So-called 'flushable wipes' lead to costly repair at wastewater plant

So called flushable wipes have caused some serious damage to the city’s wastewater infrastructure which will cost millions of dollars.

At Tuesday evening’s city council budget meeting, Ken Krcel, director of public works and environmental services, explained the issue which occurred at the Mattagami Wastewater Treatment Plant, and specifically the anaerobic digesters.

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First, he described digesters as “the tanks in the systems where the organic solids are broken down in a biological process. Basically, the bugs eat the solids. This creates heat and methane gas which we use to heat the plant.”

The process is essentially a larger scale version of a septic system for a private home.

The Mattagami plant has two digesters, which are pressurized vessels, which normally wor