Colonial Beach staff warn fats, oils and grease threaten sewers; smoke testing planned for Point area

The town’s public works team told the Colonial Beach Town Council that fats, oils and grease (FOG) are a persistent source of sanitary‑sewer blockages and treatment‑plant inefficiency and recommended stepped measures including grease traps, education, inspections and enforcement.

The Public Works director explained that FOG — from cooking oils, food scraps and some personal‑care products — is nonpolar, does not mix with water and can congeal into films or blockages that cause overflows and reduce the effectiveness of biological treatment. The presenter said both residential and commercial sources contribute and that local businesses should ensure properly maintained grease traps.

Council members asked where the town’s ongoing smoke‑testing and inflow‑and‑infiltration mitigation work is focused; staff replied that the team intends to finish the Point section before moving on, identifying Boundary to Washington as the current target area. The waste‑water plant operator reported monthly sampling was within permit parameters, noted two flow spikes tied to early‑month rain events, and gave an average daily inflow figure of about 500,000 gallons and a monthly total near 15,000,000 gallons while saying nitrogen remains higher than desired pending sand‑filter repairs and SCADA probe replacements.

Staff said policy direction from council — for example, on inspection and enforcement authority for commercial grease‑management — will be necessary to implement a more aggressive FOG control program. The town manager and CFO also confirmed the town has received a DEQ reimbursement tied to prior projects and will provide further details to council on revenue timing and next steps.

Next steps: staff asked for council support to pursue internal policy work to enable FOG inspections and enforcement, to finalize smoke‑testing schedules and to return with cost estimates for any recommended enforcement program.