outfall

noun out·fall \ ˈau̇t-ˌfȯl \

|Updated on: 23 May 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

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
The plant discharged 244 million gallons of untreated stormwater and sewage through a 40-foot-deep emergency bypass outfall during two separate events on Feb. 9 and 15-16, 2017.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Disaster sent raw sewage into Puget Sound. Surprisingly, the water quality was barely affected.," 28 Feb. 2018
The stone outfall Ferretti examined — outfall S05204 — is at Kelly Drive in the city’s East Falls section.

— frank kummer, Philly.com, "At some Philly homes, toilets get flushed into the city's drinking water source. The underground detectives are on the case," 21 Mar. 2018
Now, four of the more than 100 outfalls — two of which are the biggest across the entire system — dump their waste into the tunnel's open section instead.

— sarah bowman, Indianapolis Star, "More than 55 million gallons of sewage kept out of White River by DigIndy tunnel," 27 Feb. 2018
The plant had dumped sewage into the ocean through an outfall discharge pipe, which extends into the ocean 2.5 miles at a depth of 130 feet.

— amy lieu, Fox News, "California beaches reopen after raw sewage spill, investigation for cause ensues: report," 24 Jan. 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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