Residents Are Ignoring The Warning

Approximately two years ago we interviewed Tim Drum and Ted Nappo of Great Barrington on the WSBS 'Let's Talk' program to discuss the extra man hours and immense cost associated with flushing baby wipes down the toilet. Tim discussed how the wipes don't decompose or break down into the sewer system and furthermore the wipes plug up the lift stations and pump stations and ultimately stop or break the pump.

At the time Tim mentioned how a program was created where three guys would clean out the pumps three times per week which comes at a tremendous cost. At that time Ted discussed how it was costing the Town of Great Barrington 25% more every year since approximately 2012. In 2017, it was costing the town approximately $150,000 per year just to deal with the problem.

In a recent article courtesy of The Berkshire Eagle, no progress has been made. "There hasn't even been a slight downturn" according to Sean VanDeusen, superintendent of the Department of Public Works since the interview we conducted in 2017. Overtime work, several times per week is still taking place to deal with the issue and it's still costing the town roughly $140,000 - $150,000 per year. Be the change. Save your pipes, don't flush your baby wipes.