FOG

That's short for Fats, Oils and Grease. When it goes down the drain, it cools and becomes solid again…somewhere in the pipes…maybe in your part of the pipes, or maybe in ours. It can cause grinder pump failures. Obviously, it's a problem for whomever!
In August of 2003, in an effort to contain costs, the Districts initiated a FOG Policy. We are systematically asking restaurants, nursing homes, grocery stores, and anyone who might be a large discharger of grease from their cooking operations to install and maintain grease interceptors. These are large, in-ground tanks which allow the liquid wastes from the kitchen to settle out the grease and contain it. Periodically, a waste hauler must come in and suck out the contents of the tank to be hauled away. By doing this, the Sewer Districts has far fewer grease blockages in the collection lines requiring far fewer cleaning and sometimes even replacement of lines.

THIS IS WHAT GREASE DOES IN A SEWER LINE

For the normal home, it is wise to place grease and oils in a container and throw it away rather than sending it down the drain. The links that follow contain a print out given to restaurants to help them reduce the amount of grease leaving their facility, which also applies to home kitchens. The FOG Policy in its entirety is also available along with our Permit and Grease Trap Maintenance Procedures.