȯl \

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Definition of outfall

: the outlet of a body of water (such as a river or lake); especially : the mouth of a drain or sewer

Recent Examples of outfall from the Web

The three main outfalls used by West University Place are Kilmarnock Ditch, Poor Farm Ditch and Kirby Drive.

— rebecca hazen, Houston Chronicle, "West University Place conducts drainage study," 7 July 2018
But environmental groups are concerned about both the overall water quality of the Missouri River and the fate of a rare and ancient sturgeon as pollutants flow from outfalls at the park into creek tributaries and eventually the river.

— kelsey ryan, kansascity, "Worlds of Fun was sued for polluting. Then Missouri loosened its pollutant limits," 6 July 2018
Alexandria began to address the issue several years ago, knowing that a state deadline was approaching for fixing three of the four outfalls.

— patricia sullivan, Washington Post, "Virginia regulators approve Alexandria sewer repair plan," 2 July 2018
There will be storm sewer channels that include curb inlets on both sides of the roadway; a ditch system where necessary; three outfalls and two detention basins.

— melanie feuk, Houston Chronicle, "$100 million FM 1960 widening projects includes 3 overpasses in Atascocita," 21 June 2018
For those outfalls not yet captured by the tunnel system, Citizens estimates that roughly 400 million gallons of sewage entered the city's waterways during the week of heavy rainfall.

— sarah bowman, Indianapolis Star, "More than 55 million gallons of sewage kept out of White River by DigIndy tunnel," 27 Feb. 2018
As Mexicali grew as a manufacturing and population center, so did the problems of the river, which has no substantial tributaries, making runoff and sewage outfall its only main sources of water.

— brittny mejia, latimes.com, "Three-eyed fish and two-headed turtles? The stench of this river spanning U.S.-Mexico border is legendary," 2 May 2018
This included sinkholes, bank erosion, failed concrete, collapsed outfall pipes and other damage.

— staff report, Houston Chronicle, "Harris County Flood Control District begins drive on $84 million hurricane repair program," 27 Apr. 2018
Miami-Dade County also has a massive sewage outfall pipe nearby.

— jenny staletovich, miamiherald, "Mystery disease spreads, threatens coral reefs in the Lower Florida Keys | Miami Herald," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'outfall.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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