West Kelowna, Peachland and the Westbank First Nation residents are encouraged to think, before flushing products or pouring substances down their drains! That’s because it costs over $60,000 a year to remove clogs from sewer pipes.
They recently received an information card from the Regional District’s Westside Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant urging residents to ‘Don’t Rush, Think Before You Flush’.
Each day, the plant treats an average of ten million litres of wastewater. Pausing before they put something down the drain will help protect the integrity of the plant’s biological treatment process. It’ll also help prevent costly clogs and backups of pipes flowing from homes and businesses into the hundreds of kilometers of sewer collection mains throughout the Westside communities.
Communications Officer Bruce Smith says "Food waste like fats, grease and oils (deep fryer oil, vegetable oil, cooking oil) can easily congeal and block pipes. As well, diapers, wet wipes, bandages, personal hygiene products and cotton swabs should be placed into the household garbage. And hazardous waste materials like paints, solvents and other chemicals should be disposed of at the free household hazardous waste drop off at the Battery Doctors in Kelowna."
"Unlike toilet paper" Smith says, "wet wipes, even those labeled flushable, don’t easily break down and once flushed, can cause sewage and septic overflows into homes, businesses and the environment. Our goal with this information program for Westside residents is to think about what they’re flushing or putting down the drain."
And don't forget about expiredor unused medications or pills. They should be taken to a pharmacist for disposal, not flushed away. Smith points out, "The treatment process doesn't always get thos materials out and they could end up in Okanagan Lake."
Learn more by visiting www.regionaldistrict.com/wastewater.