Sewage Spills and Backups
Sewage spills (sanitary sewer overflows) are caused by the clogged of pipes and/or too much flow. Clogged pipes are caused by blockages from fats, oils and grease as well as rubbish, roots and other foreign or unwanted objects in the sewer system. Too much flow is caused by infiltration and inflow i.e., groundwater and rainwater getting into the sewer system). The following sections discuss each cause in detail.
Keeping fats, oils and grease out of the sewer system
Fats, oils, and grease, and other byproducts of cooking come from meat, lard, shortening, butter, margarine, food scraps, sauces, and dairy products. They present a significant clogging problem for sewer systems. Fats, oils and grease stick to the inner walls of sewer pipes and reduce the diameter of the pipes over time. This eventually causes clogged sewer pipes and sewage spills.
Clogging is further caused by chunks of grease breaking away from the pipe walls and becoming stuck further down the line. Grease balls that form when grease combines with sand, grit, and other sewage debris can even become large and hard enough to clog sewage pumps!
Fats, oils and grease also flow down to the wastewater treatment plant where it disrupts operations and increases maintenance costs.
Regulations require restaurants and other commercial food handling facilities to install large grease separation devices to protect sewers from grease problems.
How should we properly dispose of grease and oils?
Everyone can do their share to prevent clogged sewers by following these simple do’s and don’ts