Bullhead City wastewater staff and residents warn that wipes and debris are damaging pumps; official cites large preventable cost

Bullhead City wastewater staff and a resident warned that non-flushable wipes and other debris are causing recurring sewer pump failures and significant avoidable expenses.

At a public information segment, a resident said the city has "had to replace 2 or 3 pumps at the beginning of that plant to a cost of about $40,000 a piece, just about every year" because of flushable-wipe problems. The resident said the issue has forced repeated maintenance work.

John Trequato, who identified himself as a member of the City of Bullhead City's wastewater division, reviewed what should and should not be disposed of in the sewer system: "There are only three things that should be disposed of in the sewer system: 1, human waste. 2, toilet paper. And 3, grama water. Please do not flush any disposable or non disposable wipes, baby wipes, paper towels, napkins, or any other paper or non paper products as this will cause a major sewer backup." He displayed examples of trash pulled from the system, including wipes, plastic bags, razor pieces, pencil fragments and tampon applicators.

Trequato said those clumps plug pumps and require labor to pull and diagnose the problem, and that damaged pumps sometimes must be sent to a company for repair. "We're talking minimum $4,050,000 dollars of taxpayers dollars that can be avoided very easily," he said. The transcript does not specify how that estimate was calculated; the city did provide a local contact for the wastewater division.

Trequato also described the practical problem for operations: clogs can burn up pump motors and require extended service interruptions while crews remove debris and repair equipment. The city's guidance directs residents to place non-flushable materials in the trash rather than flushing them.

For questions the wastewater division provided a phone contact and the public was encouraged to reach out to the City of Bullhead City for more details about proper disposal and bulky-item pickup policies.