Fats, Oils, and Grease

Fats, Oils, and Grease Program

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), under the authority of Section 22a-430-3(a) of the Connecticut General Statutes, requires all municipalities to administer a permit program for Class II, III, and IV food service establishments for the purpose of minimizing the amount of fats, oils, and grease (FOG) that discharge to the public sanitary sewer system.

On October 5, 2025, DEEP reissued the General Permit for the Discharge of Wastewater Associated with Food Service Establishments (General Permit). The purpose of the General Permit is to require and standardize the routine removal of FOG from all food service establishments including but not limited to restaurants, hotel kitchens, hospitals, school kitchens, bars. The "No Registration - No Fee" General Permit as finalized, covers all Class II, III, and IV food service establishments that discharge to the sanitary sewer system.

The FOG General Permit requires all Class II, III, and IV food service discharges to municipal sewer systems to limit the amount of FOG by installing either an outside grease trap/FOG interceptor, an Active Grease Recovery Unit (AGRU) or a Super-Capacity Grease Interceptor (SCGI) in accordance with technical requirements specified in the General Permit.

All food service establishments should contact the Manchester Water and Sewer Department at waterpermit@manchesterct.gov to determine if a FOG General Permit from the Town of Manchester is applicable.

What equipment must be connected to the FOG management equipment?

Pot sinks
Pre-rinse sinks
Any sink(s) into which FOG are likely to be introduced
Soup kettles or similar devices
Wok stations
Floor drains or sinks into which kettles may be drained
Automatic hood wash units
Any other fixtures or drains that are likely to allow FOG to be discharged as required by the authorized agent

Types of FOG management equipment

Active grease recovery units (AGRU)s:
- AGRUs are interior grease interceptors that separate grease from the wastewater by active mechanical or electrical means. The AGRU must be sized correctly for each facility, or it will not provide the proper FOG maintenance. Please review Document 11 for guidance on sizing criteria. Sizing criteria should be submitted to the Manchester Water and Sewer Department with FOG permit applications.

Super-capacity grease interceptors (SCGIs):
- SCGIs are indoor or outdoor passive units, third party certified to retain more than four times the amount of pounds (lbs) of grease than the flow rating in gallons per minute (gpm) and are designed to separate FOG from wastewater while allowing water to flow through.

Outdoor grease trap/FOG interceptors:
- An outdoor FOG interceptor is an in-ground passive unit designed to separate FOG from wastewater while allowing water to flow through the unit.

Please gather the following information to submit with your permit application: specify the type of equipment that you have at the facility, the capacity of the unit, and how the capacity was calculated to be sufficient for the facility on the FOG application.

The Application Process

Review the kitchen equipment you have on site and evaluate if there is any equipment that must be connected to the FOG management equipment.
Determine what type of FOG management equipment you have.
Fill out the application form.

FOG Application Form(PDF, 464KB)

**Please note, this application must be signed, if you type your name in the signature line, we will request you to resubmit.

4. A complete application package includes:

A complete FOG Application Form
A copy of the menu
A floor plan diagram
The plumbing plan for the facility
A Best Management Practices (BMP) Plan
Calculations on how the FOG management equipment was sized for your facility

Once a complete application package is put together, please submit these documents to the Manchester Water and Sewer Department. The application can be submitted electronically to waterpermit@manchesterct.gov or a copy can be sent to, or dropped off at:

Water & Sewer Department
Town of Manchester
125 Spring Street
P.O. Box 191
Manchester, CT 06045-0191

Best Management Practices (BMP) Plans

Best management practices (BMP) are designed to help facilities comply with environmental regulations and prevent pollution. fats, oils, and grease (FOG) tends to coat pots, pans, ware, utensils, and equipment in which it contacts. When these materials are washed, the FOG is rinsed to the sewer. Sanitary sewer systems are neither designed nor equipped to handle FOG. In the sewer, the FOG coats the interior surface of the pipes. Over time, FOG accumulations restrict the flow of wastewater through the sewer. Eventually the FOG can clog the sewer pipes causing the sewage to back up and spill onto the ground or waterways, and to back up into homes or buildings. This is called a sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) and endangers both the public health and the environment.

FOG can also cause interference at the wastewater treatment facility (WWTF). The FOG can negatively impact operations resulting in improper treatment of pollutants. These pollutants that are otherwise removed by the treatment process could be discharged to the river. The development of a BMP Plan is intended to reduce the amount FOG introduced to the sanitary sewer system and protect the public health and environment from the hazards presented by sanitary sewer overflows.

The Manchester Water and Sewer Department has put together a BMP Template Instruction form and a BMP Template that can be used as a starting point in the development of the BMP Plan.

BMP Template Instructions(PDF, 957KB)

BMP Template(DOC, 56KB)

This template should be edited to ensure it is application to your specific facility. Any information not applicable to your facility should be removed before submission.

BMP-Preventing Blockages in the Sanitary Sewer System(PDF, 44KB)

Super-capacity/FOG Interceptor Cleaning Log(PDF, 142KB)

AGRU Maintenance Log(PDF, 85KB)

FOG Vendor Contact List 2026(PDF, 306KB)