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Town manager says wastewater aerators clogging from wipes; plant crews cleaning units
Summary
Town Manager reported new aerators at the wastewater plant are clogging—likely from 'flushable wipes'—causing extra maintenance work but not yet triggering service outages or EPA violations.
Town Manager told the council the wastewater plant has experienced regular clogging of new aerators, particularly on the eastern units, and staff suspect the problem is caused by flushable wipes and some construction debris that has been drawn into the systems.
"What's happening is the aerators are clogging fairly regularly, especially the eastern most of the new ones with flushable wipes," the Town Manager said, adding that the units "vacuum them up off the bottom and clogging up our aerators." He said that cleaning and redeploying units can be a daylong project and that crews will continue to pull them and clean them as needed. Staff reported the problem is not currently causing service interruptions or EPA violations.
Council asked about smell complaints and timing for repairs; staff said operators are monitoring the plant and will perform larger maintenance, including a potential vacuuming of the pond if needed.
