Apr

Disposer Ban May Be Down The Tubes

Today’s city council meeting has several important items on the agenda. None, however, is more important than the anticipated overturn of the garbage disposer ban. Last Tuesday a committee met to discuss the issue in great detail and concluded that the ban should be overturned.

The committee heard presentations by public works director Dale Crisp as well as Keven Keener, an Associate Professor of Food Science at Purdue University who used to teach at NCSU. Crisp’s presentation, according to reports, argued that city employees in the field have reported much fat accumulation in the city’s sewer lines, and the recommendation to ban disposers was not based on a scientific study. He presented a sealed jar with a sample of the accumulated blockage.

Dr. Keener reported his findings from a study involving 27 fat/oil/grease (FOG) blockages from 23 cities around the US, 17 from the southeast (including Raleigh). From the samples it appeared that 86% of the solid blockages were fats. Of these, 61%, a high concentration, were saturated fats like those found in vegetable oils (4%-49%) and animal fats (33%-48%). The other 14% of the solids were from silt and sand, and contained highly concentrated calcium, likely from water hardness and urine.

The calcification process is not currently fully understood, however it is hypothesized that fats and oils in the presence of cleaners and sanitizers (bleach), break down into free fatty acids, bind to the calcium ions, and form insoluble metallic soaps.

Because food particles (disposers grind food into 1-2mm diameter particles) did not seem to play a role in this process, there is no compelling evidence that disposers are a key parameter in FOG-related sewer accidents.

The public needs to be truly educated better about what goes into sewers. Cute cartoons on the side of an occasional sanitation truck don’t cut it. We need to be concentrating on the road while driving, not reading trucks. How many people actually read the insert with the water bill? Most bills are cluttered with junk that is immediately thrown away. No, the city needs an education campaign, most likely involving the 6 o’clock news hour. Printed materials are for the very careful, who can read, and can read English. Everyone needs to be reached with this campaign.

Some have suggested composting as a solution, however fats do not belong in the composting process. At this point, fats need to be sent to the landfill. My personal suggestion for this campaign is that bacon grease be a key target. One way to dispose of this widely encountered fat is to pour it into an empty can (vegetable or soup can) and keep it in the freezer. When it’s full, toss the solid block into the garbage the night before pickup.

Let’s hope the council will “do the right thing” and attack parameters that are proven to actually play a significant role in the problem. I commend the committee which unanimously approved the recommendation to end the disposer ban. The committee included City Councilors Koopman, West, Crowder, and Mayor Meeker (no, Isley was not involved). Admitting that one made a mistake is one of the toughest things to do, especially in public life, and these men deserve credit for doing so. Hopefully the entire City Council will continue this line of logic today and overturn this irrelevant ban once and for all.

Posted by Dana on April 15, 2008 | Tags: Home & Garden . | ( 1 ) Comment

Apr

Falls Lake Conservation Pool Full

As of 6:15pm today, Falls Lake has recovered its conservation water level of 251.50 feet , and more rain is on the way. The key numbers to remember are:

291.5′ – Top of Dam (all hell breaks loose)
264.8′ – Top of Spillway (overflowing into flooding Neuse)
251.5′ – Top of Conservation pool
236.5′ – Bottom of Conservation pool

The 12/12/07 memo from the city reported the level as 241.77′. This was the memo warning that fewer than 100 days of water remained. One February 15, Stage 2 Water Restrictions were implemented. This banned all car washing at non-approved sites and many other restrictions. It led to just a 4.5% decrease in consumption .

On March 18, the City Council gave City Manager Russell Allen the authority to revert to Stage 1.5 restrictions should the water supply pool climb to 90 percent. He was also given the authority to revert to Stage 1 restrictions as soon as the supply pool reaches 100 percent. That time is now, Mr. Allen (the city still sits at Stage 2 restrictions).

Unfortunately the City Council has given no hint that Stage 1 restrictions will ever be lifted. As you may recall, the Stage1 restrictions (pdf) include:

Once a week watering for irrigation systems
Twice a week watering for hand held hoses
Vehicle washing on Saturday and Sunday only
Pressure washing on Saturday and Sunday only.

