Eagle River Water and Sanitation District helped initiate ‘Do Not Flush’ wet

News News | Apr 26, 2023

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When you flush something down the toilet, it's usually because you don't want that item to ever be seen again. But in recent years, the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District is seeing more and more of something being flushed down local toilets, and a new bill aims to raise awareness of the problem.

The issue is tissue, but not just any tissue – specifically it's the product known as "wet wipes" which are causing problems in Colorado sewers.

Senate Bill 23-150, "Require Labeling Disposable Wipes" was signed into law this month, which means that starting next year, the packages of premoistened, nonwoven disposable wipes must be labeled with the phrase "Do Not Flush" in an effort to notify consumers of the problems that can arise, (literally, rising back out of the drain) when those products are flushed down the toilet.

In a one-sheet about the bill shared by the Eagle River Water and Sanitation district, the top concern cited is: "clogging of private drain lines and flooding of homes and businesses" when wet wipes are flushed.

The bill was initiated by the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District along with Sen. Dylan Roberts, who said that sewer backups are up significantly in recent years due to the flushing of wet wipes.

"The amount of people who use disinfectant wipes five or more times per week has increased by 138% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to a 50% increase in sewer backups because most wipes do not break down in a wastewater system," according to the district. "Millions of wipes that were never designed to be flushed down toilet clog pipes and mechanical equipment, creating a host of public health issues and costly problems for public utilities, individual homeowners, and businesses."

In addition to the clogging of private drain lines, sewer blockage and overflow, with potential release to waterways; clogging, damage, and breakdown of public wastewater infrastructure; and release of plastic materials into waterways were all cited as problems that can occur when wet wipes are flushed.

Nationwide, more than $1 billion in damage occurs annually from the flushing of wipes, according to the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.

In 2018, a team of divers had to be sent nearly 100 feet into a sewer well after the wet wipes, congealed by grease and other items sent into the pipes, clogged the suction intake pumps to the Plum Island Wastewater Treatment Center on James Island in South Carolina, the Associated Press reported.

"The divers spent two days deep inside the sewer, pulling out huge balls of oily, black used wet wipes and baby wipes that had clogged intake pumps," according to AP. "The divers couldn't smell in their suits or see in the inky darkness. But as soon as they came back up, they got a bleach bath still in their suits."

Other states have enacted similar labeling laws, including Illinois, California, Oregon and Washington.

"Although everyone agrees that certain wipes are not designed to be flushed, there is often no label to inform consumers," according to Eagle River Water and Sanitation District. "Clear labeling is a critical step in helping consumers practice responsible flushing habits, leading to healthier homes and communities for all of us … By focusing solely on ‘Do Not Flush’ labeling on wipes that are recognized as non-flushable, this legislation will provide clear direction to consumers that petrochemically based wipes, which account for over 90% of manufactured wipes, should not be flushed."

The legislation will go into effect on Dec. 31.

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