Toilet paper has become a hot commodity due to the COVID-19 outbreak—so hot, in fact, that some have had to turn to alternatives such as wipes or paper towels to meet their needs. But Kalispell Public Works Director Susie Turner wants Flathead Valley residents to understand that toilet paper, and only toilet paper, can be flushed down the toilet. All other products, even those marketed as flushable, can create a different kind of crisis for local sewer systems.

Turner said the Kalispell Public Works Department has recently seen an increase in blockages of its sewer mains and lift stations, and she noted this is “probably not a coincidence.” In the past two weeks, they have responded to three sewer backups in the city’s system. “That’s a lot for us,” she explained, adding, “the last one they pulled out was quite large.”

All products besides toilet paper—including supposedly flushable wipes, napkins and paper towels—should be discarded in solid waste bins, not the toilet. Turner explained other objects “don’t dissolve like toilet paper does.” Instead, they bind and grab onto the infrastructure and “nothing can get through it.”

If these clogs build up, Turner warned people’s homes could be damaged by overflowing waste, “which we don’t want,” she said. The damage could be costly and expensive for homeowners and the city.

The Kalispell Public Works Department reminded residents “service lines from your house to the sewer main are your responsibility.”

But Turner also pointed out septic systems throughout the entire valley can be crippled if people flush anything other than toilet paper.

“Just flush toilet paper,” she emphasized.