Sewage Services Overview

Wastewater travels from our homes via lateral pipes, which the homeowner (or business) owns and must maintain. It is then collected in public sewer mains that are owned by a community, either a city or a sanitation district or an entity contracted to provide services. Wastewater is then treated by sanitation districts themselves, or an agency, such as a Joint Powers Authority. These agencies are responsible for the treatment plants, pumps, and pipelines that discharge treated wastewater into the Bay.

There are many junctures in the infrastructure where the system's capacity can be overwhelmed (see "Spills and Fines" tab), and the systems themselves vary greatly.

Aging lateral pipes from residences and businesses are often cracked and leaking, have roots growing into the lines, and are easily clogged by grease from cooking oil. During big storms, enormous amounts of water enter the sewer system through these pipes, often overwhelming the public mains and leading to spills and backups. Decrepit collection mains, faulty pumps, or damaged manholes can also lead to spills, overflows, and backups. Insufficient storage, corroded and cracked pipelines, improper treatment, and errors in monitoring the systems are problems for the treatment facilities, as are the after-the-fact delays and inaccuracies in reporting spills.

The governmental entities that have authority over the various treatment agencies and sewer services providers include the Regional Water Quality Control Board and the EPA.

Local governmental agencies empowered to undertake studies, write reports, and make recommendations include the Marin Civil Grand Jury and the Marin Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).

 

Addressing the Problems

Current proposals and actions regarding problems with the collection, treatment, and discharge of wastewater include:

• Consolidation of small sanitary districts
• Legislation to allow Marin LAFCO to consolidate sanitary districts
• Repair and replacement of aging mains, pumps, and manholes by community collection agencies
• Increasing storage capacity at treatment plants
• Rate hikes for system upgrades (and the payment of fines)
• Raising community awareness of homeowner responsibilities and providing incentives to repair laterals
• Legislation to mandate inspection and repair or replacement of lateral pipes when properties are sold
• Privatization of sanitation services

Sanitary Districts

Sanitary districts are one of several types of special districts and are formed under California state law and regulated under the Health and Safety code. They are empowered to acquire, build and operate works for the collection, treatment and disposal of garbage, storm water and sewage and empowered to operate recycling and distribution systems. They have five-member elected boards.

Sewage Spills and Fines

Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary faces large fines for spills (Marin IJ, 06/10/2009)

Three sewage spills into the Bay, totalling more than 775,000 gallons, have garnered the Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District a $332,000 fine by the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board. While two of the spills were partially treated wastewater, one was 9,000 gallons of raw sewage. All of the spills caused local beaches to be closed. The largest spill was 766,700 gallons, and occurred between February 15 and February 21, 2009, when an underwater pipe burst due to corrosion.

 

Mill Valley sewer agency to pay full $1.6 million fine for spills (Marin IJ, 02/13/2009)

The state Regional Water Quality Board fined the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin (SASM) $1.6, which the district has agreed to pay in full, following months of appeals. The fine is in response to two major spills: 2.45 million gallons of raw sewage into the Richardson Bay on January 28, 2008, followed six days later by 962,000 gallons of partially-treated waste water spilled from the same location. $600,000 of the money will go toward grants and loans to homeowners, to help them pay for fixing the lateral pipes that carry waste water to the community-owned collection pipes.

 

Sewer district dodges huge fine (Marin IJ, 08/01/2006)

Although the spill of 472,600 gallons of untreated waste in and around Corte Madera Creek in Kentfield on December 31, 2005 could have cost the Ross Valley Sanitation District $4.7 million, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board cut the district some slack, due to a power brownout at the time and the fact that the proper equipment was in place. On the other hand, the district's back-up system failed and the phone-alert system for the on-duty employee didn't work. In addition, initial and subsequent reports underreported the spill, delaying a timely investigation of the contamination.

Background

Sewer service in southern Marin County is provided by eleven different agencies. (See chart of functions & map)

The Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin (SASM) is a JPA responsible for treating sewage delivered to its wastewater treatment plant by Alto Sanitary District, Almonte Sanitary District, Homestead Valley Sanitary District, the City of Mill Valley, Richardson Bay Sanitary District, and the Tamalpais Valley Community Services District.

Sanitation District #5 treats the wastewater it collects from eastern Tiburon and also the wastewater delivered to it by the City of Belvedere. The Marin City - Sausalito Sanitary District collects and treats wastewater from Marin City, and treats wastewater delivered to it by the Town of Sausalito.

All of the eleven sanitary service agencies are governed by independent boards, except for SASM, whose members are appointed by each of its six member agencies. Board members of the sanitary districts receive stipends of between $75 and $100 per meeting. The members of SASM do not receive additional stipends.

 

Consolidation News

Consolidate Southern Marin sewer agencies now, grand jury says (Marin IJ, 05/08/2009)

In a report entitled, "Southern Marin sewers: Cracks in the system," the Marin Civil Grand Jury cites evidence of chronic sewage spill problems and concludes that the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin and the individual sanitation districts whose wastewater it treats would work more efficiently if they were a single agency.

Huffman sewage bill moves to full Assembly (Marin IJ, 05/13/2009)

Assembly Bill 1232, authored by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, would give the Marin Local Agency Formation Committee (LAFCO) the authority to merge the sewer districts along Richardson Bay without a vote by residents. The districts would have the opportunity to consolidate on their own before 2011. Text of AB 1232

Mill Valley sewer board not interested in full consolidation (Marin IJ, 07/20/2009)

Of the six agencies who collect wastewater that is then treated by the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin, only the City of Mill Valley was willing to consider the consolidation of agencies recommended by the recent Marin Civil Grand Jury report. Differences in costs and operational structures were cited as reasons for the resistance, as well as the loss of local control that would occur if the five special districts were dissolved. A represenative of the San Francisco Baykeeper countered that refusing to consolidate allows the financial interests of a few to outweigh the public's interests.

