Fat Free Sewers

Ever wonder why your sewer lines backup or you see manholes overflowing? Many of these problems are caused by the disposal of Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) into the sewer system. To help prevent expensive sewer backups, plumbing emergencies and public health issues, the City of Odessa is asking its residents to follow a list of do’s and don'ts.

  1. Do's
  2. Don'ts
  • Dispose of large amounts of FOG, by mixing clay cat litter, a little at a time, with the FOG. When all of the FOG has been absorbed, pour the cat litter into a trash bag, seal the bag, and dispose of it with your regular trash.
  • Recycle used cooking oil or properly dispose of it by pouring it into a sealable container, allowing it to solidify or absorb it with cat litter or paper towels and placing the sealed container in the trash.
  • Scrape food scraps into the trash, not the sink.
  • Use strainers in sink drains to prevent food scraps from entering the sewer system.
  • Wipe pots, pans and dishes with dry paper towels before rinsing or washing them.

Clogged pipes, whether in your household plumbing or in the sewer system, are a major nuisance and a public health issue. In fact, Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO) from the collection system must be reported to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as a violation of the wastewater discharge permits they issue. We are therefore, asking our residents to help us make our sewers “fat free” so that we can reduce the number of SSOs which occur in our collection system. Your help will be greatly appreciated!