WEF Highlights

Often, wastewater treatment services remain out-of-sight and out-of-mind. But 12-year-old Cameron Weeks sought to change that when he decided to learn about local wastewater operators for a school project. Thanking operators for a job well done The seventh-grade Medlin Middle School (Roanoke, Texas) student received an assignment in his language arts class to demonstrate empathy […]

The Dublin (Calif.) San Ramon Services District’s public education messaging has gone mobile. To spread its messages about items not to be flushed down toilets and the value of water, the district has equipped their vehicles with educational signs. The district’s “What Not To Flush” program asks customers to never flush wipes, diapers, or feminine […]

The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) helped spread the message about the causes of pipe clogs by taking to Twitter during the city’s annual Fiesta San Antonio, held each year in April. Using #WipesClogsPipes, SAWS awarded sparkling toilet medals with the slogan “wipes clog pipes,” to daily winners of Twitter “pot” quizzes. — Jeff Gunderson, […]

United Utilities (Warrington, England) produced a music video called “Can’t Flush This.” The parody of M.C. Hammer’s 1990 hit “Can’t Touch This,” communicates the negative consequences of flushing items not intended to go down the toilet. In the video, “MC Plumber” and his two assistants rap in a bathroom and breakdance outside while conveying the […]

To educate ratepayers about wipes and many other products that can cause clogs and harm the environment, the Orange County Sanitation District (Fountain Valley, Calif.) launched its What 2 Flush website. The online resource includes public service announcements, nondispersible-related news, and list of information explaining why certain materials shouldn’t be put down the drain. Materials […]

In 2014, the King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) launched its Flushing Awesome campaign to raise awareness and deter people in Washington State from flushing nondisperable products such as wipes, tampons, condoms, hair, dental floss, and grease. The campaign featured two cartoon musical videos — a parody on artists Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” […]

Last year, the Maine Water Environment Association (Augusta), in a joint effort with the Portland (Maine) Water District and the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (Cary, N.C.), created two humorous videos depicting a wacky, mock game show called “What the Flush?!?” to call attention to what should and shouldn’t be flushed down toilets. The […]

Steve Anderson, a water resources analyst with Clean Water Services (Hillsboro, Ore.), wrote and recorded a lighthearted song called “Don’t Flush the Baby (Wipes!)” The song conveys the importance of not flushing baby wipes, cleaning pads, and paper towels. Although not part of a Clean Water Services’ outreach campaign, Anderson has produced a number of songs […]