Water Sector News
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Wipes and other items causing severe clogs in Austin’s sewer system, officials say
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Water is reminding people to not flush any baby wipes, diapers, rags, or other items down the toilet, because they are causing clogs in the sewage system all too often.
“We are responding to sanitary sewer overflows every week,” Jay Porter, the Austin Water’s special services manager, said.
The utility took to Twitter to remind people to not put wipes in the pipes. It tweeted three times in the past two weeks about recent clogs that crews had to untangle from the system. One tweet mentioned a certain clog required four workers, a truck, and a crane to work all day to clear out one mess.
Flushable but not safe for the system
Porter explained that people are using wipes everyday and flushing them down the toilet. Water crews have to clear out a clog of wipes at least once a week, Porter explained. Officials say you should only flush down toilet paper.