The Sacramento Department of Utilities is a public utility that serves the City of Sacramento. It maintains and provides water to Sacramento residents, manages the sewage and provides storm water drainage services. Initially known as Sacramento City Water Works, the department was founded in 1873. The Department of Utilities is overseen by the Utilities Director and has four main divisions: Water Operations & Maintenance, Wastewater/Drainage Operations & Maintenance, Business & Integrated Planning, and Engineering & Water Resources. Revenue is generated primarily from charging for water, sewage and drainage services and the department's spending budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year was around 148 million dollars.
History
Sacramento, prior to the development of a water works system, distributed water to its citizens from the Sacramento River. The water was pumped from the river into wooden tanks, which would then be distributed to the population via carts. After an epidemic of cholera in 1850 and a fire that destroyed large parts of Sacramento, work began on a water works system, which was completed in 1854. This system, however, proved to be inadequate and in 1873 the direct pumping system was established.
The Sacramento Department of Utilities, initially known as Sacramento City Water Works, was founded in 1873.
Organization
The Sacramento Department of Utilities is overseen by the Utilities Director and the Officer of the Director. The current Utilities Director is William Busath. There are four divisions that report to the Office of the Director: Water Operations & Maintenance, Wastewater/Drainage Operations & Maintenance, Business & Integrated Planning, and Engineering & Water Resources. Additionally, there are four other divisions that interact with the government and the community: Government Affairs, Public Affairs, Security & Preparedness and Sustainability.
Responsibilities
The Sacramento Department of Utilities responsibilities include three major areas of service: Water, Drainage and Wastewater.
Water
The Department of Utilities is responsible for providing the citizens of Sacramento with clean water. This includes water production, treatment, storage and distribution through the use of treatment plants, underground pipes, and wells. Sacramento draws water from the Sacramento River and the American River and is treated through two plants: the Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant (which can treat 160 million gallons a day) and the Sacramento River Water Treatment Plant (which can treat 100 million gallons a day).
Sacramento produced 91,862 acre feet of water for use in 2018. Around 70% of the water came from the Sacramento River and the American River while about 29.5% was groundwater and 0.5% was bought from another water district. There are two drinking water treatment plants, including the Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant that is located near the Sacramento State campus and drawing water from the American River. There are also 27 active groundwater wells, 11 storage reservoirs and 1,602 miles of pipe.
Drainage
The Department of Utilities is responsible for collection and conveyance of storm water through the use of pump stations, ditches, channels and levees. A majority of the storm water will eventually find its way to nearby rivers and channels.
Wastewater
The Department of Utilities is responsible for the safe collection, conveyance, and treatment of wastewater through the use of pumps, pipes, and storage and treatment facilities. The sewer system is split into two sections: the Combined Sewer System, or CSS, which consists of the older, central areas of Sacramento and the Separated Sewer System for the remaining areas. Waste water from the sewer system flows to the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. Here it is treated, then disposed through a series pump stations and pipes known as an Interceptor System. As of 2018, the total amount of wastewater facilities include 2 primary treatment plants, 54 pump stations, 1 storage facility, 903 miles of pipe, and 17,708 manholes.