Friday, February 9, 2001
Friday, February 9, 2001 |
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Residents asked to cut out the grease By JOHN MUNFORD
Peachtree City has a consistent problem with grease hardening in sewer lines, causing blockages. In fact, sewer pipes in some areas of town have to be cleaned out so often that some conclusions can be drawn, said Larry Turner, general manager of the Peachtree City Water and Sewer Authority. "We can probably tell you in what areas of town they eat more fried chicken," Turner said. Grease in sewer lines is also a problem that costs several hundred thousand dollars to fix each year, Turner estimated. Peachtree City residents can do their part to keep sewer lines unclogged by cutting out the grease, he added. Grease poured down drainpipes can cool quickly and harden in the sewer lines, Turner said. The hardened grease can then clog the homeowner's private lines or the public sewer lines, he said. "Over time, that can easily build up," Turner said. The solution is to keep a coffee can or other storage device handy to save grease in, Turner said. Once it's full, you can throw it in the garbage, since grease is OK for landfill disposal, he added. "Just throw it in the garbage," Turner said. WASA has a special truck that cost almost a half-million dollars that's designed to clean out grease-clogged city sewer lines. Grease in the sewer system can even cause problems if it doesn't clog up. Sometimes, the grease makes its way to the treatment plants, said Susan Johnson, a plant operator for WASA. Sometimes, the grease will be caught at the plant by a screen that keeps out solids. Other times, however, it gets through and it cannot be treated, Johnson said. "We don't have a way to treat that and sometimes it gets discharged directly into the creek," Johnson said, adding that the discharged grease doesn't cause any environmental problems to the creek. The grease will also collect in pump stations, which have to be cleaned periodically also, Turner said. Grease clogs are almost as bad a problem as the intrusion of tree roots, which can cause cracks and breaks in sewer pipes, Turner added. In fact, the root intrusion problem can be intensified by grease that clings to the roots, he said. Commercial operations such as restaurants are required to maintain grease traps that keep massive quantities of grease from entering the sewer system. The grease traps must be pumped every so often and the grease is hauled away by a septic disposal company, Turner said. WASA is looking into having an inspection program for grease traps to make sure they're being properly maintained and cleaned, Turner said. The agency is seeking assistance from the Fayette County Health Department. The city sewage ordinance allows for fines to be levied for violators who illegally dump grease into the sewer system, Johnson said. But WASA has been unable to aggressively pursue such violators because there's not enough manpower, Turner added.
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