Water Sector News
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Heyburn officials say 'flushable' wipes and even shirts are causing problems in the sewer system
Residents here may have another problem on their hands during the COVID-19 pandemic if they don’t stop flushing wipes and other items into the sewer system.
Brian Vail, Heyburn’s water and wastewater supervisor, said city employees have been pulling clothing items and different types of wipes out of the city’s sewer pumps.
Someone in the city flushed a shirt down the toilet, which ended up tangled in a pump, he said.
“The toilet is not a garbage disposal,” Vail said.
It costs the city thousands of dollars to replace a pump, he said.
“And it doesn’t matter what kind of wipes they are, even the flushable wipes don’t break down and end up in the pumps,” said Vail.
The only things that should be flushed down the toilet are toilet paper and human waste, he said.