Peachtree City

has a consistent problem with grease hardening in sewer lines, causing

blockages.

In fact, sewer

pipes in some areas of town have to be cleaned out so often that some

conclusions can be drawn, said Larry Turner, general manager of the Peachtree

City Water and Sewer Authority.

"We can

probably tell you in what areas of town they eat more fried chicken,"

Turner said.

Grease in sewer

lines is also a problem that costs several hundred thousand dollars to

fix each year, Turner estimated. Peachtree City residents can do their

part to keep sewer lines unclogged by cutting out the grease, he added.

Grease poured

down drainpipes can cool quickly and harden in the sewer lines, Turner

said. The hardened grease can then clog the homeowner's private lines

or the public sewer lines, he said.

"Over

time, that can easily build up," Turner said.

The solution

is to keep a coffee can or other storage device handy to save grease in,

Turner said. Once it's full, you can throw it in the garbage, since grease

is OK for landfill disposal, he added.

"Just

throw it in the garbage," Turner said.

WASA has a

special truck that cost almost a half-million dollars that's designed

to clean out grease-clogged city sewer lines.

Grease in the

sewer system can even cause problems if it doesn't clog up. Sometimes,

the grease makes its way to the treatment plants, said Susan Johnson,

a plant operator for WASA.

Sometimes,

the grease will be caught at the plant by a screen that keeps out solids.

Other times, however, it gets through and it cannot be treated, Johnson

said.

"We don't

have a way to treat that and sometimes it gets discharged directly into

the creek," Johnson said, adding that the discharged grease doesn't

cause any environmental problems to the creek.

The grease

will also collect in pump stations, which have to be cleaned periodically

also, Turner said.

Grease clogs

are almost as bad a problem as the intrusion of tree roots, which can

cause cracks and breaks in sewer pipes, Turner added.

In fact, the

root intrusion problem can be intensified by grease that clings to the

roots, he said.

Commercial

operations such as restaurants are required to maintain grease traps that

keep massive quantities of grease from entering the sewer system. The

grease traps must be pumped every so often and the grease is hauled away

WASA is looking

into having an inspection program for grease traps to make sure they're

being properly maintained and cleaned, Turner said. The agency is seeking

assistance from the Fayette County Health Department.

The city sewage

ordinance allows for fines to be levied for violators who illegally dump

grease into the sewer system, Johnson said. But WASA has been unable to

aggressively pursue such violators because there's not enough manpower,

Turner added.