With residents increasing their use of sanitizing wipes during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Emporia Public Works Department is asking that citizens avoid flushing them after use.
Public Works Director Dean Grant, KVOE’s Talk of Emporia guest Friday morning, says flushing wipes down the toilet can cause major issues once they reach sanitary lift stations. Grant explains even though a package may say they are flushable, those wipes do not break down like other materials such as toilet paper.
Those issues can include clogging the pumps and even burning out a station’s motor. Grant says anytime they have to address those issues the cost of maintaining the city’s sewer system begins to rise.
Grant adds the cost of a pump for a sanitary lift station can range from $2,000 to $100,000 making replacing the equipment difficult at times. Additionally, he says just because a pump may stop the flow of wastewater does not.
He says a station can only hold so much wastewater before it will eventually begin to spill out which will lead to raw sewage on the ground, in drainage ditches and ultimately it could end up spilling out into the Cottonwood and Neosho Rivers here in Emporia. Grant asks that residents refrain from flushing any sanitizing wipes down the drain and instead dispose of them in trash cans and other receptacles.
