FOG Prevention – Fats, Oils, and Grease Clog sewers!
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Fats, Oils, and Grease that are commonly used in cooking or drained from cookware can clog your sewer! This can result in expensive calls to a plumber. Allow the oil to cool and absorb with paper towels prior to washing pans or dishes. Put the paper towels in the trash, or if you have a large amount of grease or oil, pour it over shredded paper towels or newspaper in a jar or can with a lid and place it in your garbage. If you have a turkey fryer, you can dispose of the used cooking oil at http://www.ci.redding.ca.us/solwaste/hhwprice.htm (the City of Redding's Household Hazardous Waste Facility) during Thanksgiving through New Years.
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The City of Redding requires Oil and Grease Interceptors (OGI’s) at approximately 300 restaurants and other food service facilities to prevent grease clogs in the city sewers. Most restaurants have 1,500 gallon tanks in their parking lot to separate the grease from the kitchen wastewater. The grease interceptor design (which is similar to a septic tank) http://www.ci.redding.ca.us/pubworks/eng/pdf/38040R03.pdf slows the wastewater, allowing the oil and grease to float and the “cleaner” water to flow to the city sewer. These tanks are pumped about every three months to remove the oil, grease, and remaining wastewater. Restaurants are inspected annually by the City to ensure proper maintenance.
Roots
Trees and shrubs are wonderful for providing shade in the summer and making our yards look nice, but beware of trees with roots that are fond of finding sewers. If you think about it, sewers contain water and nutrients (our wastes), and roots have all day to grow. The worst offenders are:
- Poplars, Cottonwoods and Aspens (Populus spp.)
- Willow (Salix spp.)
- American Elm (Ulmus americana)
- Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)
- Oleander (Nerium oleander)
- Fruitless Mulberry (Morus australis)
- Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
The roots of some of these species can grow great distances (25’ to 50’) and can also damage water lines, gas lines, foundations, sidewalks and driveways, so avoid planting them in your yard. And please, NEVER use copper based root control products (usually a beautiful blue color.) The small amount of copper that passes through the wastewater treatment plant is toxic to fish and other aquatic life.
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