Our Sewage Collection System

SacSewer’s sewer system is a vast and complex set of pipes—measuring 4,600 miles—that interconnect in a web-like pattern underground. Sewage from our customers’ homes and businesses enters our system through lower laterals—small pipes connecting the property owner’s plumbing to our sewer main line. Once in the main line, sewage flows into a system of larger pipes called trunk lines. Our trunk lines connect to the  Regional San’s system, which conveys the sewage to the wastewater treatment plant near Elk Grove. There, Regional San treats the wastewater and safely discharges it to the Sacramento River.

Our sewer system is designed to allow gravity to do much of the work to keep sewage moving. However, there are some low-lying areas that require a little help. SacSewer owns and operates more than 100 pump stations and approximately 80 miles of pressurized force main pipes. Our pump stations pump sewage from the low-lying areas through a force main to a higher point, where it can again travel by gravity.