Wastewater (Sewer) Operations and Treatment

Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations Unit

The City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant treats collected wastewater (sewage) to safely discharge it into surface waters like Old River. The plant removes solids and pollutants, breaks down organic matter, and restores the oxygen content of the treated wastewater. The City treats wastewater to a more stringent standard so that the highly treated water can be used as recycled water for landscape irrigation and dust control at construction sites.

The Wastewater Treatment Plant continues to make significant improvements to increase capacity, keeping pace with the city's growing community.

Sanitary Sewer System (Collections)

The City of Tracy sanitary sewer system (collections) is over 465 miles of underground pipes and tunnels, and 10 lift stations that transport wastewater (sewage) from houses, businesses, institutions (schools) and industries to the wastewater (sewer) treatment plant. These pipes carry the wastewater to the treatment plant by gravity and through force mains where it is treated and either returned to a local water body (Old River) or reclaimed and used as recycled water for irrigation purposes.

Sewage is untreated or partially treated domestic, municipal, commercial and/or industrial waste (including sewage sludge), and any mixture of these wastes with inflow or infiltration of stormwater or groundwater, conveyed in a sanitary sewer system. A spill is a discharge of sewage from any portion of a sanitary sewer system due to a sanitary sewer system overflow, operational failure, and/or infrastructure failure. Sewage and its associated wastewater spilled from a sanitary sewer system may threaten public health, beneficial uses of waters of the State, and the environment.

Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order