Item 9A AGENDA ITEM # 9A
SEPTEMBER 13, 2010
September 3, 2010
MEMORANDUM
TO: The Honorable Mayor
and Members of the Commission
FROM: Jim Hanso
Ity anager
SUBJECT: City Man er's Report
Results of Fats, Oil and Grease (FOG) Program; A couple of years ago the City Commission agreed to
amend the City Code to require restaurants to clean out their grease traps at least every 90 days and file
reports with the City's Utility Department that they have done so. Grease traps have been required for
restaurants for many years. While most of the restaurants have had grease traps, some have failed to
clean them out when they get full, causing them to be essentially useless with the grease overflowing into
the city sewer system. As the grease hardens in the sewer line, it has clogged the lines and caused
blockages that must be cleared by contractors.
The FOG program has since been fully implemented with all restaurants in Atlantic Beach as well as in
the Jacksonville service area complying with the clean out and reporting requirements. To get an estimate
of the effectiveness of the program, Utility Director Donna Kaluzniak compared the number of times that
contractors were called to clean out grease clogs in the sewer lines in 2008 with the last 12 months.
During 2008, they were called out 28 times for a total city cost of $18,715. During the last 12 months,
they were called out 14 times with a cost of $11,300. Consequently, the number of call outs has been
reduced by 50% and the cost to the city has been reduced by just under 40 %. Donna is to be congratulated
for the program's success, particularly because she got all of the restaurants to comply without having to
refer any to the Code Board for enforcement.