outfall

out·fall | \ ˈau̇t-ˌfȯl

How to pronounce outfall (audio)

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Definition of outfall

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

Examples of outfall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Its authors found that sewage flowed from the outfall once a week, on average, making waters unsafe for human contact downstream at City Island Park beach. — Scott Dance, baltimoresun.com, "It’s not just Baltimore: Another city is sending much more sewage into the Chesapeake Bay, report says," 22 Aug. 2019 Initial tests on foam collected near the Farmington River outfall of the MDC plant on June 9 found PFAS levels at more than 1,500,000 parts per trillion. — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, "Contamination from firefighting foam spill prompts new testing in Farmington River, military bases, major rivers and lakes," 28 June 2019 Tests at stormwater outfalls suggest contamination from sewage flowing into the river, due to failing infrastructure. — Lee Bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The Milwaukee River basin gets a D on an environmental report card as it grapples with an array of ills," 26 Nov. 2019 Sewage made its way from there to a sewage outfall, a pipe designed to drain waste into the Willamette when heavy rains cause the system to overflow. — Oregonlive.com, oregonlive, "3,000 gallons of sewage spills into Willamette River in downtown Portland," 6 Nov. 2019 New Jersey installed a state-of-the-art drainage system with nine pump stations and 72 outfalls. — courant.com, "Harry W. Hoover Sr.," 23 Oct. 2019 More than 9 million gallons of contamination came from a sewer outfall immediately downstream from the governor’s residence on the banks of the Susquehanna, the report said. — Scott Dance, baltimoresun.com, "It’s not just Baltimore: Another city is sending much more sewage into the Chesapeake Bay, report says," 22 Aug. 2019 Washington received a waiver from the secondary-treatment requirement at West Point in part because of its deep-water outfall in fast currents. — Anchorage Daily News, "Disaster sent raw sewage into Puget Sound. Surprisingly, the water quality was barely affected.," 28 Feb. 2018 The sampling was conducted throughout the spring at Tahoe Keys, a popular boating resort; Emerald Bay State Park, where boat access is limited, and at three stormwater outfalls into Lake Tahoe. — Los Angeles Times, "Microplastics are found in Lake Tahoe’s waters for first time ever," 26 Aug. 2019

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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Last Updated

19 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Outfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outfall. Accessed 16 Feb. 2020.

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