Honestly, this ordinance makes no sense. Does washing my car on a Saturday use less water than on a Friday? The reason we had a water shortage is that people, in the face of the hottest and driest month on record (8/07), watered lawns too much. It wasn’t the power washers, the car washers, and the drinking water in restaurants. The bulk of water consumption in August and September came from irrigation. If people used their irrigations systems as turf specialists with NCSU and the N.C. Cooperative Extension Agency recommend, we would have plenty of water for a dry summer.

The unfortunate aspect is that Raleigh’s Stage 1 restrictions are written such that they do no promote smart use of water. Not only are there are convoluted subsets and exemptions that make the rules tough for the population to follow, the rules do not adequately address the most important parameters causing water shortages. Instead, this is how the restriction should read:

Ban afternoon lawn watering of any type on any day. (evaporation concerns)
Alternate assigned watering days for city water customers using automated irrigation systems, only .
Maintain tiered water rates
No other restrictions, but encourage conservation and educate irrigation system users (lawn only needs 1″ per week, etc).

Those four items are the most logical, concise means of making sure that keep enough water through the summer while living normal, healthy, happy lives.

For more information on maintaining grass, visit TurfFiles . Better yet, see the ad that the NC Sod Producers Association placed on page 4E of the News & Observer. It addresses some of the many myths being publicized by the Town of Cary’s new restrictions and money-for-grass program.

It is time for local government officials to worry more about writing laws that address the problem at hand instead of symbolic laws that simply disrupt our quality of life.

Posted by Dana on April 5, 2008 | Tags: Home & Garden . | ( 2 ) Comments

Mar

Kitchen & Bath Galleries Coming to North Hills

Local kitchen and bathroom upfit specialists Kitchen & Bath Galleries will soon open a showroom in The Lassiter at North Hills, across from Tyler House.

map it

Mar

Disposer Ordinance Sent To Committee

The Raleigh City Council met today and agreed to send the current ordinance banning the new installation and replacements of garbage disposers to a committee for further review. At this point, the ban is not a done deal.

Jerry Ryder, president of In-Sink-Erator, first addressed the council and stated that research by both his company and by many skeptical municipalities has shown no statistical correlation between sewer line fats/oils/grease (FOG) and disposer use. He also stated that he knows of no other municipalities that ban disposers.

During the meeting Mayor Meeker thankfully clarified the $25,000 fine rumor by stating that this fine is “our standard fine for doing something horrible like putting radioactive waste in the sewer.” The city manager responded by saying that a violation of the ordinance will be treated as a violation and (non-specific) fines would follow for non-compliance.

Here is a rundown of some of the councilors’ points:

Councilor Isley stated that Raleigh is becoming a city of “you can’t do this, you can’t
do that.” He also questioned the health of our aging sewer system and cited that of the 48 sewer accidents last year, only a quarter of them came from residential-only sewer lines.
Councilor West publicly stated support of the motion to committee.
Councilor Crowder stated that this ban is the only logical next step toward healthy water. He then presented Councilor Isley with a composting kit. (He did not address that fats are not appropriate in composting operations)
Councilor McFarlane addressed the failure of communication of the ordinance to affected nearby municipalities.
Councilor Baldwin stated that during the original discussion, which only lasted 4:10, she had a “gut feeling” that they were moving too hastily. She now confirms her feelings and wants further review along with better education about using the system.
Councilor Koopman stated that “we are at war” with soldiers living in less than ideal conditions and it is “our duty” to “suck it up once in a while”. (Koopman defeated Jesse Taliaferro in the recent election.)

~~A speaker from the NC Division of Water Quality~~ Dean Naujoks, of the Neuse River Foundation, spoke of the need for better water quality and the health problems caused by sewage spills. While he offered no evidence linking garbage disposers to fat/oil/grease accumulation in sewers, he did remind the council of the dangers to old people, women, and children. He then added:

You know, when we say that we’re opposed to bans on garbage disposals I think what people are really saying, maybe they don’t understand it, but what they’re really saying is that they are comfortable with fish kills, algae blooms, pollution in our drinking water supplies closing our shellfish grounds, and that it’s OK for millions of people to get sick every single year.

