ABILENE, Texas — As a result of toilet paper becoming increasingly hard to get your hands on, many have turned to alternatives such as flushable wipes.
According to the City of Abilene's Water Department flushing the wipes can cause major damage to sewer systems.
"Flushable wipes... don't disintegrate in water, they don't break down,” Amanda Pope, public information officer for the Water Department of Abilene, said.
According to Pope, the wipes can lead to sewage backing up into residential properties and apartment complexes which can be costly.
"If you think about that going into the sewer system the time it would take to break down- is far longer than the time it takes to cause a backlog," she said.
Pope said a lot of people are at home cooking right now and reminds the community to keep from pouring drain down the sink which can also cause a clog.
"If people pour any type of grease down the drain it connects with those wipes and becomes an unmovable object," Pope said.
She said the City wants to minimize the number of calls so that essential city employees can minimize the number of house calls and exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Especially right now with the economy and financial situations we don't want people to have extra plumbing costs or those sorts of things," Pope said.
For more information on what you should and shouldn't flush or pour down the drain you can visit Keep Abilene Flowing.
