Something as small as dumping a pan full of bacon grease down the drain can turn into a big problem for those in charge of cleaning wastewater.

Derek Gordon, superintendent of the City of Niles’ wastewater treatment plant, said once the grease cools and congeals, it can plug up pipes, cause odors and make it difficult for people at wastewater treatment plants to remove.

“It usually comes and goes, but we are getting a lot of grease right now,” Gordon said. “It is the worst I have seen since I have been here.”

Josh Teeter, the plant’s industrial pretreatment coordinator and chemist, said while the Niles wastewater treatment plant is great at cleaning water, it is not designed to get rid of large amounts of fat, oil and grease, also referred to in the industry as FOGs. Teeter said FOGs gum up the facility’s machines and interfere with the microorganisms that remove organic matter from the water. FOGs, he said, can lead to higher treatment costs and put the facility at greater risk of releasing untreated water back into the environment.

And while the facility can manage small amounts of FOGs, Teeter said it would have a difficult time getting rid of a large amount coming in from the utility’s 7,000-plus customers. Niles treats wastewater coming from the City of Niles, Niles Township, Howard Township and Bertrand Township.

“If everybody in Niles were to dump a teaspoon of grease down the drain, we would have an epic problem,” he said.

Gordon said the treatment plant has been taking a proactive approach to keeping large amounts of FOGs and other contaminants from reaching the plant, including educating restaurant workers and performing regular assessments of the types of things local industries are putting into their drains.

The facility also hosts tours to give the public an up-close look of how the city’s wastewater is collected, treated and then piped into the St. Joseph River.

“A lot of it is about awareness,” he said.

Gordon said reducing the amount of grease in wastewater could be as easy as dumping bacon grease into a coffee cup or can instead of down the drain. Once it hardens it can be placed into the trash.

He also advised people to never dump motor oil down the drain.