Union Sanitary District (USD) is celebrating 100 years of providing wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal services to its communities with a look back at its history, a look forward to the future, and an Open House event on Saturday, May 19, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to share some family-friendly fun with customers. CWEA members are invited to attend as the District features treatment plant tours, kid-friendly activities, demonstrations, displays, giveaways, and refreshments.
USD’s original boundaries encompassed 3,300 acres in what was known as Southern Alameda County in the East San Francisco Bay Area. The area was primarily farm and ranchland well into the twentieth century, and septic tanks were typically used for wastewater disposal. Today, USD’s service area covers over 60 square miles (about 38,400 acres) and serves over 350,000 residents in the cities of Fremont, Newark, and Union City, with over 113,000 residential, commercial, and industrial connections. Total flow to its Alvarado Treatment Plant in Union City was over 8.5 billion gallons in 2017, and averages between 22 and 24 million gallons daily.
“Our service area has grown and changed significantly since our founding year,” says General Manager Paul R. Eldredge. “USD has constantly innovated throughout our history to meet the needs of our communities while fulfilling our mission to protect public health and the environment. We look forward to continuing that commitment for many years to come.”
USD is an active participant in CWEA, counting 74 of its 137 employees as members. The District has been a proud recipient of many CWEA awards over the years, including a double-win of Statewide Large Collection System and Treatment Plant of the Year Awards in 2009. In addition to multiple Collection System and Treatment Plant of the Year awards, many District individuals, programs, and projects have enjoyed regional and statewide recognition from CWEA.
The District hosts CWEA’s biannual Vendor Fair, which draws over 300 participants to view the latest equipment and technologies, as well as many CWEA-sponsored trainings. Several employees participate on CWEA’s committees such as Safety, Collection System, and Professional Development, as well as on the Education Program Team. USD employees frequently give presentations at CWEA conferences.
USD’s Centennial Open House will be the highlight of its celebratory year. A previous event held in 2015 was a smash-hit with the community – over 1,100 attendees enjoyed visiting booths and chatting with District staff. The event won CWEA’s SF Bay Section Community Engagement and Outreach Project of the Year for 2015. “We’re busy planning even more fun ways for kids and adults to learn about the complexity and scale of our work during our Centennial event,” says Eldredge. “We hope our CWEA colleagues will join us as we celebrate this landmark birthday and shine a spotlight on our industry’s essential services to customers.”
Want to know more about the Centennial Open House? Check out USD’s website at www.unionsanitary.ca.gov, view its Facebook page, follow @usdtweets, or call (510) 477-7500.
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