Fats, Oils & Grease
The District has seen substantial growth, and with this growth the wastewater treatment staff is faced with many sewage transport and treatment challenges. The largest challenge being the control of fats, oils, and grease being discharged into the sewer system. Grease is the accumulation of animal and vegetable fats found in cooking materials. “FOG”, fats, oils, and grease, can be the cause of many problems in the sewage transport and treatment industry. Blockages by FOG can cause sewage back-ups in homes and businesses. Sanitary sewer overflows in the streets of your neighborhood, caused by grease blockages, can present serious health concerns. Accumulations of FOG at sewer treatment facilities can drastically reduce the efficiency of sewage treatment processes, lowering the quality of reclaimed water being discharged into the environment. Increased maintenance expenditures and costly equipment failure can also be attributed to FOG accumulation in the sewage transport and treatment system. To make a long story short, what you do at home does have an effect on the outside world. Here are some helpful hints for reducing FOG in residential sewage discharges, keeping in mind that grease discharges are predominantly generated from dishwashing and kitchen clean up.
Where Does Grease Come From?
- Meat fats
- Lard
- Cooking oil
- Shortening
- Butter and margarine
- Food scraps
- Baking goods
- Sauces
- Dairy products
Grease Prevention Tips for Everyone
- Scrap excess food into garbage can instead of using a garbage disposal.
- Wipe out pans with a paper towel before washing them to remove all the grease you can. Never pour grease down sink drains, into toilets or down a garbage disposal.
- Collect cooking grease in a used glass jar and discard into the garbage.
Effluent is laboratory analyzed for ammonia, nitrates, suspended solids and BOD's (Biochemical Oxygen Demand)
- Do not pour cooking grease, bacon grease, butter, or any other melted grease down the sink drain, even if you use hot water.
- Do not use chemicals to remove grease clogs. Chemicals damage the piping system and move the problem. It does not go away.
Healthy, FAT FREE sewers can do the job they are designed to do!
Do your part to keep them clean.
