North Tonawanda (WBEN) - Toilet paper has been hard to come by, and the result is stuffing up many local pipes.
"You'd be surprised what goes down the sewer."
That's Bill Davignon, the Superintendent for North Tonawanda's water and waste water systems. He's seen a tremendous increase in the amount of baby wipes and other items being sent down the drain.
"Mostly we're seeing wipes, we're seeing a three-fold increase in wipes. We're seeing some rags."
The increase is in direct correlation to the stories of toilet paper flying off the shelves at stores across Western New York.
"That's increased, ironically, over the last five days," said Davingnon. "We started seeing it come in last weekend, and when I went down to check yesterday, we saw about a three-fold increase in our Lugger production. We've had issues before this crisis, but it's minimal."
"Because of the toilet paper hoarding that's been going on, people are using what they have to. I understand that, personal hygiene, you have to take care of yourself but if you can wrap it in a plastic bag or even a sandwich bag and dispose of it in the garbage, do that until you can get some toilet paper.":
What can you use instead?
Davignon said napkins and tissues are likely safe, and even a few paper towels may be OK. Anything else, including the so-called 'flushable' wipes may cause issues, and not just for municipalities.
"The first problem is your home plumbing. If you have any kind of blockage, this will fill that right up, and that can cost you anywhere from $2-5,000 to get that repaired."