It’s not a topic for polite conversation, but what people flush down their toilets can lead to a lot of, well, crap.
The challenge is some of the things flushed away don’t really go away. They clog pipes. They jam wastewater pumps. They don’t break down and they eventually end up in groundwater and our streams and rivers.
This is the message wastewater systems like Greer’s Commission for Public Works and Greenville’s Renewable Water Resources (ReWa) want Upstate residents to understand: What you flush down the drain or the commode can have lasting effects both to the pipes and pumps of sewage systems and to the water sources people, plants and animals rely on.
According to Greer CPW spokesperson Alison Rauch and ReWa Collections and maintenance manager Toby Humphries, there are only three things that need to be flushed: poop, pee and paper (TP) — the three Ps. Sewage systems are designed to safely break down those substances before wastewater is released back into the environment.
Problems occur when folks flush FOG — fat, oil and grease — and other chemical compounds that survive the sewage treatment process and end up back in groundwater, streams and rivers.
According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, pharmaceutical compounds are an unregulated environmental contaminant and thus the department does not track data on their presence in groundwater. But a recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) found that pharmaceutical compounds are turning up in groundwater nationwide.
The USGS study finds that while the concentrations of those compounds are low and do not seem to pose a health risk to humans, the historic wastewater mantra of “dilution is the solution to pollution” is not accurate. When medicines are flushed they end up in the environment. That is not good.
Rauch says that while pharmaceutical compounds get diluted through the sewage treatment process, they still persist and end up discharged into the South Tyger River.
“This can have major impacts on future drinking water, aquatic organisms, wildlife, livestock, plants and the fish humans eat,” Rauch says.
Aside from persistent chemicals, the biggest contaminant in wastewater systems starts out as a commonplace household item.
Humphries says that the most widespread problem wastewater systems face is the profusion of cleaning wipes people flush. “Wipes clog pipes,” he says, adding that even brands listed as flushable do not break down quickly and cause clogs and equipment problems.
Rauch says operators feel stuck on a “hamster wheel” by the frequency with which they have to deal with clogs caused by wipes and other paper products.
“If you can imagine what human hair does to the shower drain and how it clogs the line, that is essentially what wipes and rags do to our equipment,” Rauch says.
Things that shouldn’t be flushed
- Medicines — Safely dispose of medicines at drug drop boxes located at most area hospitals and many local police departments.
- FOG — Fat, oil and grease should be disposed of in household garbage. Drain grease and the like into a soup or vegetable can and put it in the trash once it has cooled.
- Cleaning wipes — Even “flushable” wipes cause problems because they don’t break down quickly enough. If it’s durable enough to be useful, it’s too durable to pass through drain lines without clogging.
- Paper towels and feminine products — By their nature, these items are designed to be absorbent. That clogs pipes and fouls pumping equipment.
- So far this year, Greer CPW alone has removed 33.3 tons of solids – grease, wipes and similar clog-inducing substances — from its system to be disposed of at the landfill.
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September 16, 2021 at 11:08PM
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