The California Water Environment Association (CWEA) selects EchoWater Facility for top honor.
Sacramento, Calif.— The Sacramento Area Sewer District’s (SacSewer) EchoWater Resource Recovery Facility (EchoWater Facility) was named the 2024 Plant of the Year by the California Water Environment Association (CWEA). This prestigious award comes within one year of the completion of the EchoWater Facility’s historic $1.7 billion upgrade—making it the second largest facility of its kind in the nation.
The Plant of the Year Award from CWEA is a state-level honor recognizing compliant, innovative, and cost-effective sewage treatment facilities with superior performance. CWEA recognizes sewage treatment facilities in three categories: small, medium, and large, based on sewage treatment flow per day. The EchoWater Facility won under the large category and was ranked against facilities that treat more than 20 million gallons of sewage per day.
“We are extremely honored by CWEA’s prestigious Plant of the Year Award,” said General Manager Christoph Dobson. “It is a testament to SacSewer’s team living out our core values of environmental stewardship, proficiency, responsibility, and resolve every day—helping us deliver on our mission to protect public health and the environment. Thank you to our Board of Directors, staff, and partners for your contributions to the EchoWater Facility’s tremendous success.”
About the EchoWater Facility
The EchoWater Facility, located near Elk Grove, CA, provides tertiary treatment for 1.6 million customers throughout the Sacramento region. Each day, an average of 135 million gallons of sewage is treated. Following the completion of the decade-long upgrade, the EchoWater Facility now removes 99 percent of ammonia and 89 percent of nitrogen from sewage, resulting in cleaner water for discharge and recycled water uses.
In addition to sewage treatment, the EchoWater Facility focuses on recovering resources and protecting the environment. Through sustainable efforts in resource recovery, we maximize the reuse of treatment process by-products such as biogas (energy), biosolids (nutrients), and the treated water itself—in the form of recycled water.
