Sewer Heroes Take Over the Athens Water Festival!

We all had the dream at some point in our lives.  Maybe you wanted to grow up and be Wonder Woman with a magical golden lasso.  Or you may have imagined yourself with the ability to talk to sea life, just like Aquaman.  Perhaps you and your sibling spent hours hoping to activate your Wonder Twin powers and change form.  How did this work out for you?

If your Superhero dreams were foiled, never fear.  There is still hope for us all.  With a remarkable dedication to fighting grime, a strong desire to protect the public, and a little H2knOwledge, you can transform into a Superhero.  Well, maybe not a Superhero from the comics, but definitely a real-life Sewer Hero! 

Don’t believe me?  Look to the recent Athens Water Festival for the hard evidence.  Hundreds of Athenians came out to the annual event and tapped into their hidden potential to earn official, certifiable Sewer Hero status.

This young Sewer Hero completed all of the assigned tasks to earn official, certified Sewer Hero status.

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” Let’s hope the magic continues, otherwise this Sewer Hero will have a wet head!

Thank you to the local middle school for sending out awesome Sewer Hero volunteers! Can’t do it without you.

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? We love our Guardians of the Gutters.

Sewer Heroes have the power to jump over rainbows.

The caddisfly is a real life water insect with super hero-like strength.

Mr. Flushable, an extra super Sewer Hero. He knows to only flush pee, poo, paper (toilet paper that is!), and puke down the potty.

This Sewer Hero is practicing her skills at wiping Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG) from her plate before putting it in the sink. She knows grease is a pain in the drain.

After a visit with the UGA Marine Sciences Dept., this Sewer Hero has made her own sea creatures.

These Sewer Heroes have the power to clean the water before it comes to your house. Thanks, guys!

It is important to experience the life of a water molecule travelling through the storm drain. Once you do, you know to keep litter out of the gutters.

Meet a few of the critters who depend on water. Your Sewer Hero powers help to protect them and their home.

The Classic City Roller Girls played Toilet Toss Trivia with the Sewer Heroes. Remember the 4 P’s of Flushing: Pee, Poo, Paper, and Puke. Puppies are NOT one of the 4 P’s!

These Sewer Heroes were deciding to be a Guardian of the Gutter, Sewer Hero, Conservation Crusader, or Water Wonder.

Lily Anne Phibian gets to know a few of our Sewer Heroes in training.

Though a mask makes you look cooler, you can still be a Sewer Hero without one.

Take the Sewer Hero Challenges! Jump over the largest trash can in a single bound. This is where to throw your wipes. Your toilet is NOT a trash can.

Look for the WaterSense label when buying fixtures for your house. The less water in the sewer, the easier it is to maintain.

Put litter in the trash. Bonus points for picking up trash you see, even though it isn’t yours. A Sewer Hero recognizes the water is yours and protects it.

The real-life Sewer Heroes of Athens-Clarke County. They fight FOG clogs, evil wipes, and any other villain of the sewer.

Be a Sewer Hero!

With great flushing power comes great responsibility.  Let it flow.  Be a Sewer Hero.

Make plans to attend next year’s Athens Water Festival, September 8, 2018.

 

Be a Sewer Hero: Fight Evil Villains

Today’s blog is from Laurie Loftin, who is a not-so-secret Sewer Hero!

Uncle Ben said it best: “With great flushing power comes great responsibility.” Everyone who dreams of being a Sewer Hero is wise to remember this expression.

What is a Sewer Hero? These dedicated individuals fight grime, protect the public, and battle super villains.  Let me introduce you to two of the Sewer Hero’s biggest foes:

The Sewer Hero has many enemies.  Let me introduce you to two of the Sewer Hero’s biggest foes:

The Wicked Wipes Monster

This monster seems harmless. Clever marketing encourages you to welcome it into your home. You find it in a decorative, neat package perfect for brightening the back of the

Wicked Wipes Clog Pipes!

toilet. The soft, fresh scent masks any sense of doo-m that may soon flow. Do not let its quilted softness fool you. Once you flush the Wicked Wipe Monster down a toilet, it has a way of rearing its ugly head right back out of your toilet.  Made from a durable material,  “flushable” wipes do not easily disintegrate in water. Wicked Wipes use their strength to clog pipes. The damage is evident when raw sewage is overflowing in your home, oozing from a manhole cover, or the wipes hinder our equipment at the water reclamation facility.

Be a Sewer Hero!

• If you use wipes, be it flushable, baby, cleaning, or make-up remover wipes, put these in the trash, not the toilet.
• Instead of using wipes, keep a small spray bottle of water by the toilet. When the time comes, fold your toilet paper into a neat square and spritz it with the water bottle. You have made a homemade wipe that cleans and flushes easily.

The Grease Menace

Yuuuummm, bacon. Who doesn’t love the meat candy? The only problem with bacon is the grease it leaves behind. It is a menace. It will try to deceive you. At a hot

The Grease Menace Stinks!

temperature, the grease looks like a liquid one can easily pour down the drain. Don’t fall into its greasy trap. Once it goes down the drain, this shape shifter attaches itself to the sides of the pipe. As more fats from items such as peanut butter, sour cream, and ranch dressing flow past, they join forces to form a league of Grease Menaces, aka FOG (Fats, Oils, & Greases). The result is a nasty FOG Clog. Nothing can get past the putrid plug it creates. When you see the items you flushed down your drain or toilet start to reappear in your home, you will know the mark of the Grease Menace.

Be a Sewer Hero!

• NEVER pour used cooking fats, oils, or grease down the drain. Let these cool and put them in the trash.
• Wipe out empty containers of high-fat foods. Wipe off plates covered in dressings. Do you have a dog? Let Fido do some pre-washing of your dishes.
• Recycle used cooking oils. In Athens, GA, our Recycling Center, Landfill, and the North and Middle Oconee Water Reclamation Facilities have oil drop-off containers. The used oils are recycled and turned into biodiesels.  Drop them off!

I hope you can see how easy it is to be a Sewer Hero.  You don’t have to be bitten by a radioactive spider. There is no need to practice landing after a jump from a tall building.  No special costume is required.   The only gadget needed is a trash can to put the wipes and used cooking FOG into.

I ask you to accept this responsibility.  In turn, you keep your headquarters clean and our city flowing.  The power to be a Sewer Hero is within everyone.  Once you choose to do so, you will discover it is flushing awesome!