Pa. county prison board say inmates clog toilets by flushing sheets, pants and light bulbs

Pa. county at odds with toilet-clogging inmates

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — A southwestern county prison board says a permanent solution to toilet-clogging inmates at the county jail could cost up to $200,000. The Fayette County commissioners, who head the prison board, say inmates clog the county jail’s outmoded sewer lines by flushing sheets, pants and other items — even light bulbs — down the toilets in their cells.

A county engineer estimates it could cost $50,000 to $200,000 to install equipment that could grind up or screen out such obstructions. For now, such items must be removed by hand.

That’s complicated by the fact that the prison was built in 1886 and has outmoded four-inch sewer lines.

The jail is expecting a $1,200 bill to fix clogs inmates caused by flushing debris on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Information from: Herald-Standard, www.heraldstandard.com/