As part of our ongoing campaign to address issues associated with non-flushable products, including wipes improperly labeled as “flushable”, CASA has joined several associations in collaborating on a study entitled, “The Cost of Wipes on Clean Water Infrastructure: A National Assessment.” We know that wipes are a significant problem for many utilities. Unfortunately, we do not have an assessment of how much this problem costs utilities. A more accurate, defensible estimate of costs is important for our advocacy work on wipes, especially when discussing potential state or local legislation with lawmakers. This collaborative study will involve a detailed analysis of costs for a small group of wastewater agencies, development of a cost model, verification of the model with a larger group of agencies, and scaling of the model to each state and the nation.
Here is where you can help! Wastewater agency volunteers (both collections and treatment) are needed to provide information for this study. Has your utility done any work to quantify the cost of your wipes problem, and are you willing to share this information? If you have not done any work on costs yet, would you be willing to do a limited amount of work to help verify a cost model? If so, please contact Cynthia Finley at cfinley@nacwa.org by July 20 if you would like to volunteer to help with this study.
Please help ensure California is well represented in the study, and help lay the groundwork for our advocacy on this important issue. Thank you in advance for your participation.
