A contractor's mistake caused nearly 80,000 gallons of wastewater to be released into a Winston-Salem creek last week. But the county's most recent wastewater system report shows most sewage overflows have a more mundane cause: residents putting too much faith in the plumbing system.
Debris is behind most overflows, according to the report. Gale Ketteler with Winston-Salem Forsyth County Utilities says that debris is usually toilet wipes, but it could be anything.
“It could be more than wipes," says Ketteler. "I mean, people flush amazing things they should never put down a drain. You know, they find sheets.”
Debris was the cause of about 75% of the overflows reported in the county last year. Residential grease is another big culprit, she says.
“Can the grease. Put your cooking grease, when it cools, put it in the trash," says Ketteler. "These are the things that you and I and everyone can do to avoid this because it just creates problems.”
Fifty-five sewage overflows were reported in Forsyth County last year, with nearly 116,000 gallons of raw sewage released into surface waters.