SAWS Hopes to Make Sewer Overflows a Matter of Urban Legend
(6/22/12)
Monsters of local lore plead for help in battling the Grease Monster
San Antonio Water System has conjured up the local urban legends of La Llorona and the Donkey Lady for radio ads that pit them against the Grease Monster, reminding customers to throw grease into the trash and not into the sink.
The new ads are part of SAWS ongoing efforts to develop greater awareness of the damage caused when consumers dump fats, oils and grease down the drain, resulting in clogs and sewage back-ups. SAWS is working to increase preventative maintenance of sewer lines and reduce overflows in response to increased scrutiny from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that is expected to result in costly, federally-mandated improvements to the sewer system.
"By giving voice to La Llorona and the Donkey Lady we hope to touch the hearts of San Antonians, so they will help battle the Grease Monster, " said Greg Flores, SAWS vice president of public affairs. "If folks laugh a little, it may be just enough to help them remember to scrape their plates over the trash and not into the sink."
The gloppy, slimy, sloppy Grease Monster is the widely recognized cartoon representation of the havoc that grease can wreak on pipes and sewer systems.
The radio ads feature La Llorona and the Donkey Lady. "San Antonio, it's me, La Llorona," a weeping Llorona calls out to listeners appealing for their help. "I've been crying on the banks of the San Antonio River for decades. But now nobody hears my cries. And it's all that Grease Monster's fault."
SAWS developed the radio ads in conjunction with Catarino Lopez of Machete Inc.
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