Water You Doing? Wastewater Infographic

What you put down the drain can cause big problems for your community's wastewater system!

Keep these things out of your drains to reduce clogs, lower costs, minimize the need for repairs, and protect the environment:

• fat, oil, and grease
• nonflushable paper
• nonflushable feminine hygiene products
• nonflushable baby wipes
• nonflushable household wipes

Negative effects on wastewater systems of nonacceptable items being put down the drain include:

• time and effort for repairs
• payroll costs for labor
• impact of wastewater on the environment

Wastewater system estimated repair time: 8.1 hours per week.

Wastewater system operators spend an estimated 20 percent of their time working on repairs and maintenance resulting from nonacceptable items being put down the drain.

Adapted for Mississippi from From Toilet to Wastewater Treatment infographic, INDA/Maine Waste Water Control Association/Water Environment Federation/Portland Water District Collection Study at Westbrook Pumping Station, Maine. Data was gathered from surveys of certified wastewater operators in Mississippi in 2016.

Publication 3020 (POD-10-24)

By Jason Barrett, PhD, Associate Extension Professor and Associate Director, Water Resources Research Institute.