Macomb County Public Works Removes Giant Fatberg

The Macomb County Public Works Office has broken up and removed a giant "Fatberg" from the county's sewer system.

The Fatberg, located in an 11-foot diameter pipe known as the Lakeshore Interceptor, was about 100 feet long, 11 feet wide and as much 6 feet tall. The Fatberg is a collection of fats, oils and grease, known in the sewer industry as FOG, that collected in the pipe and is mixed with solid items that are flushed down sewer pipes, such as baby wipes. The Fatberg is the largest such mass in the memory of sewer workers in Macomb County.

"To put it simply, this Fatberg is gross. It provides an opportunity, however, to talk with people about the importance of restricting what goes down our sewers. This restriction was caused by people and restaurants pouring grease and similar materials down their drains. We want to change that behavior," said Public Works Commissioner Candice S. Miller.

Fatbergs are not just a local problem. They occur in sewer systems around the world. Last year, a Fatberg in Baltimore, Maryland, caused a blockage that caused more than a million gallons of sewage to spill into a river. Earlier this year, a similar blockage caused 300,000 gallons to back up on the University of Michigan

Editors & Reporters:

Commissioner Miller will hold a press conference at the Clintondale Pump Station, 35029 Union Lake Road, Clinton Township, the site of the Fatberg, at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 13. Photos and videos from inside the Lakeshore Interceptor will be available. Pieces of the Fatberg, which have been brought to the surface, will be on display. There will be several good visuals available. During the press conference, Miller will announce a major educational outreach partnership with a local institution.