Valdosta business owners are not happy with the new restaurant ordinance

Valdosta, Ga. (WALB) – Some Valdosta restaurant owners are upset with a city ordinance they say is unfair and too expensive.

The city needs new and old restaurants to install thousands of dollars worth of new grease traps. One thing business owners are not happy about.

Roger Budd Company Superintendent Freddie Temples said this cost them two months of business and more than $20,000 for the new traps. And they still had to pay over $10,000 in rent while they were closing.

“That would be $14,000 plus labor,” Temples said. And labor is probably between 5,000-8,000 contractions.

If you don’t have enough grease removal, it can get into sewer lines and cause problems with wastewater.

“We have a working tank. We’ve been doing it for 20 years, 30 years and we’ve had no complaints,” Temples said. “It’s in good shape now, and this has kept the tenant from opening and is costing us 20-25,000.”

While business owners may be upset that the system does not meet protocols, the city wants them to know that they are updating outdated systems.

“The smog ordinance has always been in place or has been in place since 2009 and there have been some variations in the past depending on the situation,” said Scott Fowler, the city’s environmental manager. But now everyone, every institution… is coded.

City officials say Valdosta isn’t the only city taking this seriously. If the drains are advanced, it can cause serious health risks and expensive cleanup.

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