Sewer Service & Programs
The City of Pleasanton manages and maintains the community’s wastewater (sewer) collection system, which serves around 21,000 residential, multi-family, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers. This underground network is essential for safely transporting wastewater, protecting the environment, and safeguarding public health.
Whenever you flush a toilet, drain a bathtub, or run your dishwasher, Pleasanton’s system is ready to safely collect and transport that wastewater to regional treatment facilities. Most of the City’s wastewater is sent to Dublin San Ramon Services District’s Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility, while all wastewater from the Ruby Hill area goes to the City of Livermore’s Water Reclamation Plant. At these facilities, the water undergoes thorough treatment before being discharged into local waterways or reused as recycled water.
Sewer System by the Numbers
Connections
Staff
Planning for the Future & Safeguarding Public Health
Pleasanton’s sewer system is considered critical infrastructure, essential to protecting the health and safety of our community. The City regularly monitors, repairs, and upgrades the system to ensure safe, reliable service while minimizing spill risks.
Because of its vital role in public health and environmental safety, sewer systems are highly regulated. The City must adhere to strict state and federal standards and is dedicated to meeting these through responsible planning and investment. In line with this commitment, the City updated its Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP) in 2025. This state-mandated plan is revised every six years and audited every three years.
The SSMP aims to properly manage, operate, and maintain all parts of the sewer system, reduce and prevent spills, and contain and mitigate any spills that occur. Ultimately, it provides a roadmap for the City to reduce risks, extend the lifespan of its infrastructure, and safeguard the community for years to come.
Building on the SSMP, in November 2025, the City adopted a Long-Term Sewer Capital Improvement Implementation Plan (also known as the Sewer Capital Improvement Plan, or CIP) to guide sewer system maintenance and upgrades over the next 20 years. The plan outlines infrastructure needs, prioritizes projects, and assesses funding strategies to protect public health, the environment, and ensure reliable sewer service.
How Sewer CIP Projects Are Prioritized and Funded
The City’s Sewer CIP was developed based on technical evaluations that include condition assessments and system capacity. The plan outlines projects needing attention, estimates their expected timing and cost, and sets priorities to guide responsible decisions. The plan is reviewed every two years and updated every six years to reflect changing conditions and needs.
Each project included in the Sewer CIP was evaluated based on:
- System importance and risk
- Regulatory requirements
- Asset condition and performance
- City goals for service reliability and sustainability
Based on this evaluation, projects were categorized into three priority levels:
- Priority A (High): Projects addressing health and safety risks, regulatory compliance issues, high risk of failure, or inspection of critical assets.
- Priority B (Medium): Near-term rehabilitation and replacement needs, including work identified following inspections and condition assessments.
- Priority C (Low): Assets approaching the end of their useful life but currently in good condition, along with anticipated work based on ongoing inspections and preventive maintenance.
To understand how different investment strategies affect system reliability, cost, and risk over time, the Sewer CIP evaluates three implementation scenarios:
- Maintain: A balanced approach that addresses high-priority needs while deferring some lower-priority work.
- Projects Funded by Priority Level: A more proactive approach that advances higher-risk projects sooner to reduce long-term risk.
- Maximum Deferrals: An approach that defers more work into later years, resulting in lower near-term spending but higher long-term risk.
Each scenario reflects different tradeoffs between timing, cost, and system risk. These scenarios are used to inform financial planning and future policy decisions and do not represent final funding commitments.
Together, the SSMP and Sewer CIP will serve as the foundation for an upcoming financial analysis and sewer rate study. The City is planning to set new sewer rates in 2026.
What the SSMP Does for Pleasanton:
- Maintains Reliability – Ensures the sewer system is properly managed, operated, and maintained for optimal performance.
- Prevents Spills – Reduces the risk of sewer overflows that could impact homes, businesses, and local waterways.
- Protects Public Health – Outlines rapid response and mitigation steps in the event of a spill.
- Builds Resiliency – Prepares sewer infrastructure for climate change impacts, helping protect water quality.
Protecting Our Sewer System: Sewer Pipe Blockage Control Program
Each of our customers plays an important role in protecting our local sewer system. The City’s Sewer Pipe Blockage Control Program aims to prevent and reduce pipe blockages caused by fats, oils, grease, rags, and debris that customers may introduce into the sewer system.
Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) are byproducts of cooking that come from items like meat, dairy, sauces, and oils. When washed down sinks or drains, FOG can cool, harden, and stick to the inside of sewer pipes. Over time, this buildup restricts flow and can lead to blockages in the sewer system. These blockages may result in Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs), which are serious public health and environmental concerns.
Spill Emergency Response Plan
In the event of a sewage spill, the City follows a state-mandated Spill Emergency Response Plan (SERP). This plan provides clear guidelines and step-by-step procedures to ensure a prompt, orderly, and effective response to spills. It focuses on:
- Containing and reducing spill volumes
- Protecting public health and the environment
- Collecting information to prevent future spills
The SERP offers guidelines for City personnel to follow when responding to, cleaning up, reporting, and properly documenting spills that may occur from City-owned sewer mains and laterals. The SERP also includes procedures for responding to sewer backups into homes or buildings. A backup refers to property damage caused by contact with untreated or partially treated sewage.