History
Today
The present-day SacSewer was previously known as two separate agencies–Sacramento Area Sewer District (SacSewer) and Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San). The former SacSewer provided sewage collection services, and Regional San provided treatment and resource recovery services.
In January 2024, the two agencies legally merged into one, resulting in a consolidated sewer utility, called SacSewer.
While the focus of our mission hasn’t changed–to protect public health and the environment by collecting, treating, and recovering resources from sewage–we do much more than that. We are also committed to proactive environmental stewardship and have robust programs that demonstrate that commitment.
Merger
Until January 2024, the Sacramento Area Sewer District (SacSewer) and the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San) were two independent county sanitation districts operating under the authority of the County Sanitation District Act of the Health and Safety Code.
SacSewer and Regional San provided complementary services in overlapping service areas, served many of the same customers, and shared some staff—including the same General Manager, nearly all of the executive staff, and most departments.
However, SacSewer and Regional San were separate legal entities, maintained separate finances and rate structures, and were governed by different Boards of Directors. SacSewer and Regional San remaining separate was a result of historical evolution and circumstance rather than a strategically planned effort. To provide the community with the most efficient and effective sewage collection, treatment, and resource recovery services, the two districts were merged into one, called SacSewer, in January 2024. SacSewer is governed by a 17-member Board of Directors.
A whole host of benefits resulted from legally merging the two districts. SacSewer can now broaden policy and leadership decision-making under a shared mission and vision, consolidate and streamline policy decisions under one Board, and establish a single service provider that will operate more efficiently.
The legal merger also provides better clarity for customers, solidifies unity among the workforce and organizational culture, enhances SacSewer’s ability to recruit and retain the highest quality employees, and streamlines and consolidates processes and documentation. Customers can also continue to rely on the same great, 24/7 service they’ve come to expect from SacSewer.
EchoWater Project
In spring 2023, work was completed on the landmark $1.7 billion EchoWater Project—a decade-long undertaking that took our facility from secondary to tertiary treatment. Built to meet strict regulatory mandates, the EchoWater Project was among Sacramento’s largest public works projects.
The new process removes 99 percent of ammonia and 89 percent of nitrogen from our effluent. The Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant was renamed the EchoWater Resource Recovery Facility with this upgrade.
The EchoWater Project began in 2010 when the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board issued new treatment requirements as part of our wastewater discharge permit. The goal was to improve water quality and help alleviate ecological problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta downstream of our discharge point in the Sacramento River.
The upgrade consisted of 22 individual projects, including the massive Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) Project and a new granular media filtration system to remove more bacteria and viruses compared to secondary treatment. In addition to the downstream water quality benefits, the expansion provides a drought-resistant source of recycled water for non-potable uses, such as irrigating local agriculture and supporting habitat conservation.
Early Years
After World War II, Sacramento grew rapidly, and sewage treatment plants popped up along the Sacramento and American Rivers to serve the growing population.
In the 1960s, recreational interests and water supply needs began to prompt concerns about sewage discharge into local waterways. By the 1970s, more than 20 separate sewage collection and treatment systems were supporting 600,000 people in the region.
In 1973, the County and City of Sacramento joined forces with the City of Folsom to form SacSewer, formerly known as Regional San, which assumed responsibility for regional wastewater treatment. With funding help from large federal and state grants, SacSewer built a new treatment facility in Elk Grove and a vast network of underground pipes to link to each of the area’s local sewage collection systems.
This regional project took about 10 years to finish and was considered a state-of-the-art facility at the time of completion. The EchoWater Resource Recovery Facility began providing service in 1982, cleaning the region’s wastewater and discharging the treated effluent to the Sacramento River.
