San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant

The San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant is one of the largest advanced wastewater treatment facilities in California. It treats and cleans the wastewater of over 1,500,000 people that live and work in the 300-square mile area encompassing San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Saratoga, and Monte Sereno.The Water Pollution Control Plant has the capacity to treat 167,000,000 gallons of wastewater per day. It is located in Alviso, at the southernmost tip of the San Francisco Bay. Originally constructed in 1956, the Plant had the capacity to treat 36,000,000 gallons of water per day and only provided primary treatment. In 1964, the Plant added a secondary treatment process to its system. In 1979, the Plant upgraded its wastewater treatment process to an advanced, tertiary system.

Graphic illustrating sources of wastewater that flow into the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant.Wastewater from sinks, toilets, and drains inside homes, businesses and schools in most of Santa Clara Valley travels through an underground pipe system, known as the sanitary sewer system, before it arrives for treatment at the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant. That journey can take up to 10 hours. About 18 hours later, 99% of the impurities have been removed through a highly sophisticated treatment process that simulates the way nature purifies water, but at a greatly accelerated rate.