Clinton Public Works employees rushed to work yesterday, March 3, after an estimated 2,500 gallons of untreated wastewater was discharged from a manhole into an unnamed tributary to the Mill Branch behind 306 East Arrowhead Drive.
According to interim Public Works Director Travis Anderson, the overflow was due to a line blockage of baby wipes having been disposed of in the sanitary sewer. While the wipes are marketed as “flushable,” they don’t break down in sewer systems, causing build-ups over time, he said.
“This has been an ongoing issue with the market as far as toiletry items,” said Anderson in a phone interview today. “We’re seeing more and more of these flushable wipes. It would be great if they would remove the word ‘flushable.’ They don’t cooperate very well in plumbing. They get hung up in the lines and can create major issues. They keep building up in the pipes, and get bigger and bigger, causing blockages. It’s almost like a snowball effect.”
While the issue has been resolved for now, Anderson stated that this could reoccur should the wipes continue to be flushed and build up in pipes.
See Saturday’s print edition of the Sampson Independent for the full story.