[RP TownTalk] Grease is the word

[David Lingua]

Fellow Town-Talkers,
Tuesday night I was notified about a sewage line back up and overflow
along the flood plain between the northeast branch and the bike path,
next to Riverside Neighborhood Park. My conversation with the
gentlemen charged with dealing with this directly revealed the cause
to be a blockage created by built up cooking grease.

Like a plaque build up in the vein, the grease attaches to the pipe
walls and constricts the flow until it is completely blocked. Clearing
these pipes is on the WSSC maintenance schedule, but the buildup here
happened more quickly than anticipated. Fortunately the spill over did
not reach the river.

I bring this up because of the oncoming holidays and the incentive of the current economy towards an increasing marginal propensity for home cooking. I may very well be stating the obvious, but it is for the sake of everyone being on the same page. Cooking grease is best collected and disposed of instead of disposing of it down the drain. I am of the generation where we collected it in a coffee can and disposed of it on the yearly big collection day. It would not surprise me with WSSC engaged in "water main whack-a-mole", the challenge of trying to stay current with their regular maintenance schedule to be daunting at best. Anything one can to to minimize their own impact will go a long way.

Thank you.
CM David Lingua