Healthcare Facility Stops Sewer Clogging

By Cynthia Guardia - Cia Communications, Inc.

Healthcare facilities across the country face the problem of proper disposal of fibrous materials like wipes, diapers, rags and other solids. While these materials are supposed to be put in the trash rather than flushed down the sewer, controlling this is not always feasible. When these solids end up in the sewer line, they frequently clog lines and pumps at lift stations, and can create challenges for municipal sewer agencies since they must manage the labor and costs associated with unclogging sewer pumps.

One such healthcare facility, a combination long-term care and rehabilitation center, faced this problem head on when they received a notice from the local sewer agency that the facility must cease discharging debris into the publicly owned sewer system. Both the agency and the facility spent several months discussing the issues and eventually decided to bring in a consultant to develop a collaborative solution.