Food Service Establishments (FSEs) such as restaurants, institutional cafeterias, grocery stores, bakeries, and delis can contribute to a buildup in the sanitary sewer system mainly through an overloaded grease interceptor or improper cleanup practices that allow food particles, Fats, Oils and Grease (F.O.G.) to enter the sewer system. Overtime, this buildup causes obstructions and eventually blockages. Best Management Practices (BMPs) reduce the amount of these materials entering the sanitary sewer system and will ensure compliance with ordinance requirements.

Effective January 2013, the City of Merced implemented the F.O.G. Program. A General Wastewater Discharge Permit will be issued to all FSEs operating within the City of Merced.

A City Inspector will contact you in the near future to issue you your general permit, discuss the program, and provide you a handbook to help assist with the program. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the City of Merced’s Water Quality Control Division at (209) 385-6204.

Details of the F.O.G. ordinance can be viewed at Merced Municipal Code Title 15 – Public Service, Division I. – Sewer System, Chapter 15.30 Discharges of Fats, Oils, and Grease from food service establishments.

Important Information