The permits ensure that the facilities install the appropriate grease-removal equipment designed to trap cooking grease before it enters the wastewater system. In addition to permitting and inspecting food establishments, the FEWD program also performs plan checks for new, remodel and retrofit facilities and undertakes special inspections when a sewer spill caused by grease occurs. More than 5,000 facilities in the City of San Diego are currently permitted by the FEWD Program. Approximately 3,000 of these facilities use what is known as a grease trap. The trap prevents excess grease from getting into the sewer system from existing plumbing lines within facilities.
Traps are small and are usually installed inside a facility.
More than 500 facilities, usually high-volume or new establishments, use grease interceptors which are larger than the traps and are installed underground, outside of a facility. Grease interceptors should be accessible by three manhole covers, and a sample box. Interceptors and traps cause the flow of water to slow down, allowing the grease to naturally float to the top of the tank for easy removal. The review assures that appropriate grease-removal equipment is installed during construction. Shortly after sewer-spills caused by grease are reported, FEWD inspectors investigate facilities within the immediate area.