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<br />Page 3
<br />Volume 1, issue 3
<br />are not designed to accommodate these,” said
<br />Economic
<br />Public
<br />MPCA legisla?ve director Greta Gauthier. “The
<br />Development
<br />Works
<br />toilet is not a trash can.”
<br />News
<br />Department
<br />
<br />by City Administrator Mike Ericson
<br />At eight listening sessions around the state
<br />regarding water infrastructure, wipes were one
<br />The City of Centerville welcomes a new business,
<br />of municipali?es’ top concerns, Gauthier said.
<br />Ameer’s Tobacco located at 1869 Main Street.
<br />Smaller towns, in par?cular, have been hit with
<br />The owners Osama Abdelaziz Nafa Masoud and
<br />enormous cots associated with flushed wipes.
<br />Maher Hamdi Mohoud Awad own a tobacco and
<br />
<br />e-cig shop in Lindstrom and have backgrounds in
<br />In Avon, Minn., residents were forced to re-
<br />gas sta?on/grocery store opera?ons.
<br />place four li? sta?on pumps in their system for
<br />Updates
<br />$73,000 due to repeated clogs. Homeowners
<br />in Lewiston, Minn., bought a $70,000 grinder
<br />Old Waterworks Site—A purchase agreement
<br />MPCA to Seek Label Restric?ons on Flusha-
<br />to tear apart wipes before they reach the
<br />has been signed for the acqiosotopm of the old
<br />ble Wipes
<br />pumps.
<br />Waterworks property. Preliminary plans are
<br />The Minnesota Pollu?on Control Agency
<br />
<br />an?cipated for construc?on of a 4 story, 42,550
<br />(MPCA) is looking to slam the lid on flusha-
<br />“It’s not fair for ci?es to have to absorb these
<br />square foot building housing 15 one bedroom
<br />ble wipes, which it claims are mislabeled
<br />cots,” Gauthier said.
<br />units, 60 two bedroom units and 28 three bed-
<br />and responsible for costly repairs to sep?c
<br />
<br />room units for a total of 103 units. The City is
<br />tanks and city sewers.
<br />Last year, the city of Wyoming sued six makers
<br />beginning work with the developers regarding
<br />
<br />of wet wipes, including Kimberly-Clark, in fed-
<br />building requirements, setbacks, etc. for a mutu-
<br />The MPCA will ask the Legislature to ban
<br />eral court. The suit alleges that the so-called
<br />ally agreeable and neighborhood friendly devel-
<br />such labels as “flushable,” “sep?c safe” or
<br />“flushable” wipes don’t break down and in-
<br />opment. The City is working with the developer
<br />“sewer safe” on wipes sold in Minnesota.
<br />stead form huge white clumps that sewer
<br />regarding innova?ve approaches to the develop-
<br />The proposal also would required packaging
<br />workers have dubbed “polar bears.”
<br />ment of the smaller parcel where the exis?ng
<br />to include a “do not flush” warning, so con-
<br />
<br />Waterworks sits.
<br />sumers know the wipes should be thrown
<br />Bob Brand, a spokesman for Kimberly-Clark,
<br />in the trash, not the toilet.
<br />said he couldn’t comment on the Minnesota
<br />The City of Centerville also welcomes AMI Con-
<br />
<br />proposal to ban “flushable” from labels, but
<br />sul?ng Engineers, P.A. located at 7029—20th
<br />City officials have complained for several
<br />said the company stands behind its claims that
<br />design and
<br />Avenue South. They specialize in
<br />years that the mul?purpose sanitary cloths
<br />wipes with those designa?ons will break up
<br />development of waterfront infrastructure,
<br />fail to break down, despite assurances on
<br />and not clog pipes and treatment systems.
<br />marinas, building structures, marine struc-
<br />packaging that they are :”flushable.” U?lity
<br />
<br />tures & surveying, industrial harbor & barge
<br />workers say wipes snug in pipes and valves,
<br />Most of the materials blocking sewage systems
<br />flee?ng opera?ons, permi?ng and environ-
<br />clogging wastewater treatment systems.
<br />are products that shouldn’t be flushed, such as
<br />
<br />mental services along with Environmental
<br />baby wipes. He said the company’s baby wipes
<br />“Our ci?es are spending a ton of money
<br />and Civil engineering. Contact them at:
<br />are clearly labeled “do not flush.”
<br />every year—and so are private ci?zens—to
<br />(651) 337-9259.
<br />
<br />
<br />have their pipes cleaned out,” said Craig
<br />“The wipes that we designed to be flushable
<br />Johnson, a lobbyist with the League of Min-
<br />are, and we have a lot of research and tes?ng
<br />Council Up-
<br />nesota Ci?es. “These do not \[break down\].
<br />to back that up,” Brand said.
<br />They sit there and collect debris un?l they
<br />date
<br />
<br />form a big ball that plugs the system.”
<br />by City Administrator Mike Ericson
<br />Brand said he’s not aware of any municipality
<br />This year’s legisla?ve session will focus on
<br />or state that has banned the words “flushable”
<br />December 9, 2015—Approved a Franchise
<br />water issues, so this was the right ?me to
<br />from labels.
<br />Agreement with Century Link for delivery of high
<br />take ac?on on the issue, Johnson said. It’s
<br />
<br />-speed internet and cable services. (Compe??on
<br />unclear whether the Legislature will move
<br />If lawmakers chose to pass the bill, manufac-
<br />is good—look for marke?ng solicita?on via mail
<br />on the proposal.
<br />turers likely will have more than a year to meet
<br />or telephone.) Council also approved the 2016
<br />
<br />the new label requirements. Legisla?on with
<br />Mill & Overlay Projects for the following streets:
<br />Popularity of disposable wipes has in-
<br />the same aim is currently in the works in New
<br />(Co?onwood & Deer Courts, Hunters Trail,
<br />creased as manufacturers adver?se them as
<br />York and Maine, Gauthier said.
<br />Meadow Circle, Meadow Court, Mill Road, Cardi-
<br />convenient for cleaning needs from remov-
<br />
<br />nal Drive, North, South & West Robin Lanes).
<br />ing makeup to scrubbing messy babies and
<br />By Liz Sawyer (h?p://www.startribune.com/liz-
<br />disinfec?ng counters.
<br />sawyer/270190981/) and Mary Lynn Smith (h?p://
<br />January 27, 2015—Approved Franchise Agree-
<br /> www.startribune.com/mary-lynn-smith/10645991/)
<br />ments & Franchise Fee Agreements with Xcel
<br />Unlike toilet paper, some wipes are more
<br />Energy (Gas & Electric), Connexus Energy
<br />than 30 percent plas?c and aren’t biode-
<br />(Electric) and CenterPoint Energy (Gas) to imple-
<br />gradable, cri?cs say.
<br />ment a $4/month fee on residen?al metering
<br />
<br />and $8/month on commercial metering. These
<br />“Toilet paper rapidly falls apart in the sys-
<br />revenues will be placed in a dedicated fund for
<br />tem; these wipes do not. It becomes a
<br />street use/revitaliza?on which will limit the need
<br />problem because our treatment facili?es
<br />for special assessments. Xcel Energy and Cen-
<br />terPoint Energy will commence charging fees
<br />May 1, 2016. Connexus Energy has not request-
<br />ed a modifica?on in commencement date of
<br />April 1 to May 1, 2016 as of yet.
<br />
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