Avoid Pruning Apricots and Cherries in Cool Season
Jul 17, 2023Plastic wet wipes ban planned in England to tackle pollution
Jul 07, 2023Clever hack keeps bananas from going off with one household item
Jul 09, 2023Wish list: Aug. 6, 2023
Jul 05, 2023'We can help them': Lehigh County DA aims to reduce or even wipe criminal charges clean for those who successfully complete new drug abuse program
Jun 21, 2023WMNF
July 17, 2023 by Chris Young and filed under News and Public Affairs, Water.
Listen:
This hurricane season, the City of Tampa is urging residents to keep leftover fat, oil, grease, and especially wet wipes out of the drain.
At a wastewater plant in Tampa, a technician removes a blob of grey debris from a bar screen.
Bar screens are filters that keep materials such as wipes, rags, and sand from entering the primary wastewater treatment process.
Events like tropical storms and hurricanes cause higher-than-usual wastewater flows, and at times, wastewater overflow. This leads to plugged pipes or public health risks for residents and the environment.
Flushing non-biodegradable items, even so-called “flushable” wet wipes, contributes to the problem.
Eric Weiss is the director of Wastewater for the City of Tampa. He says the wipes accumulate in pipes and lead to a blockage, called a fatberg. He says these can cause sewage overflows and result in expensive repairs.
The city encourages people to dispose of wet wipes in the trash. They also encourage people to not pour grease down the sink or toilet, and report sewer overflows to the city.
Tags: debris, sewer, wastewater
Listen: