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EMWD Reminds Customers to Properly Dispose of Fats, Oils and Grease

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View of water treatment plant from roof.

Perris, CA (November 20, 2018) — Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) would like to remind its customers to be Sewer Smart and avoid placing fats, oils and grease down their drains this holiday season.

As families come together and make large, holiday meals – including turkey and roast beef – often times significant amounts of fats, oils and grease 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.

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

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Eastern Municipal Water District is the water, wastewater service and recycled water provider to approximately 816,000 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 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.