The Woeful World Of Wipes

Yes, it's been a while. I have been very engaged in writing on the local Los Osos Nextdoor which includes parts of Morro Bay. They are going through a sewer war, and I have been providing some Los Osos sewer background of what they don't want to do, namely, vote NO and change locations.

Happily, they did pass their 218 vote Tuesday evening to move on ahead with their WRF, Water Recycling Facility. Note the wording difference; ours was/is called the Los Osos Waste Water Project, LOWWP. We are recycling water too, but we sound a little more old school. Well, since our plant started back in the cave man days, I guess it would, but these days recycled water is a lot more hip of a term than "waste water." It sure sounds better anyway. The idea of wasting water is firmly brain ingrained as a no-no in Los Osos. But I digress.

I subscribe to a newsletter from the wastewater industry, TPO, for Treatment Plant Operator. Since I have written on wipes in the past, I thought I would update you all (who are not in the industry) on how the problem has been combatted in this modern age. So have a look and get educated. This grinder thinger doodle looks to be able to take care of even the false teeth that occasionally wind up at wastewater treatment plants—I mean water reclamation plants!
https://www.tpomag.com/online_exclusives/2018/09/wipes-arent-going-away_sc_003ey?utm_source=campaigner&utm_campaign=180912&utm_content=newsletter&cmp=1&utm_medium=email

Wipes Wreak Ruin!

"New York, New York a helluva town!" And now, in the sewers, it's a hellish town—due to—yes, WIPES! They do not break down and must be removed from the screens in the city's wastewater treatment plants. These undissolvable blobs have more than doubled since 2008 and have cost the city $18 million since 2010, although there are other costs not enumerated for other wipe-related repairs. These cloth-like items include baby wipes, medicated wipes (hemorrhoids), "feminine" wipes, and the everyday (post-evacuation) clean-up kind.

New York has either gained much additional population, residents are either having more kids, more posterior medical issues or have become more religious (cleanliness is next to godliness). Please have a look off of the link below. You will see on the right side of that page what that glop looks like. (Fortunately, it is a smallish photo and the colorful results of wipeage have been washed away.)

http://www.amny.com/news/wet-wipes-clogging-nyc-plumbing-and-sewer-systems-1.11153775

This has been a problem in many places, including Los Osos' Bayridge Estates. So, future sewer users of Los Osos, wake up! When we have our spiffy new plant in place, we need to keep potential problems we might cause at the forefront of our minds in the bathroom. There is a solution to this problem and in case you didn't get to the to the end of the linked article, here is a video that explains what that is: Heinie Giene!

"Fatberg" in London Sewer

We septic tank users don't often, if ever, get a view into the tank. Because pumping is expensive, and we are sitting on top of our water source, most of us try to be mindful of what we put in there. But in 2016 we will all be hooked up to our new sewer, and since some of us are imports from cities where we really don't give much thought to what goes down the potty, here is a glimpse of what could happen, on a much smaller scale of course, to our spanking new pipes (try not to gasp or puke, or maybe just don't go to this link):

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2417381/The-Fatberg--bigger-Londons-dirty-secret-grown-THREE-tonnes-just-month.html

So think before flushing. Our town's collective septic system at Bayridge Estates had a blockage on October 24 due to large chunks of grease and wipes. So now is a good time to start practicing good sewer stewardship as ghastly as that sounds.