Aqua’s water and wastewater utilities remind consumers of the vital role they play in preventing wastewater overflows and backups. As many people use disinfectant wipes to help prevent COVID-19, Aqua asks homeowners not to flush these wipes down the toilet and to dispose of them in the trash instead. Even wipes labeled as flushable don’t break down and can cause backups in household plumbing and larger blockages in wastewater collection systems. Aqua also asks consumers not to flush tissues, napkins, or paper towels, which can also cause clogs in pipes.

Colleen Arnold, the president who oversees Aqua’s eight-state water and wastewater utilities, thanked consumers for their understanding and cooperation.

“Our dedicated employees at all of our Aqua utilities are focused on ensuring the continued reliability and safety of water and wastewater systems for the people and communities we serve,” she said. “We appreciate our customers helping us maintain our wastewater operation reliability in this way.”

Aqua also reminds consumers to keep household sinks and drains clear of fat, oil, and grease. Aqua offers the following tips to help keep pipes in homes and businesses clear of clogs.

• Never pour cooking grease down sink drains or into toilets.
• If you have leftover cooking grease, carefully pour the warm, not hot, grease into a metal can, wait for it to cool, and dispose of it in the trash.
• Keep strainers in sink drains to catch food scraps and other solids.
• Scrape food scraps and grease into a trashcan.

Garbage disposals do not keep fat, oil, and grease out of plumbing systems or prevent clogs. While these items go down the drain as liquids, they solidify and, over time, can completely block pipes and cause raw sewage backups in homes and overflows in streets.

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