What happens to the water and waste that leaves your homes, schools and businesses through your plumbing?
Why does it matter?
Where does it go?
Who gets all that stuff?
Those drains you deal with each day are not black holes, and what you put down them does matter! Whatever you put down a drain may impact your plumbing system or that of the water renewal facility that treats your wastewater. So think about what you put in your drains that may affect your plumbing or the systems after your drains. Less is always the safer choice.
Toilets
Let’s talk about the obvious one first. The toilet is only for toilet paper, and what comes out of our bodies naturally. Anything else may create issues for your pipes and cause a very costly plumbing bill. The obvious offenders are feminine hygiene products, facial tissues and “flushable” wipes. What not to flush. The reason for this rule is simple – bodily functions are organic and will be broken down in our facility’s processes to create renewable resources, such as methane to heat our digesters and biosolids to amend the soil of dry land farms to grow corn and wheat. Toilet paper breaks down in water so it becomes easily usable fiber in our process as well. Everything else is either waste or may be damaging to your pipes, the sewer lines through town or our equipment here at the water renewal plant.
Sink and Shower Drains
Our sink and shower drains are just as important as or toilets. A good rule of thumb is to limit anything more than water going down the drain. Even chemicals may cause issues in pipes, so it is best to be on the side of caution and not send extra down your drains. Greases from cooking easily solidifies in the pipes as it cools to build clogs and create binding for other items that make their way down the drain like food and hair. Taking the extra minute to drain grease and wipe excess debris from dishes may save you money and stress. In fact, the National average cost for a plumber to clean a clogged line is $305.00, according to HomeAdvisor.com. If we all think before we put something down the drain, it helps everyone.
So now what? Where did it all go?
All of the water and waste from your homes, schools and businesses travels through the sewer system to the wastewater treatment facility that services your area. We at South Platte Renew serve the cities of Littleton and Englewood, as well as our nineteen connector districts. You can see if you are in our service area by checking out our interactive map.
The wastewater arrives at our plant. We process and treat it to pull renewable resources from the waste and clean the water before discharging it into the South Platte River. Clean water is important for animal and plant life, recreation enthusiasts and even to be treated downstream for drinking water. To learn more about where your water goes and how it is treated, contact our Education and Outreach team for a tour or presentation at your school or organization. Remember, if we care for our pipes, they will be there for us when we need them…daily!
