Disposal fees on bill of fare for restaurants

Deepa Bharath

Most restaurants will have to pay an annual fee for a grease-disposal

permit to help keep oils and grease from clogging the sewer system,

the City Council decided this week.

Less than half of the city’s restaurants have grease interceptors.

Those without must install the interceptors or pay a fee toward sewer

maintenance, according to the new law.

The council unanimously passed the law Tuesday -- with Councilman

Dick Nichols abstaining -- to combat the problem of grease blocking

sewer pipes, causing spills into the ocean, and to meet a Jan. 1

deadline from the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board.

It is a novel attempt at combating an age-old problem with an

aggressive education program instead of requiring all restaurants to

install the interceptors, Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said.

“We’re relying on inspection and education as opposed to putting a

structure in place,” he said.

Nichols, who was skeptical about the effectiveness of the plan,

asked Kiff if it would make more sense to bring all restaurants on

the same footing by having a uniform requirement for grease

interceptors phased out over five years.

Kiff said he believed the proposed inspection and education

approach should be given a chance.

Nichols also expressed concern over charging businesses exorbitant

fines for violations, a move which could deter people from going into

business in the city.

Although the newly-approved law allows the city to charge fees,

the amount of the fees won’t be set until July, when next year’s

budget is discussed, Kiff said.

An earlier staff report proposed a permit fee of up to $20 and an

annual inspection fee of $100 to $150. A restaurant could be charged

up to $800 to have the city clean its pipes.

The new regulation will get a second reading at the council’s

December meeting and become effective 30 days after a second vote of

approval.