$400,000 grease-separation system proposed for sewer plant

Mar 19, 2014

If Town Meeting voters approve, Greazezilla will be coming to Wareham.

As explained by water pollution control facility director Guy Campinha, Greazezilla is a brown-grease separation system that would allow the sewer plant to reduce costs, create oil as a re-sellable product and bring cleaner wastewater into the plant for full treatment.

"Grease isn't going anywhere. You've got a restaurant, you've got grease," Campinha told Selectmen Tuesday night during a meeting in their dual role as Sewer Commissioners.

Campinha said he made a trip to Long Island in January to see the system in action. He explained that, instead of just separating out the grease as the facility does now, Greasezilla uses heat to "digest" the grease, creating an oil that can be sold or used to run the heater.

"More importantly, what it does is make the grease treatable at the treatment plant and reduces the load on the system. Everybody wins," Campinha said.

Campinha said the system costs $400,000 to purchase and install and would pay for itself after four years. The money to purchase  the system would come from a $2.7 million "retained earnings" fund. Voters at next month's Town Meeting will be asked to transfer and spend the money.

In a longer presentation on sewer matters, Campinha said there are many other opportunities to think progressively and work on long-term project such as incorporating more mobile home parks along Route 28 into sewer coverage and codifying the sewer laws in town.

"We're not thinking for today. We're thinking 20 or 30 years into the future," he said. "You and I might not see the benefits, but we're leaving behind people that will get the benefits."