Sept. 28, 2012 —
Flushing hypodermic needles down the commode is unacceptable behavior, says Morehead Utility Plant Board Manager Mike Nickell.
“We did find needles on Sycamore Street by the skating rink in Salt Lick and another in a residential grinder on US 60 in Salt Lick,” Nickell told members of the MUPB at Tuesday’s monthly meeting.
Nickell said he does not know if the needles were used legally or illegally.
“Regardless, they just don’t need to be flushing them down the commode,” he said. “That’s not where these needles need to go.”
He said 13 to15 percent of MUPB’s customers have “force main lines,” which force waste uphill and into a mini-grinder pump station. The grinder cuts up the debris, and forces it to the grinder pump. The debris could be discharged into the main sewer system and into the Licking River.
The needles found in Salt Lick were attached to floating syringes. Had they become detached, the pump could have been damaged. Since the board is operated independently of the city, it would be responsible for coming up with the money to repair or replace the equipment.
Authorities have been notified, as have the residents.
“We get the information to the homeowners that we’re aware that needles are being put in the lift station by someone,” he said. “For example, if it’s a small community, we know everybody that’s hooked onto that lift station. We can tell. We can backtrack that and find whose sewage is going into that particular lift station where we’re finding needles.”
Nickell said these particular residents have received a letter explaining if they are caught, they face wanton endangerment charges.
Finding needles that have been flushed is nothing new for the plant board.
Nickell said his employees used to find needles that most likely came from rest areas on Interstate 64. That issue was resolved after Kentucky State Police and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet got involved.
Employees found at least 20 hypodermic needles and syringes last July in a sewage pump station on Cady Drive in Morehead.
The board sent a letter to each of the residents in question, informing them of the legal ramifications of improperly disposing of anything other than human waste.
Nicole Sturgill can be reached at nsturgill@themoreheadnews.com or by telephone at 784-4116.
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