Longview crews have narrowed down 24 homes as possibly disposing hypodermic needles in city sewer systems.
Public Works Director Ken Hash said employees have encountered 35 to 45 used hypodermic needles in the past two weeks in local sanitary sewer manholes and pump stations. He would not provide the suspected location.
The Longview Public Works Department recently mailed letters dated Jan. 5 to residents in the affected neighborhood asking residents to properly dispose of hypodermic needles because they can prick employees and cause sewer pumps to fail and create backups.
Hash said crews suspect the needles are being flushed down the toilet because manholes and other ways into sewerlines outside buildings are too difficult to access because they are heavy, in the middle of streets, or hard to find.
Hash said crews believe the source is a residence, and not a public location like a park. He said John Null Park, off Pacific Way and north of Ocean Beach Highway, has locked restrooms, so that location is ruled out.
Hash said staff plan to put a camera in the affected sewerline, and if they find a hypodermic needle, they can locate the source. He said Longview police will likely go to the home with a sharps container to advise residents on how to properly dispose of the medical devices.
The Waste Control Transfer Station, located at 1150 Third Ave. in Longview, accepts sharps and asks people to place them into a sealed container — such as a 2-liter plastic bottle with duct tape around the lid — then in the facility’s Household Hazardous Waste area.
Hash said crews found needles recently using an industrial vacuum truck to clear out sewage in a well. He said workers are also exposed when they clean the vacuum’s screens that filter debris.
Needles and syringes can evade the screens and make their way to the Three Rivers Regional Wastewater facility, which creates “the biggest exposure to employees,” Hash added.
“The cleaning of the pump needs to be done very carefully to avoid a needle stick if that is what has caused the pump to foul,” he said.
Cowlitz Family Health Center, at 621 Grade St. in Kelso, also offers a walk-in needle exchange and disposal service from 1 to 4 p.m. Fridays. People can exchange used syringes for new, sterile syringes, and receive information on how to seek drug treatment.
