With the holidays coming, your Thompson Sewer & Water Department put together a wish list for all residents and visitors!
1. Please Don’t Flush “Flushable” Wipes
Spoiler alert: they aren’t flushable, and we’re not sure how the manufacturers get away with saying they are! They don’t break down like toilet paper. So-called “flushable” wipes survive all the way to our pump station where they mix with waste to form what we can only describe as a ball of rags and waste. We shared a photo on Facebook of the daily aftermath of flushable wipes that our team has to clean up. Each day, about a dozen buckets full of flushable wipes are removed – by hand raking, not a machine. Wipes can cause clogs in your pipes or the Town sewer lines, potentially creating a backflow of wastewater in your home. The moral of the story: put wipes in the garbage, and keep wipes away from pipes! This would be a truly wonderful gift to give your Sewer & Water team all year round.
2. “Sumpin” to Think About
Do you have a sump pump, or plan to get one? Be sure excess water from the pump is discharged onto your property (away from the foundation, of course) or as a last resort, into the storm drain. DO NOT connect your sump to a sewer line unless you want raw sewage in your home. That’s what can happen during a storm. Here’s an actual example: A home is connected to a sewer line that handles 200 gallons of waste a minute. The homeowner, along with 9 homeowners on that line have sumps discharging into that same sewer line. These 10 sump pumps discharge about 30 gallons a minute each. So in a heavy rain, 300 gallons of water pours into a sewer line meant to handle only 200 gallons of sewage. This causes a backflow of sewage into all 10 homes! Don’t wait until it rains. Check to ensure your sump isn’t attached to the sewer line.
3. Know We’re Making Smooth Moves
Another item on our wish list…we ask for patience as we replace crumbling manholes in our roads. We’ve teamed up with Mr. Manhole to use a system for repairing manholes at about a FIFTH of the cost of traditional repair. Before Mr.Manhole, it cost about $4,000-$5,000 to repair a manhole. Now, it’s often less than $1,000. Repairs are faster and the manhole covering lasts much longer.
Best of all, the Mr. Manhole system results in a super smooth drive as the manhole cover is now flush with the road…no more dips and bumps! How does it work? The main difference is in using a round shape – not a traditional square shape – for the manhole chimney (the underground area surrounding the manhole pipe). You can learn more at www.mrmanhole.com.