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Frank A. Douglass Insurance Agency

L’Anse tracks COVID through the sewer system

Testing performed on sewage confirms the presence of the COVID-19 virus throughout the Village of L’Anse and the surrounding area. At last night’s council meeting, waste treatment system lead operator Erin Lahti said sewage influent virus levels spiked after Labor Day, but have since moderated. The village is part of a pilot program studying how sewage tests might be used to identify outbreaks. The virus can appear in sewage several days before infected individuals notice symptoms. At this point, only general trends can be determined.

I mean, COVID’s everywhere.

The village gets an overall report, and the Bayside Village nursing home is being provided with a report based just on the sewage station that serves it and the immediately surrounding area. The system continues to face problems from cleaning wipes that are being flushed. Manager Bob LaFave said there are no kinds of wipes that don’t cause clogs…

Even though it says flushable on the wipes that people use does not mean that it breaks down and that it doesn’t clog up pumps in the system.

Lahti and LaFave also encouraged residents not to pour grease down drains, which can harden and cause sewage system clogs.

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