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Ashtabula residents are asked to watch what they put down their drains because the wrong items or grease can cause trouble at the city’s waste water plant.

Ashtabula residents are asked to watch what they put down their drains because the wrong items or grease can cause trouble at the city’s waste water plant.

ASHTABULA — Have you ever wondered what happens to the water and waste after you flush? How about after you shower or when you pull the plug on the kitchen sink?

Mark Verzella, assistant superintendent at the city’s wastewater plant, said anything that goes down the drain in a resident’s house winds up in the city’s sewers.

“When problems are identified at the stations, they cause significant costs and loss of time to Water Pollution Control and Sanitation departments’ staff,” he said.

Verzella explained that residential lines flow downhill and connect to the public sewer’s main line and then continues to flow to a pump station. The pump stations have between two and four submersible pumps. Level indicators regulate pump activity.

“The water pollution control plant staff is responsible for maintaining the pump stations and public works employees maintain the lines of the sewer system,” Verzella said. “The city owns the road right-of-way, from curb to curb; outside of the curb is the homeowner’s responsibility as far as maintenance and repair.”

City Manager Jim Timonere said the homeowner is responsible for any breaks in the lines from the curb to the house.

“A break in the line from the curb to the city’s lateral line under the street is the city’s responsibility,” he said. “The codified ordinances state the homeowner is also responsible for ensuring the entire line, from the house to the main line, is free and clear of obstruction. If a homeowner has a backup and something is in the drain, it is up to the homeowner to remove any blockage along the entire length of the lateral line.”

Ashtabula is one of a handful of municipalities or private owners of sanitary systems that repairs the breaks in the line from the curb to the city’s portion of the lateral line.

“It is a significant cost to the city to repair breaks in the line,” Timonere said.

In the past, Timonere has discussed eliminating the city’s responsibility to repair with City Council. “The majority of breaks and obstructions in the lines occur because of tree roots and old separated tiles.”

Ward 2 Councilman Calvin Crawford said one of the biggest issues is the flushable wipes people use to clean themselves.

“They are called flushable, but they are not biodegradable and, when combined with tree roots, result in major backups,” he said. “Also, the city asks that residents do not pour grease down drains.”

The city also asks residents to do their part to reduce mercury in the water. Old thermometers should never be broken or thrown in the trash or down the drain, Crawford said.

City officials are working with the Ashtabula City Health Department to purchase electric thermometers to trade with city residents for their old mercury thermometers. Water pollution staff can then properly dispose of the mercury thermometers, Crawford said.

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