Toilet Paper is On a Roll
Our Water Utilities team is working around the clock to ensure we provide essential services during this critical time. You can help our staff focus on priorities by not flushing non-flushable items down the toilet. With toilet paper becoming the latest panic buy, it is logical to assume that people without toilet paper might turn to different methods for meeting their sanitation needs.
You may be confused by what can be flushed down the toilet. Even if it says “flushable wipes”, only human waste and toilet paper should be flushed. Wipes and other non-flushable items can cause build up that costs money and time to remove.
“It is always important to only flush approved materials into the sewer system, now more than ever. If you are using alternative means of sanitation including “flushable” wipes or other non-toilet paper, paper products, please be aware that these items are not intended for disposal into sanitary sewer collection systems. While they might make it through the toilet, they are known to cause blockages in sewer pipes past the toilet”. Ryan Ratcliff, Utility System Manager.
Not only do clogs affect our pipes, they affect yours. If flushable wipes get stuck in your lateral pipe, they could create a clog costing money to fix. Laterals are pipes that connect a home or business to the sewer system; they are part of your private plumbing system. Property owners are responsible for these pipes. That includes inspection, cleaning, maintenance, repair and/or replacement if necessary. All homes or businesses connected to the public sanitary sewer main have a sanitary sewer lateral connection to it.
“The unintended consequences of flushing these items can lead to sewage back-up in your home, pump station problems, sewage back-up in sewer mains, and sanitary sewer overflows into creeks, lakes, and streams. The appropriate way to dispose of flushable wipes, or anything other than toilet paper, is to put it in the trash”. Ryan Ratcliff, Utility System Manager.
Remember, these items not only affect your pipes, they affect others as well. So, before you flush those non-flushable items down the drain, think twice about what they could do to your pipes.