OPINION: For many years New Zealanders built single houses on quarter-acre sections. It was because many houses were built with septic tanks. But in the 1860s, Frenchman Jean-Louis Mouras came up with another solution when he invented the septic tank. The septic tank features a holding tank where solid matter settles and decomposes. Liquid from the tank then flows out into an effluent disposal field where it is absorbed into the ground.

Source: Stuff November 11, 2019 16:47 UTC