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<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><img width="83" height="119" style="width:.8645in;height:1.2395in" id="x_Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D6CEDC.5A689A60" alt="DEM-logo-small"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;color:#00457A">Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#00457A">235 Promenade Street | Providence, RI 02908 | 401.222.4700 |</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#0070C0">
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="http://www.dem.ri.gov"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">www.dem.ri.gov</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#0070C0">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#00457A">| @RhodeIslandDEM</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="xmsonormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:
</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Gail Mastrati, 401-255-6144</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Thursday, December 10, 2020
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="mailto:gail.mastrati@dem.ri.gov"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">gail.mastrati@dem.ri.gov</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black">DEM AGAIN REMINDS RHODE ISLANDERS TO DISPOSE OF DISINFECTANT WIPES IN THE TRASH TO HELP AVOID SEWER BACKUPS
</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black">Recent incident in Johnston Clogged the Pocasset Street Sewer Line
</span></i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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Description automatically generated" v:shapes="_x0000_s1026"><![endif]><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black">PROVIDENCE
– The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is reminding all Rhode Islanders to refrain from flushing disinfectant wipes – including those labeled “flushable” – and instead, to dispose of them in the trash. Last week, the Johnston Sewer Department
alerted DEM that the main sewer line on Pocasset Street was clogged with a massive ball of wipes and sanitary products that had been flushed down the toilet. More than 30 families live on Pocasset Street and were affected by the blockage, which took maintenance
staff more than a half-hour to clear. In addition to clogging the sewer pipes, flushing the wipes also caused 1,125 gallons of sewage to overflow into the Pocasset River. Other local communities have also raised concerns recently about wipes causing clogs
in sewage systems.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-right:2.15pt;text-indent:-.5pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-right:2.15pt;text-indent:-.5pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black">Whether your home or business is connected to the public sewer system or has an onsite wastewater treatment
system, you should never flush any type of wipes, including baby wipes and those labeled flushable, down the toilet. Instead, you should place these products in the trash for proper disposal.
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-left:3.5in;text-align:justify"><i><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"> </span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-left:3.5in;text-align:justify"><i><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"> </span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-left:3.5in;text-align:justify"><i><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"> </span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-left:3.5in;text-align:justify"><i><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">This photo was taken after more than 70% of wipes
</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-left:3.5in;text-align:justify"><i><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">were taken off the jet head at the Pocasset Street main
</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-left:3.5in;text-align:justify"><i><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">sewer line. Photo: Johnston Sewer Department.</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-left:2.0in;text-align:justify"><i><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"> </span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-left:2.0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xxmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black">In addition to causing clogs and wastewater collection system overflows, flushing wipes can also lead to sewer back-ups in basements and damage communities’
aging wastewater treatment equipment. Although some of these products may be labeled as flushable, wipes are designed and manufactured for strength and durability and do not easily break down in sewer lines and pumping stations as toilet paper does.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xxmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">“As we are seeing in Johnston, wipes can clog our sewer systems and cause pump station failures,” said Matthew Puglia, a senior engineer in DEM’s Office of Water Resources
- Wastewater Treatment Facility Operations and Maintenance program. <span style="color:black">
“Globally, nationally, and here in Rhode Island, our </span>wastewater treatment facilities are being affected by the disposal of wipes into sewage systems. We can all do our part and help avoid sewer overflows by disposing of these wipes in the trash rather
than flushing them away.”</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-right:2.15pt;text-indent:-.5pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-right:2.15pt;text-indent:-.5pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">For more information about items that should not be flushed, visit the Water Environment Federation website at
<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.wef.org/resources/for-the-public/public-information/fact-sheets/__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!bYuh6cIgmNNIH7ROJ1ZsZ6bBqJ7VqM1GKivFeor6xn3A6DXQXWlewDXyl8Jn9qJgqGGlE-4$">
https://www.wef.org/resources/for-the-public/public-information/fact-sheets/ [wef.org]</a><span class="xmsohyperlink"><span style="color:#0563C1">
</span></span><span style="color:black">and click on "It's a Toilet, Not a Trash Can!" in the left-hand menu.</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-left:.5pt;text-indent:-.5pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-left:.5pt;text-indent:-.5pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black">For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><a href="http://www.dem.ri.gov/index.php">www.dem.ri.gov</a><span style="color:black">. Follow us on Facebook at
</span><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!bYuh6cIgmNNIH7ROJ1ZsZ6bBqJ7VqM1GKivFeor6xn3A6DXQXWlewDXyl8Jn9qJg4OjPIos$">www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM [facebook.com]</a><span style="color:black"> or on Twitter
(@RhodeIslandDEM) for timely updates.</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black">###</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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