Santa Clara staff propose lower sewer conveyance rates, tighten wet‑weather criteria in 2025 master plan update

City of Santa Clara Public Works staff on Nov. 7 presented the 2025 Sanitary Sewer Master Plan update and a conveyance‑fee nexus study that would reduce most developer fees and change how residential fees are assessed.

Craig Temple, project manager for Public Works’ design division, said the study recommends revising the residential fee to $1.14 per square foot and setting the nonresidential rate at $6.34 per gallon per day. “We’re proposing, based on the study, the fee study of rates that are reductions of anywhere from 26 to 78% from the existing fees,” Temple said. He gave an example that an 800‑square‑foot high‑density unit would pay about $912 under the proposal compared with a cited current fee of roughly $4,000.

The update expands the hydraulic model from the trunk sewer system to an all‑pipes model, incorporating recent land‑use data and recalibration based on a flow‑monitoring program covering dry and wet weather. That modeling produced a 15‑project capital program, with total program costs Temple described as “just over $100,000,000,” scheduled to align with the city’s general‑plan horizon through 2035.

Temple described a change to the master plan’s deficiency criteria: previously, deeper pipes (scenario b) were allowed up to 1 foot of wet‑weather surcharge; the update removes that allowance so that no surcharge is permitted under either shallow or deep scenarios. Temple said the change responds to observed increases in storm severity, rising infiltration/inflow risk as pipes age, and expected future development that can increase system loading.

Temple emphasized the design standard for new or replacement sewers is unchanged: peak design flow for new pipes should not exceed about three‑quarters of a pipe’s depth. The deficiency‑criteria change affects analysis of existing system capacity and will be applied to future master plan runs and development‑driven hydraulic analyses.

On fee history, Temple said the conveyance fee program began after a 2007 capacity assessment and was approved by the City Council; it has had fee updates in 2009–10 and an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) fee added in 2018. Temple cited current nonresidential and residential fees in the presentation; two current residential per‑dwelling figures appeared in slides and his remarks (one cited as $4,002.18 and another as $4,218). The study’s proposed residential square‑foot approach is presented as a way to comply with legislation referenced in the presentation that staff summarized as requiring residential development impact fees be based on square footage unless specific findings justify another method.

Temple said staff will present the 2025 master plan update and the conveyance‑fee nexus study to the City Council and is targeting Dec. 9 for council action. He also noted the full master plan and the nexus study are posted on the Public Works engineering project webpage and provided an email for follow‑up: ctemple@santaclaraca.gov.

The presentation included comparison charts showing the proposed residential rates would place Santa Clara at the lower end of fees relative to several neighboring Bay Area jurisdictions. Temple said the program of capital projects is phased; higher‑priority projects would be built sooner and others later as development and the general plan require them.

No formal vote or council action occurred at the outreach meeting. Staff identified next steps as council consideration of the master plan update and fee schedule on the stated target date and invited written public comments and questions prior to that meeting.