Cleaning cloths clog Summerside sewage system

The sewer system in Summerside, P.E.I., has been blocked about four times over the last month.

"We had a few I'll call them foreign objects that shouldn't be in the sewer system clogging up our lift station pumps and causing them to not operate," said Greg Gaudet, municipal services director for the City of Summerside.

Thick cleaning cloths flushed down toilets have been largely to blame, he said.

"We call them mop heads, they're the little things that come off of Swiffer mops and things that people sometimes dispose of down the sewer which they shouldn't do," Gaudet said.

Rags, money commonly found

This isn't a new issue in Summerside, Gaudet said — from time to time the city has to deal with items in the sewer system that shouldn't be there.

Thin rags are another thing which often shows up in the sewer system along with some unique items, Gaudet said.

"There has been a bit of money falls out every once in a while, some ten-dollar bills and five-dollar bills. Usually the guys put them up on the bulletin board after they've been cleaned and tack them up as oddities."

The city tries to keep the public informed about what they should not flush via its website as well as annual flyers.

Clearing blockages means extra maintenance work, Gaudet said.

Think before you flush

"This material will jam the pump from pumping sewage to the next station and to the treatment plant."

When that happens the sewage backs up into a holding tank and an alarm sounds, said Gaudet.

Staff must then disconnect the pump, lift it from the wet well, take it apart and clean it. Then they test the pump and reinstall it. The process usually takes a couple of hours, Gaudet said. 

Residents don't lose service when there's a blockage, he said, noting staff usually respond in less than half an hour. 

Since treated effluent goes into Summerside's harbour, Gaudet said it is important for people to think about what they are flushing. 

"We would not want an overflow from a lift station to enter into the harbour, nor would we want enough sewage to flow that would back up into peoples' homes."

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