Message From The Manager

BENEFITS OF RESIDING IN THE COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT

Residents in the City of Costa Mesa and portions of Newport Beach and the County can be proud they are part of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District.

The Sanitary District provides two services: collecting and recycling trash for 21,000 residences and owning and operating a 325-mile sewer system serving 116,700 residents. By having only two duties, the elected officials and staff can stay focused on their responsibility of maintaining a very high level of service. In the case of the sewer system, the officials do not have to weigh funding for programs such as parks, police, or fire instead of the sewer system. The system receives top priority and has been maintained in excellent structural condition.

The Directors and Staff consider the sewer system a prized asset and treat it as such. In 1989 the District began a four-year comprehensive video taping program where cameras were sent down the entire sewer system and the tapes catalogued and used as the basis for a maintenance program. Any problems found in the system were immediately fixed to ensure the sewer system remains intact. The District began its second video taping program in 2006 and will again use the results as the basis for its maintenance program.

In 1995, the Directors of the District exhibited additional foresight and established a long-term replacement fund to prepare for rehabilitating the sewer system when it reaches its life expectancy. The District has established a yearly contribution to the fund and maintains an appropriate level of reserves. An adequate replacement fund is an extremely important asset as construction costs and the cost of living increase year after year.

The result of the District’s commitment to its responsibilities has been a sewer system where only a handful of sewer spills have occurred over the last 20 years. The cost to residents in the District for sewer services has always been extremely low when compared to local and nation-wide rates.

ROBIN B. HAMERS
MANAGER/DISTRICT ENGINEER
COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT 2007