Thanks to the efforts of city pool lifeguards in Ashton, Idaho, wastewater workers are seeing a big difference in the amount of clogs in the aerators at the city’s wastewater treatment facility.

The lifeguards recently embarked on a campaign to educate the public about what is and isn’t flushable in city sewers, using door hangers urging residents only to flush toilet paper because sanitary wipes were causing clogs.

“The aerators help dissolve the solids and help the process go faster. The wipes were stopping the fans from moving. They took out a motor on one of our aerators,” a wastewater treatment plant operator tells the Standard Journal. “We are seeing a real difference. I’m glad people are listening.”

City of Bennington to Replace 1,575 Lead Pipes

In other news, the city of Bennington, Vermont, plans to replace approximately 1,575 lead pipes that currently transport drinking water at no cost to the city’s residents.

That’s largely thanks to a one-time $11 million funding opportunity through the Water Infrastructure Fund Transfer Act — a law that was drafted in response to the Flint Water Crisis and allows states to transfer money from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

“As far as we know, this is a one-time opportunity to transfer that money,” Megan Young, drinking water capacity program supervisor at the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, tells VTDigger. “It’s never happened before, and my understanding is there aren’t plans for that moving forward.”

EPA Announces $137 Million Loan for Great Lakes Water Supply Project

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced a $137 million loan to the City of Waukesha, Wisconsin, to help implement the Great Lakes Water Supply Project.

The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan will help protect public health and the environment, affecting Waukesha’s transition to a sustainable, safer source of drinking water.

The Great Lakes Water Supply Project includes the construction of infrastructure to obtain, store and distribute drinking water from Milwaukee Water Works to City of Waukesha residents. The project also includes pumps and pipes needed to return treated wastewater to Lake Michigan via the Root River.

“When the federal government listens to our local communities and responds to their needs, we all reap the benefits,” said Rep. Bryan Steil. “This is a win for our health, a win for jobs, and a win for the future of Waukesha.”