Author Topic: Where does the drain go?  (Read 6804 times)

Offline Rural53

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Re: Where does the drain go?
« Reply #15 on: December 04, 2018, 01:54:34 AM »
We are on a septic system here so I know where everything goes. Do those plants have problems with the flushable wipes that are clogging sewer systems nationwide? I used to have to visit those WWTP places. I was amazed at the number of tomato plants growing along the fence lines since tomato seeds are not digested. The gravel drives were covered with a variety of plastic items with the most numerous being tampon applicators. :o

Yes, "flushable" wipes is a huge problem for wwtp operators. New chopper pumps are having to be designed and installed just to chew these things up. There was actually a large lawsuit just filed by a bunch of cities against Proctor & Gamble to try to recover the cost of plant maintenance and emergency repairs caused by these things. The trouble is that the are so hard to catch, they flow right around the bar screens and rock traps. The first place they seem to collect is on pump screens and they eventually burn the pumps up.

https://www.live5news.com/2018/10/15/massive-collection-baby-wipes-clog-pipes-lowcountry-wastewater-treatment-plant/

Our 100,000 population town is currently running a radio campaign for people to not flush wet wipes. They are pulling 10 tons a month out of the system, not to mention the blockages and pump issues.

My first real engineering job out of university was with Gisborne District Council (40,000 pop) in their utilities design team. My first few jobs was designing replacement pump installations in old wet well/dry well sewer pump stations. I was always surprised at what ended up in the wet wells - pairs of jeans, jumpers, lengths of timber!