ESU describes ongoing Manteno force-main grease problems; staff to add cleanouts, equipment and industry pretreatment

Kankakee City Environmental Services Utility staff told the ESU board on Oct. 20 that repeated accumulations of fats, oils and grease (FOG) in a force main serving the Manteno industrial area have caused multiple multi-day slowdowns and required emergency work.

Operations staff said the most recent response required replacement of air-release valves that had been fully plugged with grease and a targeted jetting effort to clear an under-creek section. Staff ordered a chopper pump and a Wet-Well Wizard to improve wet-well agitation and grease breakdown and said they will raise chemical dosing at the wet well as an interim measure.

Why it matters: The Manteno line serves a major industrial area. Continued blockages not only force repeated emergency work but also raise costs and operational risk for the wastewater system. Staff told the board two industrial dischargers — which staff identified as making up the bulk of the load on that line — are developing pretreatment systems and expect to have those online by Thanksgiving. The ESU doubled certain industrial surcharge rates months earlier to accelerate compliance.

Measures staff plan or have taken

- Replaced several air-release valves that staff found fully plugged with grease, restoring proper air release along the line.

- Jetting and localized cleaning to open the under-creek segment; staff said they borrowed equipment to execute the work and removed large, thick accumulations.

- Equipment purchases: a chopper pump (ordered) and a Wet-Well Wizard (ordered; 5–7 week lead time) intended to aerate the wet well and encourage biological breakdown of grease before it moves downstream.

- Increased chemical dosing at the wet well as an interim mitigation while industries bring pretreatment online.

- Planning a new access/cleanout at the Nordstrom location on the line to give crews a closer point to clear any future blockages; staff described this as an “insurance policy” to reduce the time and effort required if the line clogs again.

- Proposed smart-ball inspection (inline acoustic device) to map internal buildup and identify precise problem locations rather than cleaning the entire length of the force main.

Industry compliance and rates

Staff reported that two large dischargers in the Manteno area are moving to install pretreatment systems; meeting attendees said one had already started and another expected a turnaround by Thanksgiving. ESU staff said they had increased surcharges for high FOG dischargers earlier in the year, and those higher surcharges have prompted faster action by the industries.

What the board heard

Board members asked technical questions about the valve work and the potential scale of industrial capital needed for pretreatment. Staff said the pretreatment investments will likely be in the millions for the largest facilities but emphasized the goal is long-term compliance rather than revenue from fines. Staff asked for patience while crews work extended hours to address the line and said the measures should substantially reduce the recurrence risk once pretreatment is active and the Wet-Well Wizard is installed.

Next steps and timeline

Staff expects the Wet-Well Wizard to arrive in its stated lead-time (about five to seven weeks) and planned the Nordstrom cleanout work as soon as feasible to create the closer access point. Smart-ball inspection and targeted cleaning will be scheduled if initial mitigation and industrial pretreatment do not fully resolve the problem.

Provenance: staff reported the valve replacements, jetting, orders for the chopper pump and Wet-Well Wizard and industry meetings in the discussion starting at transcript segment 543.71 through 2739.14, with specific technical remarks on valve fouling and equipment orders appearing between 543.71 and 2532.16.