#SB50: Stadium prep includes flushing all 1,135 toilets, urinals, sinks at once. #SewerBowl

A bowl tradition unlike any other, behold the Super Flush.

When a stadium, arena, or large-scale entertainment venue like it opens, the plumbing is tested by flushing every single toilet, urinal, and sink drain at the same time. It's been coined the Super Flush.

It happened the year Super Bowl 50 host Levi's Stadium opened in 2014, when "hundreds of workers and volunteers" super-flushed the drains not only once, but for a full 30 minutes to ensure the water-pressure system functioned properly. It looks something like this:



While the earliest reference to Super Flushing we could find was 1998 in Baltimore, we suspect the practice predates this. Plumbing functions can be particularly stressed during big events, like in Cleveland in 2007 when 50,000 gallons of water overflowed from leaky toilets during a Kenny Chesney concert. A Super Flush of more than 100 johns after repairs were made confirmed the fix was effective.

The urban legend of a city sewer explosion due to a Super Bowl halftime surge is only a myth, but it remains one of our favorites.

#SewerBowl: Because we know the biggest games are won in the trenches.

Game on, football fans.

For the fourth straight year, water and sewer infrastructure will take the field during the Super Bowl as we cover some of the unexpected #SewerBowl stats and stories from our accounts.

From the beverages consumed to the systems that take it away from your homes safely, we and many other utilities know clean water doesn't take a day off to watch the game, halftime show, or commercials. Which is why we will find the unexpected connections between football and bring you the best on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Our pups have made a prediction.

#SewerBowl Tweets

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• WHY WE PLAY: SewerBowl shines light on the hidden systems that make it possible
• FACT? Did a city sewer actually burst under the force of a Super Bowl halftime flush?
• BOWLS: The Daily Beast takes a look at the (toilet) bowls that matter 

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SUPER BOWL: From football to flush, #SewerBowl stats will have you covered again this year

We're covering the big game from the ground up.

For the second straight year, our #SewerBowl team will talk about the infrastructure and sewer news related to the Super Bowl to make connections to the services many Americans take for granted.

TIPS: Your bowl is not super. #FlushResponsibly

One brew company estimated 50 million cases of beer are consumed on Super Bowl Sunday, resulting in 1.4 billion trips to the bathroom.

With that many potty breaks, chances are that there's more being flushed down the toilets than fluids and good ol' TP.

We hope everyone celebrates today's football festivities responsibly, and we also encourage you to flush responsibly: That means not using your toilet as a trash can.

Garbage like napkins, paper towels, disposable wipes, wrappers and so much more can cause plumbing problems and even wreak havoc farther down the line in community sewers. Dispose of trash in the can and help save sewers and your own drains from potential problems.

LEGEND: Story of toilet surge during big game is a lasting #SewerBowl urban myth

MetLife Stadium, the site of Super Bowl XLVIII Sunday, February 2, 2014. Courtesy Wikipedia.

The story goes something like this.

Just after the Super Bowl's second quarter, millions of fans rush to their bathrooms for relief, leading to a tremendous flush-induced surge in sewer systems across the country, large enough that some cities' sewers have failed or ruptured because of it.

The fact is that it's never happened. Snopes and many other local outlets have debunked the urban legend. However, one story did say that back in the 1950s and 1960s, sanitation districts of Los Angeles County could tell when there was a commercial during popular shows like "I Love Lucy," but it hardly confirms the myth of Super Bowl lore.

Following Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, I asked Westerly Treatment Plant in Cleveland for any flow statistics around game time to see if there was any significant surge before, during, or after the game. Our stats showed no noticeable change in flow patterns at all on game day.

SUPER BOWL: How does infrastructure play into the Big Game? #SewerBowl will live-tweet the flow facts

A recent survey shows 60% of Super Bowl viewers plan to use a mobile device while watching the big game.

While we haven't commissioned a [Dr. Evil style air quotes] "sur-vey" [end air quotes], our intuition tells us 100% of Super Bowl viewers also will either use the bathroom, run a faucet, or flush a toilet sometime during the game.

That gives us plenty to talk about.

This Sunday's Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos will feature our first ever #SewerBowl: Live-tweeting from our @wallywaterdrop and @neorsd Twitter accounts as we share some unexpected sewer and infrastructure stats along with the live action.