Utah lawmakers were bowled over by a funding request Monday: $150,000 to prevent toilet flushes from clogging sewers, costing the state $3 million per year. 

“This request is a very crappy request, but it is a very important and necessary one,” Rep. Carl Albrecht told a Utah House subcommittee. 

Sewer district managers asked lawmakers to fund an educational campaign dubbed "Toilets are not trash cans," which seeks to teach residents not to flush wet wipes and unused drugs down toilets. Jill Jones, general manager of the Central Davis Sewer District, said the program can reach rural parts of the state that lack the resources for outreach on the waste management issue. 

Clogs where residential pipes meet city pipes can also cause sewer back ups into homes, Albrecht said, resulting in damage and insurance battles. Damage to pumps at a Central Davis facility cost $10,000 to repair, Jones said.