As St. Albert is noticing an increase in sewer backups due to people flushing sanitary wipes down the toilet, the city is reminding residents of what belongs where.
Sanitary wipes and paper towel belong in the garbage, and only poop, pee and paper (the three P’s) should go into the sewer, Mayor Cathy Heron said.
“Those pumps will get clogged with the wipes and then that will cause backups ... and then that becomes super expensive,” she said. “It's messy but it's very expensive for the utility and that would affect everyone's rates.”
While residents may not notice a backup on their immediate property, it could cause expensive backups somewhere down the line, she added.
Even though some sanitary wipes advertise that they can be flushed, Heron said that does not mean they should be.
“The fact is yes, you can flush them, they will disappear down your toilet, but they're not supposed to be dealt with in municipal sewage treatment,” she said. “You could probably flush a golf ball if you wanted to, but that doesn't mean you should.”
Heron suggested a home experiment for kids out of school, as a way to demonstrate the phenomenon: place toilet paper in one glass and put a sanitary wipe of paper towel in another and shake both. Only the toilet paper will disintegrate, demonstrating what St. Albert’s sanitary system will deal with when items that should not be flushed are.
