#Middlebury #COVID19 #Coronavirus
By MARJORIE NEEDHAM
As we all try to protect ourselves and our families from the COVID-19 coronavirus, we are using more disinfectant wipes than we’ve ever used. Disposal of those wipes has created a problem for wastewater treatment plants.
It turns out “flushable” wipes aren’t as flushable as we think. Put a used wipe in the toilet, and flush. It’s gone! Except for this: A single wipe we flush travels on its way to the treatment plant, joining up with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of other “flushable” wipes. There is power in numbers, right? And all these wipes gather together to clog huge pipes.
Dealing with a backed-up wastewater pipe is no one’s idea of fun. Both the city of North Haven and the borough of Naugatuck have put out pleas for folks to stop flushing wipes.
Naugatuck’s plea was shared via the Naugatuck Police Department’s Facebook page. It asks us to refrain from flushing wipes, paper towels and similar products. It warned these items can cause backups and overflows, not just at the wastewater treatment facilities, but perhaps also in your home, adding another public health risk in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For those who don’t know, Middlebury’s wastewater makes its way to the Naugatuck wastewater plant. We’ll spare readers the picture of a huge clogged pipe one facility posted on FB.
Please stop flushing anything other than toilet paper. Put wipes, even those labeled “flushable,” and anything else in the trash instead of the toilet. The folks at the wastewater treatment plant need your help.
