Today, Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) and Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) introduced the Protecting Infrastructure and Promoting Environmental Stewardship (PIPES) Act, which would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish standards for the flushability of disposable wipes and would impose civil penalties on companies who are knowingly incompliant with these standards. “The PIPES Act would...

The California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) has been named the winner of the 2021 Pollution Prevention Award for leading efforts to pass state legislation in October that will require “Do Not Flush” warnings on packaging for baby wipes, cleaning wipes and cosmetic wipes, and will compel manufacturers to educate the public on the harmful...

Ask your Representative to Co-Sponsor the Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety Act (H.R. 4602) Please reach out and ask your Congressional Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 4602, the Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety Act (WIPPES Act), by Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) and Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI). This legislation helps address the extensive...

  Update provided by CASA Much clearer disposal information for wet wipes is coming to a shelf near you. After years of legislative work on the wipes issue, AB 818 (Bloom) has been signed into law by the Governor. This bill establishes the strongest “Do Not Flush” wipes labeling and public education requirements in the...

BREAKING NEWS – On Sept. 2nd, California’s Legislature passed the CASA supported wipes labeling laws and sent the bill (AB 818) to Governor Newsom’s desk. Stay tuned for updates! A preliminary class action lawsuit settlement between the Charleston Water System (Charleston, South Carolina) and wipes manufacturer Kimberly-Clark could affect any entity that owned and/or operated...

View all of CWEA’s coverage of the wipes crisis > Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), today, joined with Congresswoman Lisa McClain (MI-10) to introduce bipartisan legislation to create a national standard for the labeling of non-flushable wet wipes. This common-sense standard would address the growing problem of these wipes being flushed into and creating obstructions in...

From the International Water Services Flushability Group… Products that meet the IWSFG flushability specifications are unlikely to cause harm to wastewater conveyance systems or treatment plants.  The IWSFG flushability specifications are available for use by product manufacturers, governmental organizations, and other entities that want to determine if products that are flushed are safe for wastewater...

View all wipes stories > California’s sewers were built to handle pee, poo and toilet paper, but increasingly they’re being called upon to carry an ever-growing array of plastics and trash people flush down the toilet. Wastewater systems across California, and around the world, are becoming solid waste debris conveyance systems. Condoms, feminine hygiene products,...

View CWEA’s round-up of Coronavirus (COVID-19) worker safety information here > Throughout CWEA’s three COVID-19 webinars we’ve been surveying wastewater professionals about their experiences during the pandemic. Here is a summary of their responses. For the April 15th collection systems webinar, we asked attendees if their agency is experiencing INCREASED maintenance because of wipes? 64%...

March 2020 may go down as one the biggest moments in the wastewater professions’ battle against “flushable” wipes. A combination of the coronavirus pandemic, TP shortage, press release from the State Water Board and media coverage of sewer back-ups in Redding and Las Galinas caused the wipes clog pipes topic to go viral. The result...

Written and photography by: Senior Airman Colville McFee, 9th Reconnaissance Wing Beale Air Force Base, Calif. – The 9th Civil Engineering Squadron (9CES) provides many skills and mission essential aspects such as, airfield maintenance, fire emergency services, explosive ordnance disposal and utility system construction to name few around the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. With the COVID-19 pandemic...

While the TP is scarce, however you choose to wipe, make sure you properly dispose of your items in the trash can ????. The ONLY 3️⃣ things that belong in the toilet are Pee, Poo toilet Paper. #WipesClogPipes #PeePootoiletPaper #DontRushToFlush pic.twitter.com/3VAlpNChtJ — RanchoWater (@RanchoWater) April 2, 2020 Way to go CWEA member Tony Martinez. Watch...

  View this post on Instagram   Wastewater Utility Manager Vince Ines shares, “Our dedicated employees at the wastewater treatment plant are trained for emergency events such as COVID-19 and are prepared to handle these situations”. Learn how you can do your part to protect vital infrastructure! #venturawater #cityofventura #stayventurastrong A post shared by Ventura...

Announcement from the State Water Resources Control Board While the State Water Board and other public agencies encourage Californians to follow the Centers for Disease Control recommendations to clean surfaces with disinfecting wipes to reduce the spread of COVID-19, it is important to discard those items in the trash, not the toilet. Flushing wipes, paper towels and...

AC20 HOT TOPIC PREVIEW THURSDAY TRACK: Winning the Fight Against “Flushable” Wipes! November 21, 2019 The Honorable Alan Lowenthal United States House of Representatives The Honorable Tom Udall United States Senate Dear Senator Udall and Representative Lowenthal: On behalf of the undersigned coalition of public agencies providing wastewater, water recycling and biosolids management services in...

Originally published on LinkedIn, reprinted here with permission… Ahhh. That feeling that comes over you when you come home after a hard days work, plopping yourself onto that every so comfy couch that envelops all of your achy tired bones. Your twin toddlers come running out of the rear of the house, screaming with joy...

Many wipes marketed as flushable are an increasing problem for property owners, sewer systems and ratepayers, AB 1672 seeks to require proper labeling The California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) sponsored Assembly Bill 1672 to require proper labeling of wipe products. The Mammoth Community Water District (District) supports AB 1672 and CASA’s efforts to minimize...

By Heidi Sanborn, Executive Director National Stewardship Action Council This bill is currently on the suspense file of the California State Assembly, and we will find out TOMORROW whether it moves forward to the Assembly Floor for a full vote by May 31.  The opposition is lobbying hard against this simple yet important bill and...

A letter to CWEA members from CWEA’s President Collection Systems Committee Chair… Dear CWEA members, CASA is urgently seeking help from water professionals and agencies for wipes legislation they are supporting. We want to pass along their request on this important issue. CASA is sponsoring AB 1672 (Bloom). The bill would require proper labeling for wipes...

Coverage of the wipes issue is supported by Aqualitec. Press release from INDA… INDA and EDANA, the leading global trade associations representing consumer wipes manufacturers and supply chains, announce publication of an update to their strict guidelines for labeling of non-flushable wipes and for assessing the flushability of disposable nonwoven wipes. New Labeling Guidance for Non-Flushables...

Coverage of the wipes issue is supported by Aqualitec. Ten years have passed since the fierce battle began to wipe out sewer clogging wipes. How close are we to a solution? Sadly, not close. Mainstream wet wipes were introduced in the early 2000s for cleaning and as a “flushable” wipe. They’ve become a major challenge...

This story was originally posted on the Woodard & Curran blog.  CWEA’s coverage of wipes issues is supported by Aqualitec.  Those of us who have witnessed the destruction non-woven wipes are having on our pipes and pumps understand the impact a simple word like ‘flushable’ can have. Since the mid-2000’s, the wastewater industry has been battling...

The Water Environment Federation (Alexandria, Va.) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (Washington, D.C.) filed an amicus brief in support of a District of Columbia law to regulate disposable wipes. This law, the Nonwoven Disposable Products Act of 2016, aims to protect sewer systems from backups by requiring a regulation that defines the...

  As the problem of “flushable” wipes clogging sewer pipes and pumps gets worse – every sewer agency is on its own in developing a public outreach campaign to share with people exactly what they should and should not flush down the toilet. Clogged sewer lines were becoming a challenge for City of Santa Rosa crews, so their...

At this year’s Annual Conference in San Diego a room packed with wastewater professionals listened intently as a panel of experts provided updates on wipes, rags, pills and other debris getting flushed down the toilet. What’s being done to bring this nightmare to an end? The panel of experts agreed we saw some major breakthroughs...