Greencastle responds to EPA program

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

GREENCASTLE -- In response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's direction to establish a local ordinance that would comply with their "National Pretreatment Program," an ordinance enhancing the city of Greencastle's grease interceptor/trap policy has been offered to the city council for consideration. The Council will be making a determination on the ordinance at its Dec. 8 meeting.

The Ordinance will directly affect food service facilities: establishments primarily engaged in activities of preparing, serving, or otherwise making food available for consumption by the public, as well as private facilities that regularly serve 25 people or more per day.

To provide those who will be affected with an opportunity to lean about the National Pretreatment Program and ordinance, utility superintendent George Russell will be offering two presentations at city hall. The first will be on Dec. 1 at 9 a.m. and the second will be on Dec. 3 at 2 p.m.

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I will wait and see the ordinance, but, knowing the government, it will probably add extra expense to restaurants, etc. that will have to be passed on to customers. Nothing ever changes.

-- Posted by not gullible on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, at 9:21 AM
Responding to Not gullible:

Mr. Gullible,

There may be some additional cost to properly dispose of fryer grease, but now some of the smaller restaurants appear to be just pouring it into their sink drain. As the grease cools and congeals it combines with solids in the sewage waste and forms huge clogs in the sewer lines under our streets. These clogs require city workers to remove them to allow the effluent to flow properly. Removing the blockage costs the city (and therefore you and me) money. They estimate that 1/2 of the blockages they clear are congealed grease.

Making the restaurants properly dispose of the waste grease moves the expense to the business who is benefiting from the sale of the food and removes the expense that the city is paying now out of our waste water treatment fees. I'll pay an extra nickel per order to keep my sewer bill from going up.... and, it's just more equatable to all residents of Greencastle.

-- Posted by Citizen Crane on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, at 5:00 PM

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