Perris, CA (November 27, 2019) — Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) would like to remind its customers to be Sewer Smart this holiday season by limiting what they put down the drain.

As families come together and make large, holiday meals – including turkey and roast beef – often times significant amounts of fats, oils and grease (FOG) are collected at the bottom of cooking dishes. When those liquids are poured down the drain and enter the sewer system, they begin to harden as they cool and eventually solidify, causing blockages in customer’s homes and within EMWD’s sewer collection system.

Those blockages can damage customers’ dishwashers, sink drains and can cause sewer spills or line breaks in the street, which are both costly to repair and can carry with them significant financial penalties from regional regulatory agencies.

To properly dispose of fats, oils and grease, customers are advised to pour them into coffee cans, mason jars or similar containers and dispose of them in waste bins.

“EMWD appreciates our customers’ commitment toward being Sewer Smart and not placing fats, oils and grease down the drain,” EMWD President Ron Sullivan said. “If we each do our part to properly dispose these items, we are able to work together to protect our system and avoid the costs of repairs to the collection system.”

For more information, please contact EMWD at 951-928-3777 or visit www.emwd.org.

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Eastern Municipal Water District is the water, wastewater service and recycled water provider to approximately 827,000 people living and working within a 555-square mile service area in western Riverside County. It is California’s sixth-largest retail water agency and its mission is “To deliver value to our diverse customers and the communities we serve by providing safe, reliable, economical and environmentally sustainable water, wastewater and recycled water services.” More information can be found at www.emwd.org.