City News

Environmental Compliance: Oil and Grease

With the number of food service establishments growing, an effective program was required in order to ensure grease would not inhibit the flow of wastewater throughout the collection system. Grease is hydrophobic, which means it prefers to cling to surfaces that are free of water. In effect, it prefers to build on the walls of the sewer collection lines As it continues to build, a restricting of   flow occurs.  Then as layers form and break off, a plug will occur downstream and eventually cause a blockage.  As a blockage occurs, the result is an overflow, lift station failure, and/or treatment   plant problems. Due to these concerns, grease is an enemy of the collection system. To prevent grease from building up in our pipes and damaging the sewer system, follow some of these simple suggestions: