Pickup-full of rags

Pick-up truck full of rags

These rags SHOULD NOT be flushed down the toilet. These cleaning rags clog the pumps and set off alarms at all hours of the night.

The LPSD staff is required to respond immediately. This involves getting up in the middle of the night, run to the office, get the truck and tools, drive to the lift station site, go down 20-30 feet into the station and taking apart the pump.

This requires winching up the pump and sticking your hand up the impeller and pull out the rags that are jammed in the opening (along with other debris that is flushed down the toilet). After they are removed, they are placed in a bucket and taken back out of the station. The pumps get new gaskets, they are lowered back in place, bolted up and tested. We return back to the office, put the tools away, lock up the truck, close and lock the gate and go back to bed.

This work costs time and money and is one of the reasons the user’s fees go up. Constituents who are paying for the cleaners to use the rags are paying again to have them removed!

How can you help keep costs down? If you hire a cleaning service, require them to take the rags with them or properly dispose of them in the garbage – DO NOT FLUSH THEM DOWN THE TOILET!