Disposable wipes and grease gunk up the works for sewage treatment system

“Grease cake” is not a recipe for success in Public Works Director Tom Wetor’s kitchen.

And there’s nothing completely handy and harmless about wiping up a mess and flushing it down the toilet.

It all clogs up the pumps, screens and equipment at Wrangell’s sewage treatment plant.

“It’s definitely a constant problem,” Wetor said, so much so that the borough sends out a reminder every year to residents about what not to dump into their sinks, tubs and toilets.

“You’d be amazed at how those wipes clump together,” twisting into a rope around the pumps, capable of shorting out the motors.

The pumps...