Obviously, people used more personal wipes and baby wipes during the pandemic. Then they flushed them down the toilet. Officials in Macomb County and Oakland County say those so-called “flushable” wipes are causing serious damage to sewers and pumping stations.
“A few years ago, we had about 70 tons of these things, but recently we completed 270 tons of cleanup work. So it’s just a huge increase,” said Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller.
She added: “During a pandemic, the worst thing that can happen is that they have sewers to spare. If these things continue like this, this will happen.”
The Public Works Commissioner of Macomb County wants the public to be aware of the growing problem threatening the municipal sewer system: washable wipes.
Candice Miller said these wipes “may be responsible for approximately 90% of the sewer problems we are experiencing now.”
“They got together a little bit, almost like a rope,” Miller said. “They are choking pumps, sanitary sewer pumps. They are creating a huge backup.”
Macomb County will inspect the entire pipeline system around a collapsed sewer, which turned into a huge sinkhole on Christmas Eve.
The inspection will use cameras and other technologies to inspect the 17-mile pipeline in the Macomb Interceptor drainage area.
Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said that a thorough inspection is the only way to know if there is additional damage and how to repair it.
The Macomb County Commissioner of Public Works is suing manufacturers of disposable wipes that claim to be flushable. Commissioner Candice Miller said that if you flush disposable wipes into the toilet, they will damage the sewer pump and block the drain.
Macomb County has a “fat man” problem, which is caused by the fat condensation of so-called washable wipes, and this combination clogs major sewers.
Post time: Sep-15-2021