Flushing the wrong items down the toilet is clogging sewage systems across the Rio Grande Valley, and city officials say it's costing thousands of dollars in repairs.

Alamo city crews opened a lift station and found toilet paper, wipes, and other debris inside the system. San Benito and Weslaco have also posted reminders to residents on social media about what they flush and push down the drain.

Alamo Mayor J.R. Garza said the buildup is worse than most people expect.

"We've seen stuffed animals; we've seen all types of different materials — rags, you name it,” Garza said. “It doesn’t just mean it was flushed, it could’ve been thrown into inlets.”

When debris builds up, it forces equipment to work harder than it should.

"Sometimes we have to replace pumps. Sometimes we have to replace different aspects of the lift station, which can be very, very costly for the city," Garza said. "It adds up to thousands of dollars for the city."

If the system becomes overworked, residents could feel the impact at home.

"They'll start seeing backups. That's when you might start smelling a certain odor, those are the types of things they might start experiencing," Garza said.

Alamo resident Belia Rocha knows the problem firsthand. She says she has seen people throw soda cans and bottles into a nearby drain and believes it caused sewage to back up into her home twice.

"People throw paper in the toilet, wipes, whatever, and that's not right," Rocha said.

Across town, resident Esperanza Guadalupe de la Fuente worries the same thing is happening in her neighborhood.

"People shouldn't litter on the street, on vacant lots, or in the bathroom stalls, especially because it ultimately hurts themselves," de la Fuente said.

Her message to neighbors is simple.

"Be careful and throw away your trash in the trash bin," de la Fuente said.

Alamo has 27 lift stations total. City crews check them every day and use specialized vactor trucks to remove debris and keep the system running. The mayor said the city currently has five of those trucks and plans to expand the fleet as the city grows.

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