LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- You flush it, but where does it go?
One of the final destinations of your toilet water might be the Metropolitan Sewer District's Floyds Fork Water Quality Treatment Center at The Parklands.
"It is our newest an our smallest water quality treatment center," said Sheryl Lauder, the communications director for Louisville MSD. "We have 3,300 miles of sewer pipe that bring wastewater to one of our treatment centers. So that's a lot of pipe to keep up with."
Unfortunately, water isn't the only thing that flows through those pipes. There's much more. Like toys. On Tuesday, some of the toys found included a small car, an Incredible Hulk figure and Marshall, the firefighter from The Paw Patrol.Â
"I know it's hard with toddlers to keep them from flushing inappropriate items, but anyone that's older than 3 can probably learn what's appropriate to flush and not to flush," Lauder said. "And that includes your kitchen sink too. So don't put fats, oils and kitchen grease down your kitchen drain, because that's all coming to here as well."
Lauder said there are particular items on the no-no list.
"Wipes, dental floss and hair are really enemies of that process," she said.
But MSD is about more than just taking care of the muck. Lately, the agency has been playing a vital role in medical science.
"We're helping with the COVID research in wastewater," Lauder said. "We're sampling all over the county for the University of Louisville for their research that they're doing. You really cannot tell how many people in that watershed have the virus, because everybody sheds it at a different rate. You can see trends, to see if it's going up or it's going down, and you know where maybe problem areas might be."
Bottom line: Don't take MSD for granted. Lauder said every toilet flush should be a reminder of the vital services the agency provides.
"We all have wastewater that we need to get rid of," she said. "And we all want to enjoy the beautiful streams and nature that we have around, so you don't want to be playing in, basically, a sewage trench."
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