Taxpayers' Dollars Down the Drain
West Mayfield residents are now enduring the inconvenient closure of 37th Street due to repairs of clogged and broken sewer pipes. Repairs to the pipes must be made as quickly as possible to protect the health and safety of the community and to keep the waste water infrastructure in working order.
“I’ve never before seen anything like this damage to our sewer pipes,” said Bill Heaton, long-time chair of the Sewer and Sanitation Committee. “Most of this damage is coming from the stuff residents keep flushing down the toilette, like baby wipes, and our aging pipes just can’t handle the blockages. They just burst.”
Mr. Heaton estimated the total cost of sewer line repairs may reach as high as $100,000. The borough’s public works department will help defray some of the cost and the West Mayfield Volunteer Fire Dept. will help with traffic control when needed to help reduce the cost of outsourcing for that service.
“There’s no way around this problem,” Mr. Heaton says, “we have to fix this problem now. And we’ll have to figure out a way to pay for it.”
But he also added that borough residents can do their part by not abusing our old and fragile sewer system.
Residents Must Do Their Part
Residents are reminded to help keep our sewer system in top working condition and to protect the quality of our waste water, which eventually ends up in our rivers and drinking water supply.
Remember the 3 Ps
Poop – Pee – Toilette Paper
- Only human waste and toilette should be flushed down toilettes. Nothing else should be flushed down drains even if labeled “flushable,” “safe for toilets,” or “biodegradable.”
- Do not use the toilette as a trash can. Do not flush:
Cotton balls and cotton swabs
Cat litter
Dental floss and dental picks
Menstrual products such as pads or tampons
Paper towels and tissues
Wipes and cleaning cloths
Hair
Medicine
Burnt matches
Household cleaning chemicals
Household hazardous wastes (paint, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers)
- Do not pour fats, oils, or grease down the drains.