South Valley Sewer District Overview

Introduction

The South Valley Sewer District (formerly known as Salt Lake County Sewerage Improvement District No. 1) was established in 1961 by resolution of the Salt Lake County Commission. It took another ten years before sanitary sewer pipes were installed and connections to the system began. From 1976 to today, the District has experienced tremendous growth ranging from a low of 2% to as high as 37% growth depending on the year.

On November 15, 2000, the name of the District was changed to South Valley Sewer District (District/SVSD). This action was a direct result of legislation enacted by the State Legislature. The change in name became effective January 1, 2001.

Salt Lake County has no oversight responsibility over the District. Therefore, the District is not included by any other governmental reporting entity. The District is responsible for wastewater collection and treatment within the entities of Bluffdale, Draper, Riverton, South Jordan, Herriman, southern portion of Sandy, a small portion of West Jordan City and the unincorporated portions in the southwest area of the Salt Lake valley (including Copperton).

Governing Body

The District is governed by five members, known as the Board of Trustees. Members of the Board of Trustees are elected (one) and appointed (four) and have decision-making authority: the authority to levy taxes, the power to designate management, the ability to significantly influence operation and primary accountability for fiscal matters.

As adopted by the Board of Trustees, it is the mission and purpose of the District to provide public sanitary sewer service, including collection and treatment of sewage, to all properties located within the boundaries of the District in an orderly manner as rapidly as District finances will permit. The Board of Trustees retains the right, in its sole discretion, to determine the financial feasibility, location of, and time of installation of all extensions of the District’s sewer system.

System Overview

The District has an estimated 1,000 miles (as of December 2020) of public sanitary sewer lines in the ground over an area of 105 square miles. The majority of the wastewater flows from the east and west side of the valley toward the Jordan River, where it is coveyed to either the Jordan Basin Water Reclamation Facility (JBWRF) or the South Valley Water Reclamation Facility (SVWRF). The exception to this is in Utah County where effluent flows south into the Timpanogos Special Service District (TSSD).