Sewage logjams caused by flushing wipes costs Woolwich thousands

Woolwich Township is reminding residents to throw their cosmetic cloths and baby wipes in the garbage, as the hygenic products have been clogging up the township's sewer system. 

Although many of the wipes can be flushed down the toilet, they do not break apart, biodegrade or disintegrate like toilet paper during their short time in the sewer system. They end up causing logjams in sewer pipes and at pumping stations. 

"Because of these wipes, we can have weeks we're at the lift stations every day, just to deal with the build up," said Barry Baldasaro, the township's superintendent of public works. 

Baldasaro said the wipes cause the most damage when they stick to the rotating blades inside sewage pumps. If the pumps jam or clog, the pumping station automatically shuts down and must be flushed out.

"My staff already get a lot of call outs because of winter operations," said Baldasaro, whose staff also operate the township's snow ploughs. "Besides the cost, it's wear and tear on their bodies."

Replacements are costly

Cosmetic cloths and baby wipes are causing similar sewage backups across the country according to Barbara Robinson, head of Norton Engineering in Kitchener. 

She said Canadian municipalities are spending a total of $250 million every year to unclog and replace damaged sewer pipes and pumps. 

"One of our local municipalities told me that one of their pump stations had difficulties with flushable wipes for a while," she said. "They just had to replace both pumps and the total cost was about $30,000."

In order to avoid those costly pump repairs, Woolwich sent a letter to residents in January asking them to "please be conscious of what is being flushed down the toilet."

Instead of flushing the wipes, it suggests, throw them in the trash instead.