Inland Empire Utilities Agency saw an increase in sewer system debris during the COVID pandemic.
Residents flushed napkins, wipes, tissues, paper towels and diapers, causing blockages.
“Toilet paper was hard to get during the pandemic,” says Nicole Slavin, senior external affairs specialist. “So our residents got creative and used other items that they didn’t realize would wreak havoc on our sewer system. In addition, more people were cooking at home and therefore disposing of fats, oils and grease down the drains.”
In response the agency launched a public education campaign to let residents know what they should and should not flush and send down the kitchen sink. The campaign won a 2024 National Environmental Achievement Award for Public Information and Education in eMedia from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.
Boots on the ground
The Inland Empire Utilities Agency is a regional wastewater treatment agency and wholesale distributor of imported water serving 935,000 people over 242 square miles in western San Bernardino County, California.
The collections crew noticed an uptick in nonflushable items during the pandemic, and agency staff felt the team members should be included in the campaign messaging. They were asked to take videos and still photos of some items they found when cleaning sewers.
“Bad habits are hard to break,” says Slavin. “So we decided to create messaging for ourselves and the customer agencies we support as we heard the same concerns from them. Our collections crew helped us with that.”
The campaign, on the theme “Be Sewer Smart,” includes a wide variety of items that weave in messaging about the proper handling of FOG and nonflushables. Components are:
Short videos. These one-minute vignettes starring collection crew members show items that cause blockages. One video features a technician in the field showing how toilet paper dissolves in a jar of water while wipes do not. Another video is a wipes game set to upbeat music where viewers learn that only toilet paper should be flushed.
Photos. Stills include shots of grease buildup from FOG, along with rags pulled from lift stations
Animated graphics. Visuals emphasize that toilet paper is the only paper product that should be flushed down the toilet
@IEUAwater. This tag takes visitors to the agency’s Instagram, X or Facebook postings, where they are exposed to the messaging
Digital advertising. Banner ads appear on the agency’s Instagram, X and Facebook pages and on the agency’s Nextdoor platform
All these are shared with the customer agencies, who disseminate them through their social media and other channels. The messaging, videos and photos were created in house.
Metrics and measures
The campaign measurably boosted residents’ awareness, especially for the FOG component. Slavin says the most impactful social media component by far has been the Nextdoor ads, which can be posted at no cost to public agencies. One ad included a poll asking readers if they knew how to dispose of FOG properly; 273 responded, and 88% of those said they knew after seeing the message on the poll.
One post on Nextdoor received more than 7,000 impressions. “Nextdoor is a space for residents to interact with each other,” Slavin observes. “It is a social media platform that is more local and community oriented.”
More to the point, the collections crew reported seeing less FOG as a result of the campaign, although more work and education still need to be done. The campaign is intended to run indefinitely, and Slavin says overall feedback from residents and customer agencies has been very positive.
Slavin knows firsthand about sewer backups: A week after moving into a new home, she experienced one caused by the previous owners. She feels that experience helped reinforce the need for continued messaging, and she believes that everyone should “Be Sewer Smart.”
