Water Sector News
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Can I flush this? Top things you should not put down the drain
Officials with the City of Tacoma say flushable wipes cause expensive backups in the city's pipes - to the tune of $100,000 a year. But Tacoma isn’t the only city with the costly problem.
Last fall, the Charleston Water System in South Carolina tweeted baby wipes were causing such a major clog they had to send divers 80-90 feet down through raw sewage to unblock the pipes.
Wet wipes sold as 'flushable' were banned in the U.K. after authorities said they were responsible for 93 percent of sewer blockages, according to MSN.
RELATED: City of Tacoma ‘backed up’ by flushable wipes
Closer to home, King County posted an outline on their website of what not to flush or put down the kitchen drain after they experienced a similar challenge back in 2016.
It turns out wipes (flushable or otherwise) aren't the only things people are cramming into pipes that don’t belong.