Grease in Drains Shuts Cafeteria

May 5, 2009 by Jon Mentser

Columbus State Community College’s cafeteria temporarily stopped serving hot food on April 21.
 
According to Melody Monroe, a cafeteria manager, the break in serving hot food was due to an issue with the cafeteria’s water pipes.
 
“You can’t cook food without water,” said Monroe.
 
The actual issue with the cafeteria water pipes was a clog of grease and other food waste. The clog was isolated to the cafeteria’s kitchen and did not affect the water supply or any other pipes on campus.
 
The over 30-year-old pipes have had to be unclogged about once a year by a private plumbing company due to similar issues. This cost over $400 each time. Due to build up of grease over time in the cafeteria’s original iron pipes, this most recent clog could not be fixed as before. The pipes were replaced with new plastic ones for about $2,000 including parts and labor.
 
The money for these repairs comes from Columbus State’s Physical Plant’s annual repair and maintenance budget of $125,000. The funds of this budget are drawn from a combination of state funds and student tuition.
 
According to Jim Spencer, Assistant Director of Physical Plant, these clogs are easily preventable by the cafeteria staff using designated grease traps.
 
“They need to be more conscious of dumping grease down drains,” said Spencer.