The City of Castlegar is asking people to be careful about what they flush down the toilet.
With toilet paper supplies running low for some due to panic buying, the city is asking people using alternatives to be careful and not flush disinfecting wipes, Kleenex or other unnecessary materials down the toilet.
City works crews have noticed an increase in these types of products in the city sewer system.
“We are happy to see our community working so hard to disinfect and keep our homes clean and families healthy but we need to make sure these items are not put into our sewer system – they need to go into the garbage,” says Chris Barlow, chief administrative officer.
“I want to make sure our crews are concentrating on essential services, not unnecessary maintenance.”
Wipes, Kleenex, paper towels, feminine hygiene products, dental floss, and even wipes labelled as flushable should not be flushed down the toilet because they are not manufactured to break down the same way toilet paper does.
They can cause a residential system back-up resulting in localized flooding and property damage or severe clogs resulting in interruptions to essential sewer services or costly repairs.
Residents could face big plumbing bills — if they can get a plumber to go to their house — to unblock domestic drains plugged by the other cleaning materials.