Marin Voice: Cleaning up sewage problems (Marin IJ, 07/09/2009)

Sejal Choksi, program director for San Francisco Baykeeper, a local pollution watchdog group, contends that "Wastewater management reform is sorely needed throughout the Bay Area - particularly in southern Marin, where several small sanitation agencies manage one poorly functioning system. Assemblymember Jared Huffman's bill, AB 1232, will pave the way for more cost-efficient and effective wastewater management in southern Marin."

Marin Voice: Southern Marin's sewer challenge (Marin IJ, 08/03/2009)

Jim Jacobs, a director of the Tamalpais Community Services District board and president of the board of the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin, explains the infrastructure challenges facing the area served by SASM, the sewage spills that occurred as a result, and why functional consolidation combined with local solutions that take into account the particularities of local sanitation districts is the best way to address the challenges. In addition, he notes the need for cooperation by homeowners, real estate agencies, and SASM to inspect, repair, and replace leaking lateral pipes (which are the responsibility of homeowners).

Background

The Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA) is a Joint Powers Agency, formed by San Rafael Sanitation District, Larkspur, Sanitation District #2 (Corte Madera), and Sanitation District #1 (Ross Valley) to construct and operate a wastewater plant in San Rafael. It is the largest wastewater agency in the county, serving 110,000 ratepayers in the aforementioned districts. Its board is comprised of representatives from each of the member agencies, two from Ross Valley, two from San Rafael Sanitation District, and one each from Larkspur and Corte Madera.

CMSA is well-respected within the industry and has won many awards for its operations. However, there is a schism on the board between the Ross Valley representatives and the rest of the members that negatively affects the ability of the board to function efficiently. There are a number of points of contention between the two sides, but among the most heated are representation on the board and the prospect of consolidation. Ross Valley representatives contend that since their district creates the majority of the revenue and has the most wastewater, they should have greater representation. In addition, they perceive consolidation as in effect forcing Ross Valley ratepayers to subsidize repairs to San Rafael's aging sewer lines. San Rafael argues for equal representation, and, along with Larkspur and Corte Madera, is interested in consolidation as a means of eliminating redundant administrative costs. AB 1232 was orginally written to authorize the Marin Local Agency Formation Commission to consolidate sanitary districts throughout the county, including member agencies of the Central Marin Sanitation Agency, but was later modified to address only the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin.

 

Board Relations

Central Marin Sanitation Agency: Bickering Board Breeds Discontent (Marin Civil Grand Jury, 2009)

Grand jury calls Central Marin sewer board 'petty, unacceptable' (Marin IJ, 06/27/2009)

Marin's 'most dysfunctional' public board (Marin IJ, 07/05/2009)

Monday Reader's Forum: One-sided consolidation (Marin IJ, 07/06/2009)

Editorial: Shakeup needed on Central Marin sewer board (Marin IJ, 07/09/2009)

Troubled Central Marin sewer board prepares grand jury response (Marin IJ, 07/15/2009)

Editorial: Larkspur wise to take a close look at sewer options (Marin IJ, 07/31/2009)

 

Background

The Novato Sanitary District (NSD) provides wastewater collection and treatment for the city of Novato — approximately 60,000 ratepayers. It was chartered in 1925, but building a treatment plant wasn't undertaken until 1948. Like other wastewater agencies in Marin County, Novato Sanitary District has been cited by the EPA for multiple violations of the Clean Water Act over the past few years. Recognizing that aging and malfunctioning plants, pumps, and pipelines were at the root of the problems led the Novato Sanitary District to undertake a $90 million renovation in 2006, which is nearly finished.

In 2008, the district manager commissioned a study by an independent consultant about how NSD could best proceed once the plant was finished, and a final report was submitted by the Eisenhardt Group (EIG) in February 2009, that concluded "existing NSD staff do not have experience with the startup of highly sophisticated wastewater treatment facilities or the development and implementation of the IT systems and procedures required for the consistent, best practice operations of such facilities." The Eisenhardt Group advocated that Novato Sanitary District contract with an established firm to provide operations and maintenance services for the new facilities and indicated that doing so would save the district millions of dollars over other options.

Privatization of the operations and maintenance of the Novato Sanitary District's facilities has been highly contentious and there remains widespread opposition to contracting with Veolia Water, who runs hundreds of sewage plants.

NSD newsletter with a Documents tab

 

The New Treatment Plant and Facilities

Novato Sanitary District Wastewater Facilities Upgrade (NSD PowerPoint presentation, 2006)

Novato sewer overhaul begins (Marin IJ, 04/30/2007)

 

Privatization News

Dick Spotswood: Novato's possible solution to public budget woes (Marin IJ, 08/02/2009)

Editorial: Novato should take next step on sewer plant (Marin IJ, 07/27/2009)

Saturday Reader's Forum: Reason for public outrage (Marin IJ, 08/01/2009)

Novato Sanitary forges ahead on privatization plans (Marin IJ, 07/27/2009)

Tempers flare at Novato Sanitary privatization hearing (Marin IJ, 07/20/2009)

Novato waste district edges toward privatizing plant (Marin IJ, 04/13/2009)

 

EPA Raid

Novato Sanitary District sorts plans in wake of federal raid (Marin IJ, 05/18/2009)

Federal agents take over Novato Sanitary District office (Marin IJ, 05/14/2009)

 

Federal Grant for Recycled Water Programs

Marin, North Bay get $25 million federal boost for recycled water (Marin IJ, 04/07/2009)