Where Does FOG Come From?

Where does FOG come from?

“Grease” is the common term for animal fats and vegetable oils. It is naturally oc- curring in many foods. It is used in many This photo of the inside of a sewer pipe in recipes and for frying food. Grease is a Walla Walla shows what FOG buildup looks normal byproduct of cooking. like. FOG reduces the diameter of the sewer pipe and can create blockages. Common household sources of FOG in- clude: Results of sewer backups ■■Raw sewage in your home or your neigh- ■■Meats bor’s ■■Potential contact with disease-causing ■■Lard, shortening organisms ■■Cooking oil ■■Expensive and unpleasant cleanup that often must be paid for by the homeowner ■■Butter and margarine ■■Increased operation and maintenance ■■Milk, cream, ice cream costs for the City, which could lead to high- er sewer bills for the customer FOG Fat, Oil, and Grease – FOG ■ ■Cheese, yogurt – can clog your pipes and ■■Baked goods lead to sewage overflows. ■■Sauces 55 E. Moore St. ■■Food scraps Walla Walla, WA 99362 509.524.4714 [email protected]

wallawallawa.gov Fat, oil and grease aren’t just bad FOG for your arteries and your waistline FOG is not just a problem in the City of Walla easily become completely blocked by col- Walla’s sewer system. FOG can block sewer lecting FOG or anything else that is washed clogs lines inside the house and lateral lines that down the drain or flushed down the toilet. ■■Never pour oil or lead to the City’s grease down sink sewer mains. The best drains or into toilets. Some blockages way to deal 1 Can it can be removed, with the ■■Collect grease in a but others are FOG prob- container and dispose so solid that the lem is to of it in the garbage. section of pipe keep our You can mix oil with must be replaced. sewer fat- an absorbent material The results of a Looking down from the free. Never like kitty litter or coffee blocked line are street, this is the view of the pour fat, oil, grounds before throw- always unpleasant bottom of a sewer manhole and grease ing it in the garbage. and expensive for that has a solid layer of FOG down the the homeowner. drain. 2 Cool it ■■Scrape grease and buildup. This is the Inside of a food scraps from Just like in our To address pots, pans, plates and sewer line with soap arteries, the prob- this problem, cooking utensils into bubbles floating on lem with FOG in the City of the garbage before the wastewater and the sewer is that it Walla Walla washing. FOG hanging from the ceiling of the pipe. The restricts the lines is working ■■Do not use extremely diameter of the sewer until it forms a sol- with both 3 Cap it hot water and deter- pipe is reduced, creat- id plug. FOG is 8 private res- to 12% lighter than idence and gents to dissolve the ing a potential site for This is the manhole after it water and does commercial grease – it only moves a blockage. has been cleaned. Now you not mix with water. business the problem down the can see the channels that line. This causes it to float on top of the wastewater owners alike. the sewage flows in. in the sewer lines. The FOG may be in liquid Commercial ■■Look for phosphate- form if it is washed down the drain with hot FOG contributors have either a grease-trap free soaps. water, but as the water cools the FOG chang- or a grease-interceptor to allow the FOG and es to a solid form. This solid FOG is lumpy solids to settle out before their kitchen waste ■■Limit use of the gar- and sticky. It has a natural tendency to stick to is discharged to the sewer system. In addi- bage disposal to dis- anything that it comes in contact with, which pose of food wastes. tion, the City has a preventative maintenance usually means the sewer lines. Once a sewer program and regularly cleans all sewer line has a restriction due to FOG, it can very mains.