septic tank

noun

Definition of septic tank

: a tank in which the solid matter of continuously flowing sewage is disintegrated by bacteria

Examples of septic tank in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Over the years, the lake also filled up with nutrients, mostly from farm and ranch run-off in the beginning, but now the polluted inflow includes a mix of urban stormwater and pollution from leaky septic tanks. — Jenny Staletovich, miamiherald, "Massive and toxic algae bloom threatens Florida coasts with another lost summer," 29 June 2018 Moving around the nutrient-dense lake water, fouled by runoff from septic tanks, ranches and sugar farms, is something like a game of hot potato. — Alex Harris, miamiherald, "Army Corps can’t promise 2016’s algae blooms won’t return, but this strategy may help," 12 July 2018 Water was an issue even then, so between the water pump and the septic tank, occasional plumbing issues arose. — Shelby Grad, latimes.com, "Essential California: Why the heat left so many powerless in L.A.," 10 July 2018 Also the use of septic tanks for sewage poses a watershed threat. — Lara Korte, WSJ, "Developers Go With the Flow as New Water Rules Kick In," 10 July 2018 Condoms Condoms are also not designed to break down in water, so flushing them can cause clogs in toilets and septic tanks, according to Agugliaro. — Brittney Morgan, House Beautiful, "16 Things You Should Never Flush Down The Toilet," 29 June 2018 Homeowners use rainwater-catch tanks and cesspools or septic tanks. — Caleb Jones, BostonGlobe.com, "Chance at affordable piece of paradise drew many to slopes of volcano," 7 May 2018 Homeowners use rainwater-catch tanks and cesspools or septic tanks. — Caleb Jones, BostonGlobe.com, "Chance at affordable piece of paradise drew many to slopes of volcano," 7 May 2018 Heaps of flaming rock have already shattered windows and destroyed a septic tank -- setting it ablaze with a blue flame of burning methane gas. — Scott Mclean, CNN, "Man defending Hawaii home from vocano is hit by flaming 'lava bomb'," 22 May 2018

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