In respect to the current COVID-19 virus pandemic issues, TCW would like to give some recommendations and advice to our communities. TCW is understood to be a wastewater utility service and a necessary business to the public. I want all of our customers to know that we are doing business as normal as possible during these extraordinary times and we will be there to service your system as we have in the past.
There are several points of interest that I felt you should be aware of in doing your part in taking care of your system. Below is a short list of recommendations:
- With the “stay at home” federal recommendations, your system will be used more with the family at home all day. This may cause a hydraulic overload during certain times of the day, which “can” lead to surfacing of the wastewater in the yard if the soils just can’t handle the amount of the water being used (it is not raw sewage but smelly water going through the treatment processes). The recommendation is to conserve your water use during these weeks or months that this issue may exist. You can do this by limiting your showers to 7-10 minutes per person, run the dishwasher once a day, limit the use of garbage grinders, spread the laundry out over the entire week and try to do no more than one load every other day (4-5 loads weekly), and try not to let the water run continuously while shaving or brushing teeth. These small things will really make a difference in helping your system continue to operate properly.
- If toilet paper becomes difficult to keep on hand, it will be tempting for someone to think that they will substitute napkins or paper towels. Don’t! Try to keep an eye out at all the local stores as to when they receive deliveries and restock product. The stores are continuing to receive toilet paper and you need to be watchful to purchase. If napkins or paper towels are used they may clog your house plumbing network or build up a blockage in the septic tank very quickly which may cause a back-up into the home. These paper products do not breakdown quickly and will cause a problem if used as a substitute for toilet paper.
- You may find yourselves cooking more at home as well. Watch the amount of Fats, Oils, and grease that you use. Don’t dump any of this down the drains. Dispose of these products properly, not down the drain. Fats, oils, and grease cool and clog the pipes very quickly.
We thank you for trusting us with the septic program and I hope that these steps may help you and your wastewater system continue to operate trouble free. Our goal is to be a great partner to you. Please reach out to us with any questions or concerns.
