����vlog

����vlog EIGHT NEWS AT SIX. IT IS A PROBLEM THEY ARE ADDRESSING IN FORT DODGE, BUT IT HAPPENS IN VIRTUALLY EVERY CITY ACROSS CENTRAL IOWA. IOWA. SORRY TO TELL YOU THIS. OVER THE DINNER HOUR, BUT IT’S HOUSEHOLD ITEMS THAT SHOULD NOT BE FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET AND IT’S CAUSING CLOGS AND BACKUPS IN SEWER MAINS. I MEAN, THAT’S THOSE ARE COBBLESTONES RIGHT THERE, FOR GOODNESS SAKES. LOTS OF INTERESTING STUFF. YEAH. EVERY TIME IT HAPPENS, CREWS HAVE TO FISH OUT THE BLOCKAGE. THOSE HOURS AND EQUIPMENT END UP COSTING CITIES A LOT OF MONEY. WE HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS. I’M NOT SURE WE WANT TO. SO WE DON’T EVEN WANT TO KNOW. ����vlog BEAU BOWMAN SHOWS US SOME OF THE REALLY RIDICULOUS ITEMS THAT CREWS ARE FINDING. YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE SOME OF THE STUFF THEY FIND DOWN THERE CLEANING OUT THESE SEWAGE LINES, ANYTHING FROM CLEANING PRODUCTS TO BRICKS, LUMBER, EVEN FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. OFFICIALS SAY THERE’S ONLY ONE THING THAT SHOULD BE GOING DOWN THE TOILET. AND WE ALL KNOW WHAT THAT IS. ANYTHING INORGANIC? PLASTIC, MAN, MADE IN NATURE IS NOT GOING TO BREAK DOWN. RICH FABBRO IS THE WATER UTILITIES MANAGER IN FORT DODGE. HE SAYS IT HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK. THEY GET A CALL FOR A SEWER BLOCKAGE AND HAVE TO FISH OUT THE CULPRIT. MOP HEADS, SWIFFER. THE SWIFFER PADS, BIRTH CONTROL PRODUCTS, FLOSS, FLOSSER PICKS, TOOTHBRUSHES TWO BY FOURS, BRICKS, YOU NAME IT. EVEN SMALLER THINGS YOU WOULD THINK CAN BE FLUSHED, ACCUMULATE OVER TIME. THIS GROSS LUMP IS A GIANT HAIRBALL. FAVREAU’S TEAM, REMOVED FROM THE SEWER COLLECTION. IN ANOTHER INSTANCE, IT WAS DOZENS OF ROCKS, HE SAYS. A LOT OF THE TIME IT BACKS UP INTO A HOME COSTLY FOR RESIDENTS AND A FINANCIAL BURDEN ON THE CITY. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR. IT COSTS THE CITY HERE IN TOWN WITH OUR COLLECTION SYSTEM AND ALSO AT THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT. FORT DODGE IS NOT THE ONLY CITY THAT DEALS WITH THIS, FABREAU SAYS. VIRTUALLY ALL MUNICIPALITIES HAVE TO BUDGET FOR NON-FLUSHABLE ITEMS. ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UTILITIES SPEND UP TO $1 BILLION ANNUALLY TO FIX THE ISSUE, ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CLEAN WATER AGENCIES, TOILET PAPER IS THE ONLY OTHER OBJECT THAT WE WANT FLUSHED DOWN A TOILET IN DES MOINES, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS JONATHAN GARNEAU SAYS EVEN WET WIPES CAN CREATE BIG PROBLEMS. WIPES DON’T BREAK DOWN OVER TIME LIKE TOILET PAPER DOES JUST BECAUSE IT SAYS FLUSHABLE ON THE PACKAGING DOESN’T MEAN THAT IT IS. THOSE OBJECTS CAN SLIP THROUGH, THE SMALLER ONES CAN SLIP THROUGH THE SCREENS AND GET INTO PUMPS AND CAUSE A LOT OF DAMAGE TO VERY EXPENSIVE HARDWARE, GARNEAU SAYS. THOSE LARGER STRANGER OBJECTS OFTEN COME FROM FOLKS OPENING MANHOLE COVERS AND TOSSING THEM DOWN BELOW THE STREET. AND WHEN HEAVY RAIN FALLS, THOSE ITEMS FLOW INTO THE BASINS AND CREATE NIGHTMARES FOR THE CREWS THAT HAVE TO CLEAN THEM UP. FIRE EXTINGUISHERS ARE A BIG PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY THEY WILL THEY WILL FIT THE THE THE PIPE VERY WELL. A A BOWLING BALL HAS BEEN RETRIEVED OUT OF A PIPE. IT’S PERFECTLY SIZED TO JAM UP A 15 INCH SEWER PIPE. BEAU BOWMAN ����vlog EIGHT NEWS. IOWA’S NEWS LEADER. A FIRE EXTINGUISHER, A BOWLING BALL, TWO BY TO BELIEVE. YEAH YEAH YEAH. JUST AFTER TALKING TO GARNEAU LAST WEEK, HE EMAILED ME BACK ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WHEN WE GOT BACK TO THE STATION AND SAID THEY FOUND A PISTOL IN A PUMP. DMPD WAS NOTIFIED. AND THEN AFTER IT WAS RETRIEVED, IT TURNED OUT TO BE A PELLET GUN, BUT STILL NONETHELESS NOT WHERE THAT THING SHOULD BE.