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Office: 715.228.7604
Fax: 715.228-3418

364 Industrial Drive
PO Box 48
Coloma, WI 54930

The fate of "flushable" baby wipes

6/28/2013

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It's not often that I hear wastewater news or interesting tidbits on the the radio, so my ears perked up this Wednesday when the hosts started talking about sewer clogs this week in between Macklemore and Imagine Dragons.  Specifically, they were discussing how baby wipes are causing sewer clogs.  When I got back to the shop, I used googled it and found a local article out of Minnesota detailing the troubles that small town Avon is having with with wipes clogging the lift station pumps.  
Since Wednesday, this story has went a little viral - here it is on MSN, Yahoo, and The Hollywood Gossip.  For those of us who work with lift station pumps every day, these issues aren't really "news" to us.  Since I started working in this industry, I've been astonished with the items that get into lift stations. Towels, sheets, diapers, chains, ropes, etc.  I've thought that I must lead a very normal life, because I would never think to put these things down the toilet.  But this week was the first time I've actually thought about wipes.  Wipes are actually something that probably feels normal and logical to flush.  Especially when they're branded like this:
The word "flushable" doesn't leave a lot of room for ambiguity.  People assume that they're safe to flush.  Manufacturers assure the public they're safe to flush.  The San Francsico Chronicle reports:
Makers of flushable wipes insist they are indeed flushable and safe for sewer and septic systems.

Kimberly-Clark, maker of Cottonelle and Scott flushable wipes, does extensive testing to make sure the wipes won't clog a properly functioning sewer system, spokesman Dave Dickson said. Like other manufacturers, Kimberly-Clark advises customers to flush only one or two wipes at a time.

Once one sees all the branding that goes into assuring consumers that wipes are "flushable", it's easy to see that the problem is widespread.  Within five minutes of googling, I found cases in North Carolina, Oklahoma, Washington D.C., New York, Kansas, and Massachusetts.  After I filled my tabs, I stopped looking, so I know there's more out there.  It really came home yesterday when I was discussing a clogging issue with a customer, not thinking about wipes at all, and he specifically cited wipes being a problem.

With problems like this, there are different types of solutions.  On the equipment side, we can help.  In these problematic lift stations, we highly recommend Shin Maywa's CNWX pumps.  Already, we're seeing them solve a lot of clogging problems.  That is where I'd start.  I mean, check out what this guy can do:
After that, we've got comminutors and Muffin Monsters to grind up the debri.  We can sell you screens and strainers (check out our Neptune) to take out the debri.  These solutions can help you get a handle on the problem while you come up with a systematic solution. 

The NACWA recommends that manufactures be required to put a "Do Not Flush" label on wipes.  This would probably solve a lot of the problem, although from the marketing shown above I wouldn't bet on manufacturers being too eager to help out.  We'll have to see how that plays out.

From a local perspective, a systematic approach involves a lot of communication with your customers about the problems the "flushable" wipes cause.  Take some pictures of clogged pumps showing the wipes and send it out.  Let them know how many times you're unclogging them.  They've got to know that it's a problem before they change their behavior.

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It is the time of hydration!

6/21/2013

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Have you seen the movie Rango?  It's an animated film from 2011 featuring Johnny Depp, so, of course, it's hilarious, somewhat odd, and definitely memorable.  I watched it on Netflix, and was delighted to find that entire premise of the movie is based on water issues.  The lack of water defines the town; water becomes both it's currency and it's religion.  As the Mayor says, 
"Water, Mr Rango. Water. Without it, there’s nothing but dust and decay. But with water, there’s life. Look at them. So desperate to live, that they’ll follow it anywhere. That’s the immutable law in the desert. You control the water and you control everything."
One of my favorite parts is the ritualistic "Wednesday Water", where Rango really finds out how desperate the town is for water.  Check it out:

The end really brings the water issues home, when (spoiler alert!) Rango is the hero of the town when he figures out that the Mayor has been controlling the water supply by manipulating a emergency water shut-off valve in a water pipeline to Las Vegas, opens the valve, and water is returned to the town.

It's a great water movie.  It calls attention to the precarious nature of water resources in areas where attention is needed most.  I was reminded of the Planet Earth maps that we blogged about last August, and in particular these maps about the Las Vegas area.
So if you're looking for an entertaining movie that happens to center around water issues, Rango should do it for you.  What are some other great "water" movies? I was trying to think of more, but all I can think of is Erin Brockovich.
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Office: 715.228.7604
Fax: 715.228-3418

364 Industrial Drive, PO Box 48
Coloma, WI 54930

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