An area city is urging its residents not to flush certain items down their toilets.
A news release says as the community works to sanitize its homes and businesses due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19), the Sedalia Public Works Department wants to remind residents that disinfecting wipes and paper towels need to be disposed of along with household garbage and are not to be flushed down the toilet.
Nylon wipes and paper towels are stronger than toilet paper and do not break down in water in the same manner.
Flushing them can quickly cause clogs, wreaking havoc on sewer systems and treatment plant pumps and resulting in spills that end up in lakes, rivers and streams, according to the Water Pollution Control Division of the Public Works Department.
On Thursday, March 19, the City’s Thompson Meadows Lift Station was inundated with disinfecting wipes clogging the pumps. Flushing wipes, paper towels and similar products down toilets will clog sewers and cause backups and overflows at wastewater treatment facilities, creating an additional public health risk in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Even wipes labeled flushable will clog pipes and interfere with sewage collection and treatment.
If you have any questions or concerns about sewer service or appropriate disposal of materials, call the Public Works Department at (660) 827-3000, ext. 1166.