The City of Regina is urging residents to ensure they are not draining grease, oil or fat into their sinks or other drains.

The city says grease will harden and stick to the sides of pipes, causing blockages called fat burgs that can be costly to fix.

Spokesperson Helene Henning-Hill said there have been serious problems with dried grease in the lines.

“We had a situation about a year ago, maybe a little over a year, where we had a 10 foot fat burg that came out of a line,” Henning-Hill said. “It literally was a 10-foot section of what looked like pipe, but it was all solid grease from the residential area.”

Henning-Hill said she’s unsure why Harbour Landing’s lift station has the grease problems it has.

“It really is about residents understanding that they can’t be pouring the fat, oil and grease down the drain, working with the restaurants in the area, making sure that they have a grease trap installed, it’s a requirement,” Henning-Hill said. “Staff that have gone out have found restaurants that don’t have grease traps, and then they have to rectify that situation.”

Storm basins may also need to be cleared according to Henning-Hill. She reminds residents to clear them so that storm water can get to the city’s creek system.