City Lines Clogged With Grease Creates Big Problem
12/14/2011 by BY MIMI BROWN
GREASE BECOMES HARD AS CONCRETE when it builds up in Teague's underground waste water pipes. It is sad to show this ugly picture along with the beautiful Christmas pictures but it is important for the citizens of Teague to see what the fat, oil and grease is doing to our waste water systems. Please help to stop this blockage of our city pipes...
In this time of heart health awareness, most people know what grease, oils, and fats do to our arteries. They clog them and make it hard for blood to pump through. They can even clog up completely and stop blood flow altogether. The City of Teague has a problem with its arteries.
A city's arteries are the pipes running under the ground that carry the waste water away from our homes to the city treatment plant. These pipes are becoming more and more clogged up with fats, oils, and grease (FOG).
These overflows are not just public health issues but can result in serious damage to our environment, especially pollution of our streams and rivers.
Jerry Jones is Director of Public Utilities for the City of Teague. His department takes care of all things related to sewer and water. ?People tend to think that when grease, oil and fat goes down the drain that the problem goes away also,? said Jones. ?That isn't the case. As soon as it hits cold water it solidifies and gets rock hard.? Ninety-five percent of the problems that the City of Teague is having with FOG in the system is caused by improper residential and commercial disposal.
After coming back to work following the Thanksgiving holiday, there were many sewer back up problems called in. All of them caused by FOG. Jones said, ?We have just found a new type of degreaser to use to unclog pipes and we hope that it will work really well.? ?It costs the City $500 for only five gallons.? This is a very expensive resolution to a problem that is easily fixed. ?Many times we have to replace sections of the lines,? said Jones.
If the City employees can't get a clog cleaned out in time and it goes through it enters the treatment system and is very hard to deal with at that point.
How can we help? Nearly 50 percent of all sewage overflows nationwide are caused by homeowners who improperly dispose of everyday fat, oil, and grease (FOG).
The do's and don'ts are really pretty simple to help keep FOG from becoming a problem in your sewer lines or the City's sewer lines.
Don't ? Pour oil and grease down the drain.
Do ? Pour oil and grease in covered collection containers.
Don't - put food scraps down the drain.
Do ? Scrape food scraps from dishes into trash cans and garbage bags and dispose of them properly. Avoid using your garbage disposal.
Don't ? Run water over dishes, pans, fryers, and griddles to wash oil and grease down the drain.
Do ? Remove oil and grease from dishes, pans, fryers, and griddles. Cool first before you skim, scrape, or wipe off excess grease.
Don't ? Rinse off oil and grease with hot water.
Do ? Prewash dishes and pans with cold water before putting them in the dishwasher.
Covering the kitchen sink drain with a catch basket and emptying into the garbage is helpful. If you generate large amounts of used cooking oil, reuse or recycle it. To find a recycler, check the phone book under ?recyclers? or ?rendering companies.? If you generate small amounts of used cooking oil, reuse it as often as possible and then pour it into a container you can throw away. Never pour it down the drain.
Each year communities spend thousands and thousands of dollars unclogging or repairing pipes. If a clog backs up your system at your home it can cost you hundreds of dollars to have pipes unclogged or replaced as well as being a mess and unsanitary. The smell can be horrible.
Please help Teague fight this problem by implementing the Do's and Don'ts list. If you have any questions please call Teague City Hall at 254-739-2547 and ask to speak to Jerry Jones.