History and Mission

Our History

The California Health And Safety Code County Sanitation District Act empowers the District to construct, maintain, and operate our wastewater collection and transport system.

In 1946, the Santa Clara County Sewage Disposal Survey that was commissioned by the County Board of Supervisors, proposed the construction of a central sewage treatment plant at City of San José's outfall sewer located at Alviso and the formation of seven County sanitation districts. One of those districts, County Sanitation District Number 4 (known today as West Valley Sanitation District) was proposed to construct major trunk sewers to the Town of Los Gatos and the village of Saratoga.

The Town of Los Gatos was collecting its sewage and transporting it to seepage and evaporation ponds adjacent to Los Gatos Creek in the area now occupied by the town's Oak Meadow Park, adjacent to Vasona Lake County Park. The 1910 formed Saratoga Sanitary District operated a sanitary sewer system for the village of Saratoga with a large septic tank and an orchard irrigation system to disperse the septic tank liquid effluent in the area now occupied by the Redwood Middle School, adjacent to Saratoga City Hall. At that time, the community of Campbell Works Progress Administration (known as President Franklin Roosevelt New Deal) constructed sanitary sewer system was operated by the 1938 formed Campbell Sanitary District, and was tied into the City of San José's sanitary sewer system.

Subsequently, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors conducted an election and the District was officially formed on November 1, 1948. The sewerage system owned by the City of Saratoga within the boundaries of the former Saratoga Sanitary District and the City were transferred in title to the District on January 1, 1961. The Campbell Sanitary District merged with the City of Campbell on May 21, 1953; and subsequently transferred the title and responsibility for operation and maintenance of the former Campbell Sanitary District sanitary sewer system to the District on February 28, 1962. The Town of Los Gatos transferred all of their sewer system assets and responsibilities to the District on November 1, 2005. Visit our Annual Report page to discover important activities that have occurred in the District since 1956.

Our Mission

The District is here to protect public health and the environment for the residents in the cities of Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, two thirds of Saratoga and intervening unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County through the safe, reliable, and cost-effective collection and conveyance of wastewater for treatment at the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility.

The District strives to create an environment of continuous improvement with our commitment to public good, operating with transparency, maintaining an environment of teamwork, demonstrating respect for others and diversity of opinions, adhering to high ethical standards and integrity, encouraging innovation and continuous improvement to provide cost-effective and high-quality service, and providing responsive and respectful customer service.

See our Management Plan for a detail description of the activities we performed to efficiently and effectively operate, maintain, and manage our wastewater collection and transport system. See the Local Agency Formation Commission of Santa Clara County (Santa Clara LAFCO) service review report for a review of the services we provide and recommendations on updating our sphere of influence (SOI).