Pressurized sewage systems are well suited to outlying locations such as holiday areas and coastal regions, where there may be no direct access to local gravity-based systems. They can also provide an economical alternative to gravity sewers, since they involve smaller pipeline diameters and less excavation.

Network pumping stations collect municipal wastewater from residential homes and communal schemes. Installed in dry or wet wells, the pumps deliver the effluent to a terminal pumping station. Since most pumping stations are not equipped with screens, the pumps must cope with difficult materials such as fibrous sanitary and packaging items.

Terminal pumping stations receive municipal wastewater from network pumping stations. Installed in dry or wet wells, the pumps forward the medium to a treatment plant for final purification. Due to the lack of screens at most pumping stations, difficult materials such as fibrous sanitary and packaging items are a constant threat to uptime.

During heavy rainfall, storm water pumping stations deliver large volumes of water at low head to receiving surface waters or sewers. Having long been a part of flood management, they are increasingly involved in climate adaptation strategies for low-lying coastal cities.