Water and sewer district officials say fats, oils and grease from the kitchen could affect new WRRF
By Jack Reaney ASSOCIATE EDITOR
In preparation for an ordinance amended in March but not yet enforced, Big Sky residents and businesses can become educated about “FOG”—fats, oils and grease.
Although Gallatin County restaurants must install a grease trap or interceptor to pass health inspections, regulation stops when a restaurant opens, according to Peter Bedell, wastewater operator with the Big Sky County Water and Sewer District. In Madison County, restaurants are required to have grease traps but inspections only occur when prompted by issues.
“It’s self-regulatory,” Bedell told EBS. But when the water and sewer district begins enforcing its updated ordinance, new restaurants “shall install a minimum 1500-gal exterior grease interceptor” unless granted variance, or face fines and penalties, according to section 11.3. Existing restaurants with systems deemed insufficient may be required to upgrade to “an adequately sized grease trap and sampling point,” according to section 11.4. The March 2023 amendments also recommend restaurants follow best management practices described in section 11.5.
Although residents will not face any new regulations based on the ordinance, BSCWSD General Manager Ron Edwards sees this as an opportunity for education.
“Be aware what you put down your kitchen sink drain, because that comes back to the treatment plant,” Edwards told EBS.
Fats, oils and grease are common in any kitchen. Add up more than 3,000 household amounts and Big Sky’s $50 million Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility might get bogged down—FOG could increase maintenance costs and decrease durability of the massive infrastructure upgrade.
Edwards said FOG has always been in the wastewater stream, but it’s going to matter more with the new WRRF.
“The membranes are very small that the water goes through for the treatment,” Bedell said; The membrane bioreactor is the most advanced technology out there, and it’s more sensitive to FOG than Big Sky’s current wastewater treatment facility, he explained.
Bedell said residents might unknowingly contribute to the problem.
“You heat up your pan, [recipe] says to put a little butter in there or a splash of PAM. All through the cooking process, you’re creating different types of FOG,” Bedell said. “Then you take your food waste, dump it down the sink.”
Garbage disposals don’t help, he said. They simply grind up food particles, often containing FOG, to enter the waste stream.
The fats, oils and grease may be liquid when scrubbed out of a dirty saucepan, but Bedell says they’ll soon coagulate in the cold wastewater pipes. He’s dealt with four-foot-long grease clogs.
The household solution: collect cooking grease in a jar for reuse, and make sure all food waste gets in the garbage.
Bedell and the district hope to educate customers now so that when the ordinance is enforced—some time before the WRRF begins phased opening in March—the community will be ready.
‘Do people really pour bacon grease down the sink?’
At the Nov. 28 BSCWSD board meeting, WRRF project engineer Scott Buecker recommended the district implement a FOG monitoring program, and begin public outreach before the ordinance is put into place.
“You’ll probably get some voluntary action out of [restaurants and residents] to tighten up their ships and may reduce the amount of FOG coming into the plant,” Buecker said. He pointed out that the district does not have any staff to conduct inspections or enforce the amended ordinance.
General Manager Ron Edwards is not sure if the district will hire a dedicated compliance officer, but the district is working to grow its staff. Bedell and some of the new staff members might schedule appointments with restaurants to check in on their grease traps, Edwards said.
Buecker suggested that by educating residents, “you might get 25% less grease in your sewers just because people are thinking about it. Previously they weren’t.”
Board Chair Brian Wheeler said the district needs to begin collecting baseline data on FOG concentrations.
“If you have an ordinance and you want compliance, you have to have enforcement. To have enforcement, you have to have tracking and a database,” Wheeler said in the meeting.
Buecker recommended a notice to inform customers that the ordinance will be enforced.
“But in the meantime, at least protect our investment,” he said.
Board members discussed distributing flyers with upcoming utility bills, and informational placards for short-term renters who aren’t concerned with the health of Big Sky’s wastewater facility.
Wheeler posed a question:
“What residential advice are you going to give,” he asked. “I mean, I’m serious… Do people really pour bacon grease down the—”
“Oh yeah,” and “oh yes” echoed across the boardroom.
“OK, I’m out,” Wheeler said, and laughter followed. But anyone with a hand in this $50 million infrastructure upgrade—of which $27 million is being funded by funded by resort tax collections—could agree that this will be no laughing matter.
