Water Sector News
A snapshot of clean water stories from publications around the country, updated daily!
OHIO CITY PURCHASES TRUCK TO TACKLE WIPES CLOGGING PIPES
North Olmsted, Ohio is in the process of purchasing a new maintenance service truck to tackle flushable wipes, which do not break down in wastewater.
The cost of the maintenance vehicle is $131,000, reported Cleveland.com.
“The need for this new vehicle isn’t just the wipes, but the changing characteristics of society in general,” said North Olmsted Waste Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Brian Blum. “People tend to flush more stuff down the toilet. We just see a lot more material coming through the sewer system that can’t necessarily be treated by the treatment plant, nor can it pass through a pump. We’ve put in big grinders that kind of shred up the material in the wastewater that would otherwise clog up in the pumps.”
The current protocol is that off-site equipment must be brought back to the maintenance shop for repair. With the new maintenance truck, the treatment plant adds a vehicle that allows employees to take the workshop onsite to different locations throughout the system.
Blum also adds that the vehicle will allow the maintenance crew do things like pull pumps out of the ground. It also has a welder unit, a compressor and different attachments that are mounted to the truck, reported Cleveland.com.