Recently, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our grocery stores, retail stores, pharmacy-type stores have had difficulty keeping toilet paper, tissue paper, baby wipes, etc. in stock.

If products other than toilet paper are used in the bathroom, these products should be placed in the garbage, not flushed down the toilet. Only toilet paper should be flushed down toilet. Toilet paper is specifically designed to break down in the sanitary sewer system.

Flushing baby wipes, wet wipes, etc. down the toilet can cause problems with your plumbing and can contribute to blocked sanitary sewer mains. If a product other than toilet paper is flushed down the toilet, it could lead to a clogged service lateral (sewer line between your house or business and the city’s sanitary sewer main). Because the home owner or business owner is responsible for the sewer service lateral, unclogging a service lateral probably requires the services of a plumbing contractor and could be very expensive to a home owner or a business owner. Even if the clog is in the city’s sanitary sewer main (and not in the customer’s service lateral), depending on when the city is called and how quickly a city crew can arrive on site, a sewerage backup could potentially occur. To eliminate the potential of baby wipes or wet wipes clogging either the service lateral or the city’s sanitary sewer main, only flush toilet paper down the toilet; other items should be placed in the garbage

And, as a reminder . . . if your home or business is having sanitary sewer issues, the city always recommends that you call the city first (817-834-9036, after hours: 817-834-7321). The problem may be caused by a stoppage in the city’s sanitary sewer main (and not in the customer’s sewer service lateral). If the city crew can correct the problem by cleaning the city’s sanitary sewer main, the customer can save the cost of a plumber’s service call. The city crew will respond to all service calls 24/7. When the City receives a call for this service the crew will clean the sanitary sewer main that is connected to the customer’s service line. However, if the cleaning of the city main does not correct the problem, the property owner should seek the services of a plumbing contractor.

The city’s full Sanitary Sewer Policy can be found at the link above.