Fats, oils, and grease (F.O.G.) are the quiet culprits behind many holiday plumbing problems. And with holiday cooking at its peak, this is a great reminder to protect your pipes! All those delicious trimmings from roasting, frying, sautéing, and baking might seem harmless, but once they hit cold pipes, they harden fast. What starts as a simple rinse down the sink becomes a sticky buildup that clings to pipes like glue. Over time, that buildup can create major clogs that impact not just your home, but entire neighborhoods and sewer systems. And it can be costly.

How does it affect the Mojave River Watershed?

When F.O.G. causes blockages, the mess doesn’t just stay underground. Those backups can push polluted water into our storm drains, and once it reaches the storm system, it flows straight into the Mojave River with no filters or treatment. F.O.G. doesn’t dissolve or break down in water, so it ends up traveling through our watershed, impacting water quality, wildlife habitats and the overall health of our environment. During the holidays when thousands of kitchens are cooking at once, even small amounts of grease can add up quickly.

Here's how you can help.

This holiday season, let’s make “clean kitchen, clean watershed” a new tradition.

• Instead of washing fats, oils, or greasy scraps down the drain, let them cool and toss them in the trash.
• Scrape plates instead of rinsing them, wipe pans with a paper towel before washing, and store used cooking oil in a container for proper disposal

These simple habits keep our pipes flowing, protect our river and help ensure that the only thing overflowing this season is good food and good company.

The holiday season brings so much joy. But it also brings something less cheerful … more trash! Wrapping paper, shipping boxes, paper plates, party decor, and other holiday waste tend to pile up quickly during this busy time of year.

What happens when some of that trash doesn’t make it into the bin?

When litter is left on the ground, it doesn’t stay put. Rain, irrigation runoff and even street sweeping can carry trash directly into our storm drains. And unlike household plumbing, storm drains do not lead to a treatment facility. They lead straight into our Mojave River Watershed.

Trash can pollute our environment, harm local wildlife and habitats, and impact the quality of our High Desert groundwater. Every piece of litter has a journey, and once it reaches the storm drain, it’s difficult to stop.

That’s why proper disposal at the source is so important. Using trash cans, securing loose waste, recycling when possible, and avoiding litter altogether help protect the Mojave River Watershed, especially during this high-waste season.

Small actions today help keep our desert clean and our water safe for generations to come.

Big shoutout to our new partner, Shamrock Flowers! This beloved local flower shop is all about bringing beauty into our community, and now they’re taking that care one step further by pledging to protect the Mojave River Watershed. We’re proud to welcome them into the MRWG Business Alliance!

By taking the pledge, Shamrock Flowers is committing to practices that help keep pollution out of our stormwater system. That means being mindful about what goes down drains, managing waste responsibly, and helping make sure nothing harmful ends up flowing into the watershed. It’s an important step, because everything we do on land eventually makes its way to our shared water. It takes all of us to keep it clean.

Their commitment is more than a promise; it’s a powerful example of how local businesses can play a meaningful role in safeguarding the environment. When shops like Shamrock Flowers take action, it inspires the whole community to follow their lead.

Want to do your part too? Whether you’re a business or a resident, you can help protect the Mojave River Watershed by keeping litter out of gutters, properly disposing of household chemicals and waste, and being mindful of what runs off your property. Together, small actions create a big impact.