Cranberry is sending out a warning to restaurants and other businesses that produce fats, oils, and greases: Dumping your waste down the drain will no longer be the course du jour.

Township supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward on two avenues aimed at improving operations at the Brush Creek sewage treatment plant. The township will purchase new air scrubbing equipment for the Powell Road plant in an effort to reduce occasional odor from the facility. Also, Cranberry will hire a sewage pretreatment coordinator who will enforce new regulations for the disposal of FOG -- fats, oils and greases.

Township Manager Jerry Andree said the new regulations are necessary in light of the number of new restaurants opening in the township. He said many restaurants are simply dumping cooking byproducts down the drain, which clogs the pipes to the treatment plant causing sewage backups and costly line maintenance.

He said improper disposal of these items also adds to odor problems at the plant, which the township is trying to control by beefing up air scrubbing controls. The township has set aside money for the equipment but bids have not yet been received so there's no firm purchase price.

The pretreatment coordinator position is to be filled by April and new standards for fat, oil and grease disposal are to be in place in October. Businesses that deal with chemicals will be required to follow new procedures proving that their waste products are being properly pretreated before disposal, Mr. Andree said.

The township also intends to implement a public education campaign to teach residents how to properly dispose of cooking grease.