Plumbing originated during ancient civilizations, such as Greek, Roman and Persian times. Improvement in plumbing systems proved to be a very slow process. Plumbing systems were extremely rare until the growth of modern densely-populated cities in the 1800’s. During this time period, public health authorities began pressing for better waste disposal systems to prevent disease epidemics. Back then a waste disposal system consisted of collecting waste and dumping it on the ground or into a river. Eventually, underground water and sewage systems eliminated open sewage ditches and cesspools. Can you imagine?