TITLE
Recommendation to declare Ordinance adding Chapter 8.46 to the Long Beach Municipal Code, relating to Best Management Practices of food preparation establishments in the disposal of fats, oil and grease read and adopted as read. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The .Long Beach Water Department is responsible for the operation,
maintenance and capital improvement of the 765-mile public sanitary sewer
system. Long Beach sewer ratepayers pay the costs of these responsibilities,
through their monthly sewer bill. It is the mission of the Long Beach Water
Department to ensure that the service it provides is immediate, cost-effective and environmentally responsive.
To ensure the most expeditious and safe delivery of nearly 40 million gallons of
sewage each day to nearby Los Angeles County Sanitation District (LACSD)
sewage treatment plants, the Long Beach Water Department inspects, televises and cleans the City's sewer system every two years. However, large portions of the City's system require additional maintenance and cleaning because of fats, oils and grease (FOG), which is illegally washed down kitchen sinks and floor drains, increasingly by food preparation establishments (FPE) within the City who do not have adequate grease control devices or preventative maintenance
measures in place.
Disposal of FOG into any part of the public sewer system is prohibited under
Municipal Code, Chapter 15.20 on "Sewer Use and Regulation". The State of
California Plumbing Code, which is adopted by most cities in California, prohibits the disposal of FOG in any part of the public sewer system. Rules and regulations adopted by the LACSD and the Long Beach Board of Water
Commissioners prohibit disposal of FOG in the public sewer system.
FOG is an organic polar compound derived from animal or plant sources,
containing multiple carbon chain triglyceride molecules. FOG is generally found
in cooking oil, butter, margarine and lard; meats; dairy products; sauces, gravies, salad dressings; deep fried dishes like french fries and fried chicken; and baking goods like doughnuts.
FOG not only destructively attaches to the inner lining of private plumbing
systems, but also to the public sewer system in city streets. With time, FOG will constrict flow causing damaging and often expensive sewage backups and
overflows, for which the City often incurs additional costs. An uncontrolled
sewage overflow could eventually find its way from the street to the storm drain,
which can ultimately lead to our beaches. FOG also makes the sewage
treatment process more expensive, often upsetting treatment process units used to clean the water.
FOG poses a significant threat to public health, the quality of our beaches and to the integrity of the City's sewer infrastructure. The extra cost of reducing these threats, which run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, are paid by Long Beach residents through monthly sewer bills. In fact, rather than the normal two-year inspection and cleaning schedule, the Long Beach Water
Department must inspect and clean an extra 250,000 feet (50 miles) of sewer
main every year due to extraordinary FOG buildup, caused primarily by food
preparation establishments located throughout the City.
The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners is proposing to add Chapter
8.46 to the Long Beach Municipal Code requiring that all FPE operating within
the City comply with established Best Management Practices (BMP) for the
disposal of FOG. Specifically, Chapter 8.46 would require food preparation establishments to keep a written record of maintenance/disposal service for all grease control devices. FPE would also be required to possess one or more drums or containers for the recycling and disposal of FOG, and keep a written record of maintenance/disposal service for these drums or containers. Upon inspection, the FPE operator must demonstrate that these containers are being used.
Chapter 8.46 would be implemented and enforced by the Long Beach Water
Department and the Long Beach Health Department through the on-going
citywide restaurant inspection program. The California Restaurant Association, the California Grocer's Association, the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles County Sanitation District, the Long Beach Health Department and Department of Public Works are supporting the RECOMMENDATION.
Senior Deputy City Attorney Donna F. Gwin has reviewed this matter.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action on this item is respectfully requested at the earliest possible date.
FISCAL IMPACT
No Fiscal Impact to General Fund.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
BODY
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF LONG BEACH ADDING CHAPTER 8.46
RELATING TO THE DISPOSAL OF FATS, OILS AND
GREASE
Respectfully Submitted,
HELEN Z. HANSEN
PRESIDENT
BOARD OF WATER COMMISSIONERS
FRANK CLARKE
SECRETARY
BOARD OF WATER COMMISSIONERS