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Build up from fats, oils, grease and solids (FOGS) can cause sewer backups and blockages on your property and in the public wastewater collection system.
When fats, oils, greases and solids (e.g. food scraps) are poured down the drain, they cool and harden in the pipes, both inside your home and throughout the community. This build up makes it harder for wastewater to pass through pipes and can result in a sewer backup in your home.
We monitor our wastewater collection pumphouses and pipes on a regular basis. When we notice a buildup of FOGS, we take proactive measures, like cleaning our equipment and sending educational materials to homes and businesses in the area. These materials help Edmontonians know what they should and shouldn’t pour down the drain or flush down the toilet.
Note: Residents who are disposing of more than one litre of used cooking oil must take it to an Eco Station. City of Edmonton Ecostations.
EPCOR responds to calls from homeowners with sewer troubles that are directly related to blockages resulting from FOGS buildup.
In addition, crews respond to approximately 125 mainline blockages each year. Historically, nearly half of these blockages are due to problems with FOGS.
Grease is found on the cleaning equipment during routine cleaning of the sewer lines. Grease buildup is confirmed by running a small camera through the line to determine what is causing the blockage.
Pipes are cleared by special equipment that uses high pressure water to remove the grease from the walls of the pipe. A vacuum process is then used to remove the dislodged grease from the manhole.
We have a number of pipes that are on regular flushing routes to ensure that the grease buildup doesn’t cause any blockages in the system and impact customers. We flush almost 2,500 pipes every year on regular routes just to ensure that the buildup doesn’t impact anyone.
In total, we aim to have around 450 km of pipe proactively cleaned yearly and almost 50% of that is due to grease in the system.
There are approximately 3,600 km of pipe in the sanitary and combined (sewers used for both sanitary and stormwater) sewer systems. Each year, about 150 kilometres can be televised. Based on these numbers, it would take 20 years to televise the entire city. Therefore, it is not possible to monitor all the sewer lines for grease buildup on a regular basis.
No. Wastewater from every toilet, shower, kitchen sink, dishwasher, or bathtub is connected to a single sewer pipe from your residence that goes into the public wastewater collection system.
Used cooking oil should be placed in a capped, plastic jug, labeled, and set out for garbage collection. Amounts larger than 1 litre should go to an Eco Station for disposal.
Cooking oil does not solidify, so there is a chance the container can break and oil can spill during garbage collection, causing an environmental hazard.
Yes. Everyone should dispose cooking fats, oils, and grease properly, rather than pouring them down the drain.
Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) can cause sewer backups by blocking the main sewer lines as well as those on private property, causing expensive property damage. Edmontonians should try to "store it, don't pour it".
Residents are asked to store fats and grease in disposable containers with lids. The containers can then be placed in the garbage. Used cooking oil should be cooled and put into a covered plastic bottle, labeled and also put out for garbage collection. Residents who are disposing of more than one litre of used cooking oil must take it to an Eco Station.
Our FAQ section below answers questions about how fats, oils, and grease in the sewer system can cause problems. It also tells you what to do to prevent them.
FOGs are by-products of cooking – there’s no way around it. How you manage these by-products can have a tremendous impact on home, business and the environment.
