Do not flush wipes down the drain, Raleigh Water warns

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The City of Raleigh is again warning citizens to not flush wipes, such as baby wipes or sanitary wipes, down the drain.

A sanitary sewer overflowed Wednesday at around 2 p.m. in Raleigh. Crews later determined the overflow was caused by wipes being flushed down the drain.

It took longer than 1.5 hours to stop the overflow. Crews estimate 3,000 gallons of untreated wastewater flowed out of the system, with 500 gallons reaching a tributary of Marsh Creek.

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So far, there have been no observed fish kills or vegetative damage in the area affected in the spill.

Raleigh Water said it is vitally important for people to not let inappropriate items go down the drain.

Editor's note: The video in this article is from a report completed in March 2020 on this same topic.