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Kankakee officials target Manteno force main and industrial pretreatment after heavy FOG buildup
Summary
City staff described heavy grease (FOG) buildup in the Manteno force main and outlined work to add valves and a 2-inch access for localized cleaning; staff warned that industrial pretreatment noncompliance is driving higher chemical and maintenance costs and said meetings with affected companies are planned after Jan. 1.
KANKAKEE, Ill. — City staff reported Dec. 15 that persistent deposits of fats, oils and grease (FOG) in the Manteno force main are forcing more frequent cleaning and higher chemical costs, and described a targeted access strategy intended to reduce long-term repair and maintenance expenses.
Superintendent (name not provided in the record) told the Environmental Services Utility board that recent inspections and a forced-main cut showed heavy solid grease on the bottom of the line and signs the pipe can run about three-quarters full during high flow. To address the problem in a nearly 9-mile force-main run, staff said a valve installed north of North Street and a planned hot tap on the south side will create a 2-inch access point to pump and relieve pressure so crews can service a difficult segment without attempting a prohibitively expensive full-line cleanup.
“We’ll do the hot tap on that South side of North Street…that’s gonna give us a 2 inch process that we can pump off of so we shut the flow. We can pump off of that and relieve the pressure to allow us to get in and service that line,” the superintendent said.
Staff said they hope that localized access will reduce costs substantially by allowing targeted cleaning in identified trouble spots rather than trying to service the entire length of the force main. The superintendent said the work will require pipe fabrication to adapt different pump types and coordination with contractors; if approved and weather permits, crews expect to have the access in place within a few months.
Board members also heard that several industrial customers contribute to the FOG problem. Staff said one large contributor has pretreatment in place but is not using it consistently; another has no pretreatment system. The superintendent said the city will hold internal and external meetings after the new year to press for compliance and that the recent fees implemented this fiscal year are intended to motivate pretreatment compliance, not to generate revenue.
“Some of it is capital improvements for the long term viability of the city but a lot of it is because of their cause there,” the superintendent said, adding that noncompliance is causing “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in additional work for the city.
City officials emphasized enforcement steps are forthcoming but did not record any formal penalties or court actions at the Dec. 15 meeting. The board asked staff to continue meetings with the named industries and to report back with progress on enforcement and any planned capital work timelines.
Next steps: staff will meet with industry representatives after the first of the year, pursue targeted valve/hot‑tap work to create pump-access points, and return to the board with implementation details and cost estimates.
