Boise parodied ‘fatbergs’ in the sewers. But for neighboring Garden City, it’s no joke

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Boise parodied ‘fatbergs’ in the sewers. But for neighboring Garden City, it’s no joke

Boise parodied ‘fatbergs’ in the sewers. But for neighboring Garden City, it’s no joke

In honor of Halloween, Boise dedicated its first TikTok video to the “scariest” municipal government problem one of its employees could imagine: a “giant mass of bacon grease held together with used flushable wipes forcing its way through our water renewal system.”

In the early October video, Elizabeth Kidd, the city’s social media manager, dressed up as a “fatberg” and made the rounds to scare her colleagues. The video got nearly 80,000 likes on TikTok.

But for Garden City, clogged pipes aren’t just a spooky possibility.

The city has sued Applebee’s Grill and Bar at 7025 N. Glenwood St., saying the restaurant has been dumping grease, fats and oils into Garden City sewers despite repeated warnings. Now, Garden City wants a judge to make it stop.

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A wastewater treatment plant in West Boise. Garden City contracts with Boise to use its sewer system.

According to the lawsuit, which was reported previously by BoiseDev:

Garden City has repeatedly admonished the business for failing to adhere to city code, which requires the restaurant to use grease traps and other interceptors to keep fat solids from building up in sewer lines.

Problems started in 2018, when an unnamed business near the Applebee’s reported that its own sewers were blocked up. When Garden City investigated, officials found that Applebee’s was to blame. They issued the restaurant a “notice of violation” of city code.

In the following years, Garden City repeatedly investigated the sewer lines at the property and found three more violations, notifying Applebee’s each time, requiring the restaurant to clear its grease interceptor and demanding that it log monthly cleanings for the city’s inspection.

But the problems persisted. In 2021, the restaurant and the city reached an “alternative agreement” to “eliminate future discharges” of grease and fats into the sewer. That agreement gave the restaurant until September 2022 to bring the business into compliance with city code. But that month, a Garden City inspection again found “visible fat built up in the sewer line.”

Applebee’s media representatives did not respond to emails requesting comment.

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A sewer cover propped open in downtown Boise.

Garden City contracts with Boise for its wastewater treatment, according to the lawsuit, and is subject to fines by Boise — or even a refusal to process Garden City wastewater — if it deposits excessive grease or oil into the sewer system.

“Obstructions in the wastewater system have had an adverse effect on neighboring businesses” and threaten the city and its residents with the loss of Boise’s water treatment, the lawsuit says.

Garden City seeks a preliminary injunction from 4th District Judge Jason D. Scott in Boise to stop the restaurant from dumping any additional grease. It also wants the court to declare that if Applebee’s continues to dispose of fats in the sewer, the city may suspend the restaurant’s certificate of occupancy.

The Statesman obtained the lawsuit from Garden City in response to a public records request. Mayor John Evans declined to comment for this story, citing ongoing legal action. Scott has scheduled a trial in July 2025.

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