Groundwater infiltration is a silent budget killer for municipalities and utilities across North America. It drives up wastewater treatment costs, strains infrastructure, and increases the risk of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). Most of the time, the problem starts underground at the manhole.
If your wastewater system still relies on concrete manholes, infiltration is likely costing you more than you think. Here's how, and why watertight polyethylene manholes like The Poo Pit are quickly becoming the new standard in municipal infrastructure.
What Is Groundwater Infiltration?
Groundwater infiltration occurs when clean water seeps into the sewer system through cracks, joints, or porous materials. In traditional systems made with precast concrete, infiltration is nearly impossible to avoid over time. Saturated soils, high water tables, and aging joints all contribute to leaks that send clean groundwater into wastewater treatment plants.
The problem? You’re paying to treat clean water like sewage every single day.
Why Concrete Manholes Fail
Concrete is a porous material. Over time, it absorbs moisture, corrodes from exposure to sewer gases like hydrogen sulfide, and degrades due to freeze/thaw cycles or shifting ground. Even with proper installation, precast concrete manholes develop cracks, joint leaks, and points of failure that allow infiltration and exfiltration.
Most concrete systems rely on gaskets and joint seals, both prone to failure as they age.
The Financial & Environmental Cost of Infiltration
For every gallon of groundwater that enters your system, your municipality pays for:
- Pumping and transporting excess volume
- Unnecessary wastewater treatment
- Increased energy and operational costs
- Capacity loss during storm events
- Higher risk of sewer overflows and environmental fines
In high-infiltration zones, these costs compound quickly, adding hundreds of thousands of dollars in preventable spending over the lifespan of a manhole.
Unlike concrete, The Poo Pit is constructed from seamless polyethylene, making it 100% watertight and corrosion-proof. It has no joints to seal, no gaskets to fail, and no surfaces for water to penetrate.
Benefits of polyethylene manholes from The Poo Pit family:
- Guaranteed watertight and airtight performance
- Resistance to corrosive sewer gases
- No confined space entry, surface-level maintenance only
- Fast installs (as little as 15 minutes)
- Proven in 250K installations globally
Get Ahead of Infiltration
Want to eliminate infiltration once and for all? Upgrade to The Poo Pit, Mini Pit, or Smart Pit and protect your system for the next 100 years.
Download product specs or request a project review today and see how watertight infrastructure saves money, and headaches, from day one.
