San Benito cracks down on grease

SAN BENITO - City officials are cracking down on restaurants that dump grease that clogs the city's new sewer plant.

City commissioners plan to pass a law to fine restaurants $2,000 for draining grease into the new $17.2 million sewer plant.

Under the law, the city would require restaurants and other food preparation sites to install grease traps to stop grease and oil from draining into the sewer system, officials said.

"We're experiencing a lot of problems at the new plant with grease," Mayor Joe Hernandez said.

The city's paid about $10,000 to clear the sewer system of grease drained from restaurants, John Rodriguez, the city's code enforcement officer who drafted the proposed ordinance, said.

"The filtering system got plugged and that drew our attention to the (grease) problem," Chuck Jalomo, the city's public works director, said.

"The sewer system works just like a vein or an artery. When it gets plugged, it backs up. It was basically at a standstill."

City officials didn't learn about the grease problem until they opened the new mechanical sewer plant in February, Jalomo said.

Since 1927, the city ran a sewer system that operated through a network of ponds in which hyacinth plants removed waste like grease, Jalomo said.

But grease clogged the new sewer plant's filtration system, he said.

Restaurants will be inspected to make sure proper grease traps are installed, officials said.

"We're going to be monitoring all the establishments that we think are dumping grease," Jalomo said.

Grease traps can cost some restaurants about $2,000, said Peter Salazar, general manager of El Gallito Mexican Restaurant.

The restaurant installed grease traps when it remodeled about a year ago, he said.

At Vickie's Restaurant, the business that opened in 2004 has already installed grease traps, said Tony Hernandez, who works at the restaurant.

"I think it's a good idea," Hernandez said of the proposal to require grease traps. "That way the grease won't go in the sewer."