On Jan. 25, Hiram Tanner, the former manager of sewer pumping for DC Water, wrote in the Washington Examiner that it’s, “Time to flush DC’s ban on flushable wipes.” Although I appreciate Tanner’s perspective, coming from someone I know and like, I disagree completely with his conclusions: I fully support the legislation recently passed by the city council and signed into law by Mayor Muriel Bowser regulating the sale of flushable wipes.
I agree with Tanner that infrastructure needs are a major concern here in Washington. Many of our sewers are old and need repairs and upgrades. At DC Water, we’re working hard to do just that. As we continue to invest time and money to improve our sewer systems, it’s important that our customers help to make sure the system runs smoothly and maintains as much capacity as possible. Sewer systems are designed to handle only the “3 Ps”: pee, poop, and (toilet) paper. When other materials end up in the sewer, they cause expensive problems.
