Do you pour grease down your kitchen sink drain? Do you flush wipes down the toilet? You should probably rethink both.
These mindless things most people do has turned into a $3.4 million-a-year problem.
More than 300 tons of wipes are pulled from wastewater pump stations and treatment plans in the Miami-Dade area every month. It cost thousands of dollars – around $225,000 each month – to repair and clear the clogged sewer lines.
Wipes — wet wipes, Clorox wipes, baby wipes, even “flushable” wipes — don’t break up in water like toilet paper or human waste. Hot grease poured down kitchen drains hardens and can clog pipes. When oil, grease and fat clump together with wipes, rags and other materials in water pumps the combination can exhaust the pumps and cause raw sewage to pour onto the streets and into waterways.
Miami-Dade County is currently undergoing a 15 – 20 year program to upgrade its pipes, pump stations and water and wastewater treatment plants as part of a 2014 lawsuit settlement with the EPA. That lawsuit claimed the county violated the Clean Water Act over its failing sewer system in 2012. The county’s sewer system spilled more than 50 million gallons of human waste from 2008 – 2012.
Yes, the county is working to upgrade its system but it’s the clogged pipes and stations that are creating a burden for the county workers and the manpower they have to provide to repair and clean.
According to a report from The Associated Press, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, which represents 300 wastewater agencies across the nation, said it’s been hearing complaints about wipes in sewer systems for the past four years.
Yes, these products are made for everyday use, but they are creating a terrible impact on sewer systems nationwide.
If you are having issues with your pipes or need an inspection, contact Perma-Liner™ today. PERMA-LINER is the leading manufacturer and supplier of trenchless pipeline rehabilitation equipment and materials in North America.
For 20 years, we have developed systems to rehabilitate existing sewer systems without excavation. Our experience in the CIPP industry has allowed us to design, patent and manufacture state of the art technology in order for us to repair structures without excavation.
