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THE CITY OF NEW YORK

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Wastewater Treatment

Preventing Grease Discharges Into Sewers

Guidelines for New York City Businesses

A thriving business community is vital to New York City and its neighborhoods. A healthy economy benefits every New Yorker. But when businesses disregard sewer use regulations and improperly dispose of grease, fat or oil, sewer lines can become clogged, causing sewage to back up into basements of homes and commercial establishments. When that happens, the entire community suffers.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is responsible for maintaining the City’s sewage system - 6,000 miles of sewers and 14 wastewater treatment plants that process about 1.3 billion gallons of sewage per day. Sewer back-ups are a major sewer system problem that damages property and affects public health. In some areas, back-ups are frequently caused by grease clogging the local sewers. To address this problem, DEP is helping businesses comply with the City’s sewer use regulations. DEP is educating not only restaurant owners but also operators of nursing homes, fruit and vegetable stands, laundries, and dry cleaners, among others, to keep grease and other materials and chemicals out of the sewer system.

To work effectively, sewer systems need to be properly maintained, from the drain to the treatment plant. If wastes are disposed of correctly, the City’s sewer system can handle them without any problem. Grease is an example of a waste that the sewer system cannot handle, and therefore should not be put down the drain. The City needs businesses and individuals to do their part to maintain the system because repeated repairs are disruptive to residences and businesses alike. Furthermore, proper disposal by commercial establishments is required by law.

SEWER REGULATIONS CONCERNING GREASE

To ensure the proper disposal of animal fats and vegetable oils, and to prevent sewage back-ups, the City requires grease-generating establishments to correctly install, operate and maintain properly sized and designed grease interceptors. These grease interceptors must be routinely cleaned to ensure proper operation.

On November 9, 1998, the City amended the Sewer Use Regulations. These amendments clarify existing requirements and provide for self-certification of grease interceptors by a NYS licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect. Self-certification relieves regulated establishments from a lengthy departmental review process. 

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