City of Roseville agrees to pay nearly $358,000 for sanitary sewer spill violation

SACRAMENTO – The City of Roseville has agreed to pay nearly $358,000 to resolve water quality violations alleged by the Central Valley Water Quality Control Board in connection with a sanitary sewer spill that discharged about 366,600 gallons of untreated sewage into a tributary of the Sacramento River in late 2023.

The sewage spill was caused by a blockage resulting from root intrusion into sewer system piping. The blockage caused untreated sewage to overflow from a manhole, where it went undetected for an extended period. The spill began on November 19, 2023, and continued until December 4, 2023. The order resulted from odor complaints and alleges the discharge had the potential to impact a nearby waterway. The settlement agreement is posted online and can be viewed here.

Upon learning of the spill, Roseville immediately worked to clear the blockage and recover spilled amounts.

“Sewage spills have the potential to harm aquatic life and pose risks to human health,” said John J. Baum, assistant executive officer for the Central Valley Regional Water Board. “This penalty underscores the responsibility cities have to properly operate and maintain sewer infrastructure. Allowing the city to direct a portion of the penalty toward assessing a high-priority pipeline segment will help reduce the likelihood of future failures and additional spills.”

Sanitary sewer spills can introduce harmful bacteria and pollutants into waterways used for recreation, wildlife habitat, and downstream water supplies. This spill highlights the challenges aging wastewater infrastructure can pose for growing communities — and how early detection, maintenance, and targeted investment are critical to preventing larger environmental and public health impacts.

Under the terms of the settlement, over $178,000 of the penalty will be paid to the State Water Pollution Cleanup and Abatement Account, which supports projects that address water pollution across California. The remaining amount will be used to reduce the risk of future sewer spills by improving the city’s wastewater collection system.

Specifically, the penalty will fund the City of Roseville’s first non-destructive, in-line condition assessment of Sewer Lift Station 19’s force main. The assessment will evaluate the condition of an 8-inch-diameter, 2,773-foot force main to identify potential weaknesses and help prevent pipeline failures that could lead to future spills.

Under California law, any entity that operates a sanitary sewer collection system longer than one mile must enroll under the Statewide General Waste Discharge Requirements for Sanitary Sewer Systems. The permit requires system operators to properly operate and maintain their infrastructure and to take steps to prevent discharges of raw sewage to surface waters.

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board is a state agency responsible for protecting water quality and safeguarding beneficial uses such as aquatic habitat and public health across approximately 11,350 miles of streams and rivers, 579,110 acres of lakes, and the state’s largest contiguous groundwater basin. The board’s jurisdiction covers about 60,000 square miles — roughly 40 percent of California — including all or parts of 38 counties, from the Oregon border to the Tehachapi Mountains.