Monday, September 14, 2015

Fatbergs: Coming To A Sewer Near You

Fatbergs are plaguing cities across the world, so it looks like educational campaigns are needed to educate people on the proper disposal of household grease and wet wipes - the biggest contributors to fatbergs. Water utility officials are spending great sums of money to clear fatbergs, and face even higher costs when fatbergs cause pipes to burst.


A fatberg filled with baby wipes, cooking grease and other waste pulled
from an Atlanta sewer. 

The word 'Fatberg' is a term that refers to a congealed lump of fat mixed with food, wet wipes and sanitary products. Earlier this year a 10-tonne fatberg was removed from a London sewer after it broke the sewer pipe.

Sally Bethea writes about the problem cities are facing with fatbergs, and will participate in a public campaign to create awareness about proper disposal in Atlanta. She commented"

      "The flow of untreated sewage and wastewater that backs up behind these gooey blobs has to go somewhere, so it spews from the pipes through manholes and cracks, and spills into nearby creeks."

Just what we need: another threat to clean drinking water.


Read Sally Bethea's commentary on fatbergs here: http://www.reporternewspapers.net/2015/09/12/commentary-lets-keep-fatbergs-out-of-our-drains/

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