City Of Rochester, Indiana

What is FOG?

FOG refers to Fats, Oils and Grease, which may come from animal, vegetable or mineral sources.

Who is a Food Service Establishment?

A Food Service Establishment is any place that prepares food including, but not limited to, restaurants, banquet halls, cafeterias, schools and hospitals. In addition, all food manufacturing facilities (deli's, bakeries, etc.)

What is a Grease Trap?

A Grease Trap is an indoor grease separation device, usually installed underneath a sink and designed for small volume water flows. Grease Traps must be Plumbing and Drainage Institute (PDI) certified.

What is a Grease Interceptor?

A Grace Interceptor is an outdoor grease separation tank installed in the ground and designed to handle larger volume water flows. A Grease Interceptor shall have a minimum capacity of 1000 gallons.

What else do I need to know?

I already have a Grease trap, does this apply to me?

If your grease trap or interceptor is properly sized and working well then all that is needed is documentation of its periodic cleaning.

Ok, now I have a separator. What's next?

Separators require maintenance in order to function properly. Grease Traps should be inspected every three months. While inspecting the trap, the owner shall determine if it needs to be cleaned.

Grease Interceptors should be inspected every three months and cleaned by a reputable service company a minimum of once per year. Depending on the depth of the grease in the Interceptor, it may require cleaning more than annually.

The Maintenance Log

Records detailing when the separator was cleaned, who cleaned it, how much FOG was removed and where the FOG was taken are required to be maintained by the separator owner and provided to the WWTP Department upon request.

If there are multiple separators onsite, then multiple records must be maintained. You can obtain a blank copy of the Grease Maintenance log.

What if I don't Maintain it?

Separators that cause problems for the sewer collection system or failure to maintain separator cleaning records may result in action by the City that can range from written notifications to the owner, to fines up to $400 per violation. Additionally if FOG causes a blockage in the City sewer lines, the cost of work required to remove the FOG from the City's sewer collection system may be billed to the owner of the separator causing the problem.