BACKGROUND

Established in 1899, the Ross Valley Sanitary District (RVSD) in San Rafael, CA operates California’s oldest sanitary sewer district. RVSD serves 10 communities and more than 47,000 residents, maintaining 200 miles of sewer lines and 19 pump stations. This system collects, stores, and transports millions of gallons of sanitary sewage and stormwater every day to the Central Marin Sanitation Agency for treatment. About 60% of the district’s sewer lines were installed prior to 1955; the oldest section is more than 100 years old.

SUMMARY

Initially, RSVD sought to better understand how its sewer system reacts during heavy rain events and to track and reduce inflow & infiltration. Over time, RSVD’s use of SmartCover remote sewer monitoring technology applications expanded to include such things as trending analysis, tide predictions, smoke testing, identifying lift and pump station backups, detecting illegal dumping and unauthorized access, and improved cleaning management.

SmartCover resources have provided RVSD with multiple ways to meet its goals and avoid massive capital investments, translating into millions of dollars saved.

RVSD efforts were recognized in 2022 by the California Water Environment Association, receiving that organization’s Wastewater Collection System of the Year Award for small systems (less than 250 miles in length). The district was lauded for its commitment to innovative asset management and infrastructure maintenance and for contributing to environmental sustainability efforts.

Interested in finding out how our SmartCover solutions can work for you? Reach out to sales@smartcoversystems.com or call (855) 291-1980.