What Not to Flush The Riverhead Wastewater Treatment Facility is a primary treatment plant that treats wastewater – from sinks, toilets and drains - in the City of St. John’s, City of Mount Pearl and Town of Paradise.
Do you think about where your wastewater goes and how it is treated before reaches the ocean? Have you ever considered whether the things you are rinsing or flushing down the drain belong in the garbage?
Every day 135 million litres of wastewater is treated at Riverhead where the primary treatment process removes 30-40% of organic material, 50-80% of suspended solids and up to 99.5% of all fecal coliform. All of the removed material adds up over time.
Items such as flushable wipes, dental floss, leftover grease and food, q-tips and feminine hygiene products should never be rinsed down the sink or flushed down the drain. These types of materials do not breakdown quickly and can cause clogged pipes at your house, in the street or at the treatment plant.
Since it became operational in 2009, Riverhead has diverted approximately 15,000 tonnes of solid waste from being discharged into St. John’s Harbour – that’s enough to fill 15 garbage trucks every month!
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CITY GUIDE | FALL2021
In addition to clogged pipes, these materials can also cause expensive breakdowns of equipment at the treatment plant. It takes a lot of time and money to repair failed equipment.
