It’s all about FOG ó fats, oils and grease.
Salisbury-Rowan Utilities will hold two meetings to discuss and review a draft version of its new Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) Control Policy.
The meetings will be held at the utility’s administrative facility at 1 Water St. at 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Owners and managers of food establishments, plumbers, engineers and other interested parties are encouraged to attend one of the meetings.
Due to an increasing number of sanitary sewer overflows caused by fats, oils and grease, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the N.C. Division of Water Quality have required all municipalities which own and operate sewer collection systems to implement a FOG Control Program.
The plan must include an educational component for residents and an enforcement policy applying to food establishments and commercial food servers.
Jim Behmer, interim director for Salisbury-Rowan Utilities, said the meetings will provide explanations and expectations of the new FOG Control Policy, offer guidelines for complying and allow those affected to respond.
The final policy will include an approval process for new construction and for existing facilities currently without grease interceptors or grease traps. Companies must submit plans to install grease inhibitors and get approval of the plans before installing them.
In addition, newly installed grease interceptors will require a standard maintenance process at least every 90 days. Grease traps will require standard maintenance once every 30 days.
Individuals with questions pertaining to the draft Fats, Oils and Grease Control Policy can contact FOG Program Coordinator Aaron Otten at 704-216-2729 or at aotte@salisburync.gov.
In addition, anyone can review the current draft FOG Control Policy on the Internet at www.salisburync .gov/pdf/fogdraft.pdf.