(Contributed photo)
WATSONVILLE — An unsuspecting package arrived at the City of Watsonville’s Wastewater Treatment Plant in October.
Adorned with heart stamps and doodle illustrations, a letter from a young Watsonville resident-in-potty-training named Amy revealed uncommon questions about where her sewer water goes after she flushes the toilet.
Amy’s inquiries come on the heels of World Toilet Day, internationally recognized by the United Nations. On Sunday, the City of Watsonville encourages residents to honor the hours spent on their highly coveted commodes by becoming knowledgeable about how to prevent sanitary sewer overflows and protect their local sewer system for the long term.
According to the United Nations, 4.5 billion people worldwide live without a household toilet that safely disposes of their waste while 869 million people still practice open defecation. A sustainable development goal for UN-Water aims to achieve the containment, transportation, treatment and safe disposal or reuse of global wastewater by 2030.
In Watsonville, the city’s wastewater treatment facility cleanses an average of roughly 5.2 million gallons of wastewater per day including what is flushed down toilets, shower drains, kitchen sinks, agricultural food processing operations, and many commercial businesses including car washes. More than 170 miles of pipeline is used to transport wastewater to the facility where, through a multi-phased process, solids are extracted, water is treated, and even methane is captured for renewable energy use. Tertiary treated water serves the dual purpose of irrigating coastal crops, helping to alleviate groundwater overdraft and saltwater intrusion concerns.
In correspondence with Amy, Ruben Tellez, collection systems operator, asked, “how often do you think about your toilet? I believe we should all think about our toilets every day.”
“Knowing our sanitary sewer is safely contained for our community is our number one priority,” Tellez said. “Our entire system is a real luxury when you look at this social and environmental justice issue on an international scale.”
To commemorate World Toilet Day this Sunday, Watsonville residents are invited to prevent backups by flushing only toilet paper and nothing else, especially diaper wipes, and to never pour kitchen grease down the drain as it is a leading cause of sewer line blockages. Lastly, homeowners can strengthen city sewers by scheduling a regular cleaning of their property’s sewer lateral with a local, licensed plumbing inspector.
