outfall

noun out·fall \ ˈau̇t-ˌfȯl \

Updated on: 12 Apr 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 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
At the time, the remedy — of sorts — was to put chlorine in the wastewater before it was sent into the international outfall.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Tijuana sewage spills: generations of frustration," 18 Feb. 2018
And as biologist Fabio Pusceddu of the University of São Paulo reports in a recent study, the animals around this outfall appear to be feeling the effects of our drugs.

— amorina kingdon, Smithsonian, "How Drugged-Up Shellfish Help Scientists Understand Human Pollution," 16 Jan. 2018
South Florida Water Management District Miami-Dade’s older sewer treatment system, however, was designed around ocean outfall pipes.

— jenny staletovich, miamiherald, "Miami-Dade, FPL propose partnership to deal with sewage, cooling canals | Miami Herald," 30 Jan. 2018
Rochette said five outfall pipes will be installed under the sand to take stormwater from the street ends to the ocean.

— nanette lobiondo galloway, The Seattle Times, "Dune construction causes headaches for shore businesses," 27 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.

First Known Use of outfall

1629

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