Conveyance System

Thousands of miles of underground pipelines transport wastewater from homes and businesses throughout the Sacramento region to the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (SRWTP) in Elk Grove.

The larger of these pipelines, "interceptors," are owned by SRCSD. There are approximately 145 miles of gravity interceptors hidden beneath the streets of Sacramento and Yolo counties. Ranging in size from 36 to 144 inches in diameter, each interceptor conveys at least 10 million gallons of wastewater per day (mgd).

Also scattered throughout Sacramento and the eastern portion of Yolo counties are 46 miles of SRCSD force mains (pipes that are under pressure) and eight wastewater pumping facilities with the peak wet weather capacity starting at of 10 mgd and increasing to 264 mgd. These pumping facilities are connected to the interceptors and placed where the depth of the pipe is too great to continue to flow by gravity. At that point, the pumping facility raises the wastewater toward the earth's surface and then allows it to continue to flow at a shallower depth by gravity, until it reaches SRWTP or another pumping facility.

Currently, the interceptor system conveys wastewater flow from the Sacramento Area Sewer District and the cities of Folsom, Sacramento and West Sacramento.

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