MOORHEAD — Over the last year, Minnesota State University Moorhead has had nine significant sewage backups on campus, one of which resulted in the temporary closure of Lommen Hall for costly repairs .

The cause? Flushable wipes.

The basement in Lommen Hall will now require extensive clean-up and repairs, according to Brenda Norris, MSUM’s executive director of facilities management.

The university will have to pay out $50,000 to repair the damage and remove the blockage, Norris estimates, adding three basement classrooms are closed for the next several weeks while repairs will take months to fully complete.