During this time, when many people are staying in their homes as part of the efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, please only flush toilet paper.
We urge our citizens to be careful what you flush down your toilet. These items are particularly harmful:
- Flushable Wipes & Disinfectant Wipes
- Diapers & Baby Wipes
- Q-Tips & Cotton Balls
- Paper Towels & Napkins
- Dental Floss
- Hair
- Feminine Hygiene Products
- Contraceptives & Wrappers
- Kitty Litter
- Cigarette Butts
- Medication
- Gum
The bane of any sanitary sewer system are materials that should not be flushed. If you are connected to Spotsylvania County Utilities’ sanitary sewer, each toilet flush heads from your home’s piping to the community’s sanitary sewer pipes, pumps and grinders for eventual treatment at one of our wastewater treatment facilities. The system accommodates toilet paper, which is made to disintegrate quickly in water. But wipes, diapers and other materials, which don’t break down as readily, tend to clog pipes. These materials can cause sanitary sewer stoppages and back-ups that can affect your home’s plumbing, as well as, your community’s sanitary sewer infrastructure.
Of particular concern are flushable wipes. Even though they are marketed as flushable, these are frequently the cause of clogs and should always be thrown out in a wastebasket instead of being flushed down the toilet. "Flushable" wipes simply do not disintegrate the way toilet paper does and can eventually cause plumbing issues.
For more information about what you can do to protect your sanitary sewer pipes and the community’s infrastructure, please click on these links:
And, always remember, if you have a sanitary sewer stoppage or backup, call us first.
Report a Sanitary Sewer Stoppage / Backup