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KC Water Reminds Customers to Keep Fats, Oils and Grease Out of Sewer System

Posted on December 19, 2018

(Kansas City, Mo.) – Don’t let a quick decision in the kitchen ruin your holiday.

“Be mindful of the things you pour down the drain because it can create an issue to your home and to a neighbor’s home,” said Amir Kenner, KC Water Senior Engineering Technician.

We’re talking about fats, oils, and grease.  Pouring a little bit down the drain might not seem like a bad idea, but it’s a backup just waiting to happen.

“It causes a reaction in the grease and causes it to build up like a rock. It clogs people’s service lines which creates a backup in the home and homeowners have to call a plumber to get their service line snaked out,” explained Christopher Ashley, KC Water Utility Supervisor.

Beyond a homeowner’s sewer line, fats, oils and grease from homes and businesses also cause problems in the 2,800 miles of sewer mains that serve Kansas City.

“We put a camera down the line to be able to determine the location and how much grease has impacted the sewer system,” said Kenner.

Once a blockage is located, cleaning out a city sewer line is far more involved than pouring Drano down the pipe.

“We have to use our large combo trucks and a grease nozzle to vacuum out the main, clean it and deodorize the sewer line so the grease smell and other sewer smells don’t go up into homes,” said Ashley.

When you’re in the kitchen please don’t pour any fats, oils or grease down the drain.  Instead, let it cool and put in the trash.  It will save you and KC Water time and money.

For more information, please contact Brooke Givens, Media Relations Coordinator, at brooke.givens@kcmo.org or 816.513.0284.

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KC Water maintains and operates water treatment and distribution systems, stormwater management systems, and wastewater collection and treatment systems for residential and business customers in Kansas City and for wholesale customers in the Kansas City area. KC Water is primarily funded by fees charged to customers based on their use or impacts on the three utility systems.

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