Why divers had to journey 80 feet into a sewage tank to fish out wipes

CHARLESTON, SC (WTVD) — Before you flush a wipe down the toilet, think twice and consider the divers who might have to swim through 80 feet of sewage to pull it out in the future.

That’s the message from Charleston Water System, who recently had to send a specialized team of divers deep into a wet well to unclog a series of pumps backed up by a huge jumble of flushed wet wipes.

The clog was discovered last Thursday at the utility’s Plum Island Wastewater Treatment Plant. Workers then set up a series of bypass pumps so they could access the obstructed pumps without interrupting the city’s flow of wastewater.

Here’s a few pics from the final dives we completed this morning. A diver gets ready to enter the 80 ft. deep wet well, a look at the surface where he entered, and a refreshing bleach bath after a nice long swim. Glad to report that we’ve returned to normal operation today. pic.twitter.com/aCHCc2nghP

— Charleston Water (@ChasWaterSystem) October 16, 2018

With bypass pumps in place, contracted divers from Salmons Marine Contractors in Charleston were sent into the wet well. According to Charleston Water, the divers had to make their way through 80 feet of sewage (with no visibility) and find the source of the obstruction with just their hands.