Healthy Sewers

Fats, rags, oils, and grease (F.R.O.G. or F.O.G.) are one of the most common reasons for sewer blockages and spills, but these kinds of sewer blockages and spills can be prevented. 

When food or cooking grease is poured down a sink, it will cool and congeal, often causing buildup inside the sewer mains. Over time, that greasy buildup can contribute to sewer blockages and spills that may create unsanitary conditions that can affect homes, streets, beaches, storm drains, and potentially our waterways. Additionally, because of the unsanitary conditions of sewer spills, these events can trigger a need for additional mandatory state reporting and water-quality monitoring or public-health actions depending on the unsanitary effects of sewer spills on the community. 

Long Beach Utilities Sewer Operations addresses these sewer blockages and spills by cleaning and maintaining the City's sewer collection system. However, you can help prevent these F.R.O.G. buildups from happening at all by learning how to dispose of F.R.O.G. properly.

Common F.R.O.G. items will include:

• Meat fats
• Lard
• Cooking oil
• Sauces
• Butter
• Margarine
• "Flushable" wipes
• Feminine hygiene products
• Pills

Here are a few tips for keeping sewer lines healthy and flowing normally:

1. Do NOT pour any greasy food or oils down the garbage disposal, toilet, or any other drain. (This includes even with the use of hot water when washing cooking dishes. Hot water does not remain hot when flowing through the sewer mains.)
2. We recommend that you let F.O.G. items cool and/or solidify all fats, oils, and grease before disposing of them.
3. Dispose of the cooled F.O.G. by scraping all food and F.O.G. off of plates, pots, and pans into the trash only before dishwashing. (Never dispose in any drain, including toilets.)
4. Use sink strainers while washing dishes to catch any leftover food material.
5. Do NOT flush wipes, feminine hygiene products, pills, or any other trash in the toilet. Wipes labeled “flushable” will still cause backups. Do not flush anything other than the 3 P’s (pee, poo, and toilet paper) down the toilet. 

To learn about F.O.G. and how Long Beach Utilities does their part to clean sewer blockages and sewer spills, please watch the video below:

Please note: If Long Beach Utilities finds that a repair is needed on the City portion of a lateral line, the property owner will have access to our 24/7 stand-by crew to keep your lateral in working condition until our repair crew has completed the needed repair.