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The problem has sharpened the longstanding

clash over whether wipes are suitable

for flushing.

While drain clogs aren’t new, most of the more

than 15 cities contacted by The Associated

Press said they’ve become a more costly

and time consuming headache during the

pandemic. Home-bound Americans are seeking

alternatives to bathroom tissue because of

occasional shortages, while stepping up efforts

to sanitize their dwellings and themselves.

“When everyone rushed out to get toilet paper

and there was none ... people were using

whatever they could,” said Pamela Mooring,

spokeswoman for DC Water, the system in the

nation’s capital.

Sanitary sewer overflows jumped 33% between

February and March in Houston because of

clogs from rags, tissues, paper towels and wipes,

said public works department spokeswoman

Erin Jones.

In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, crews are cleaning

sewage pumping stations a couple of times

a week that previously needed it once a

month, said John Strickland, manager of the

treatment facility.

At Beale Air Force Base in Northern California,

a squadron that usually deals with airfield

maintenance and weaponry disposal has been

yanking wipes from the base’s plumbing.

“Our airmen are working 16-plus hours to

unclog the pipe systems and that takes them

out of the mission and puts a strain on the rest

of the team,” Master Sgt. Destrey Robbins said in

an article on the Beale website.

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