Who we are and what we do?

The Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District oversees wastewater collection and treatment, water recycling, and stormwater management services in a 41-square mile of Solano County, California. Our service area encompasses the cities of Fairfield and Suisun City as well as one of the nation’s most strategically important military installations, Travis Air Force Base. The District’s governing board consists entirely of members from the City Councils of both cities.

The District owns and operates a system of sanitary sewers and pumping stations that collect wastewater from homes and businesses in our service area and transfers it to a modern, efficient, tertiary waste treatment plant for cleansing and recycling. We also operate programs to help capture and control pollutants that can be carried by rainfall runoff.

Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District protects public health and the environment for the communities we serve in an efficient, responsible and sustainable manner.

How have we been doing?

With the Board’s leadership, District staff has done a phenomenal job of carrying out District policies, which ensure that the District remains in sound financial condition in the years ahead. The District has the lowest sewer rates in all of Solano County and other neighboring sewer agencies in spite of the fact that the District does not receive any property or sales tax revenue. The District is able to offer the lowest rates by:

• Building up reserves for future major maintenance and plant replacement
• Keeping debt low
• Adopting policies on long-term capital and financial planning
• Looking for opportunities to improve service, lower costs, and increase efficiency

The District’s commitment to excellence and innovation is evidenced by the recognition it receives. Recently, the District has:

• Won the 2011 Public Outreach and Education Award—Large Agency from the California Association of Sanitation Agencies for its Clean Water Outreach Program
• Won 2008, 2009, and 2010 Gold Award from NACWA in recognition of one year with 100 percent National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit compliance
• Won Silver Awards from NACWA—in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2007—in recognition of complete and consistent National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit compliance
• Won Plant of the Year Award in 1990, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007 and 2008 from the CWEA Sacramento Area Section
• Won Plant of the Year Award in 2011 from the CWEA Redwood Empire Section
• Won Public Education Award in 2011 from the CWEA Redwood Empire Section
• Won Safety Award in 2009 and 2011 from CWEA Redwood Empire Section
• Won Collection System of the Year Award in 2009 from the CWEA Redwood Empire Section
• Won 2009 CASA Award for Organizational Innovation
• Won a 2005 Achievement Award from CASA for “Innovative Treatment of High-Strength Food Processing Waste”
• Earned a 2004 Special Merit Award for Regional Cooperation from CASA, East Bay Municipal Utility District and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, for work on developing viable solutions to biosolids issues
• Won honors from CSRMA in fiscal years 1997-98, 1999-00, and 2004-05—in the small member agency category—for:

o Workers’ Compensation program with the Lowest Claims Frequency Rate

o Lowest Claims Cost as a Percentage of Payroll

• Earned Loss Control Program of the Year from CSRMA in fiscal year 2006-07
• Earned special recognition for Excellence in Financial Reporting, from GFOA, for fourteen consecutive fiscal years—June 1998 through June 2011

What does your sewer service charge pay for?

Your sewer service charge pays for the operation and maintenance of the wastewater collection and treatment system, various regulatory fees, administrative costs, and a reserve fund to pay for the replacement of facilities when they reach the end of their useful life. The cost to operate and maintain these sewer facilities is approximately $20 million per year.

Why is the increase needed?

Due to increasing regulatory requirements and operating costs and to ensure adequate maintenance and replacement reserves, as projected in the District’s 2011/12 Budget and Long-Term Financial Plan, available under the Finance section of this website.

Does my sewer service charge pay for constructing facilities related to new growth?

No. Your sewer service charge does not pay for constructing or expanding the sewer facilities to accommodate new growth. All costs for constructing or expanding facilities which result from new growth are paid for by a separate sewer connection charge when a new building permit is issued.

How does the District’s proposed sewer service charge compare to most neighboring sewer districts?

Even though the regulatory agencies require that water leaving the District's treatment plant meets or exceeds essentially all drinking water standards, the District is still able to keep its costs lower than most neighboring communities. Most other sewer districts do not discharge their treated water into environmentally-sensitive habitats, such as the Suisun Marsh, so they don't need to provide this higher level of treatment. Please refer to the chart below for a comparison of current year’s sewer service charge rates. Even with the proposed rate increase, the District's residential rate of $29.68 will still be less than other comparable agencies within the area.

 

How much will my sewer rate increase be?

Residential rates will be increased from $28.21 to $29.68 per unit per month starting July 1, 2012. Each year thereafter the annual residential increase will be 5.2%. The amount of increase for all other property types is shown in the table below.

Customer Class	Current Year	Year 1 FY2012	Year 2 FY2013 14	Year 3 FY2014 15	Year 4 FY2015 16	Year 5 FY2016 17
Residential (monthly rate)	$28.21	$29.68	$31.23	$32.85	$34.56	$36.35
Commercial/Industrial – Regular	$2.14	$2.27	$2.42	$2.57	$2.73	$2.90
Commercial/Industrial – Special	$4.05	$4.20	$4.36	$4.53	$4.70	$4.88
Commercial/Industrial – Case-by-
Flow	$1,728.35	$1,856.14	$1,993.39	$2,140.78	$2,299.07	$2,469.06
Biochemical Oxygen Demand	$300.96	$310.37	$320.08	$330.09	$340.41	$351.05
Suspended Solids	$156.62	$161.66	$166.86	$172.22	$177.76	$183.48

*based on flow (hundred cubic feet) ** based on flow (million gallons) and strength (1,000 pounds)