Posted by Dana on March 18, 2008 | Tags: Home & Garden . | ( 6 ) Comments

Mar

Time To Cut Liriope

March marks the beginning of many things to do in the yard. Thankfully the weather is usually permitting:

Cut liriope. Simple cutting with the string trimmer will do the trick without damaging the plant’s structure (lawn mowers will). It’s also time to:
Prune roses, then spray them every week when new growth appears
Prune overgrown shrubs (evergreens – wait until after blooms fall for the azaleas)
Start cutting grass – Mowers should be set to 2.5-3.0 inches high for fescue, 0.5 to 1.0 for zoysia, centipede, and bermuda. How often should you mow? As often as it takes to prevent cutting more than half of the total grass blade length. For most, there is no need to bag. The return of nitrogen to the soil is good for the grass and the accumulation of clippings over the summer helps to retain moisture in the late summer.
Plant Vegetables – Water restrictions prevent us from using city water on the garden, so many will have to rely on rain barrels. Be careful, though, as water in these containers is full of multiplying bacteria. The effects this water will have on consumable vegetation is not currently clear.

Any other tips from you green thumbs?

Posted by Dana on March 9, 2008 | Tags: Home & Garden . | ( 1 ) Comment

Mar

Raleigh Bans New Garbage Disposals

Today the Raleigh City Council pulled a surprised move and banned new and replacement installations of garbage disposals . Here is what was on the agenda:

The garbage disposal installation prohibition ordinance is the only remaining part of the comprehensive package of sanitary sewer system program improvements, recommended by City staff to the City Council on October 19, 1999, that has not been approved by City Council and implemented by City staff. The prohibition of garbage disposal units connected to the City of Raleigh sanitary sewer collection system was originally proposed as part of an ordinance regarding the restriction of materials placed into the City’s sewer system. The City Council approved the materials restriction ordinance at the November 5, 1999, Council meeting, but directed City staff to develop this into a separate ordinance. The garbage disposal installation prohibition ordinance was then sent to a public hearing that was held at the December 7, 1999, City Council meeting. After receiving comments at the public hearing, the City Council returned this item to the Public Works Committee for further consideration but no action was taken to approve the draft ordinance.

Personally, I am so angry about this that I should just put the keyboard away. That the citizens never recently had a chance to reiterate their overwhelming opposition on such an enormously invasive restriction is unconscionable.

The city has put ourselves into great sanitation risks. With once-a-week garage pickup, biodegradable waste sits in containers festering with bacteria, especially in warm months. The ban on garbage disposals compounds this problem because not only are fatty food wastes in the normal garbage, so are non-fatty waste products. The changes will result in more unpleasant garbage situations that release harmful gases to residents in warm months.

The move comes after an incredibly weak, 9-year "education campaign" that consisted of a cartoonish message to avoid putting "fats" down the drain. What "fats"? Where was the continuing specific message about what exact foods do and don’t go into the sewer? Where was the education concerning the problems caused by gummy residue of liquid clothing detergents?

So far the Meeker regime has discontinued twice-a-week garbage pickup, imposed water restrictions with no hint of ever lifting them, and banned garbage disposals. If the current plumbing trends continue with this council, we will all be chopping vegetables over slop buckets, finding some place on our own to dispose of garbage, drilling wells in our yards, and using outhouses because the city will have banned any solid matter in their sewer system. Given the patterns, why should we have any reason to believe that we are not being driven toward an 1800s, rural lifestyle? Living in a city should offer lifestyle advantages and better sanitation with progress. Those we aren’t getting.

A step in the right direction would be to pick up our increased biodegradable garbage load twice -a-week. Until then, I’m not holding my breath. On second thought… I will due to the city’s increasingly oppressive stinch.

Your city councilor’s contact information is here .

Posted by Dana on March 4, 2008 | Tags: Home & Garden . | ( 19 ) Comments