A few municipal districts in Northwestern Alberta are asking residents to be mindful of what they flush down the toilet.
The Towns of Manning, High Level and the Village of Nampa are all saying that items, such as baby wipes and paper towels are clogging up lift stations in various communities.
Manning Chief Administrative Officer, April Doll says even though some items indicate they are safe to flush, that may not always be the case.
“Even when it says on the package that baby wipes can be flushable, they don’t break down well enough to go through our sewer system,” explains Doll. “It creates havoc basically.”
Doll also mentions that when flushed items don’t break down enough, it can cause clogs in the sewer lines, as well as the lift stations.
She says another problem is due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Manning is trying to limit the physical contact with the public.
“For public works staff to go and work on a lift station, they would need a bigger crew so if we can limit the stuff that’s going down our sewer system, we can also also take the taxing work off our public works department,” says Doll.
In a Facebook post, the Town of High Level says aside from potentially causing problems for your neighbours, the cost of repairs could be significant.
– Kenny Trenton, Trending 55 Newsroom
