SSWD Allocates $8 Million in Settlement Funds to Support Future Water Supply Projects

The Sacramento Suburban Water District (SSWD) has successfully resolved two legal cases related to water contamination and will allocate the settlement proceeds to support future water production projects.

In recent months, SSWD reached settlements in two lawsuits involving contaminants Hexavalent Chromium (Cr6) and 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP)—both harmful chemicals that can affect groundwater. The District filed these lawsuits to hold responsible parties accountable for past contamination and to protect the long-term health and safety of the community’s water supply.

• The Cr6 settlement resulted in a $5.9 million payment from the United States government under a consent decree related to historic activities at McClellan Air Force Base.
• The TCP settlement resulted in a $5 million agreement with several manufacturers and distributors of agricultural products.

The affected wells involved in both cases were taken out of service in 2014 (Cr6) and 2018 (TCP) and have not provided drinking water to customers since those dates.

To responsibly manage these settlement funds, the SSWD Board of Directors approved staff’s recommendation to allocate the net proceeds of $8.04 million to the District’s Well Development Fund. This fund supports planned, anticipated, or needed water production projects—such as drilling new wells or installing treatment systems on existing wells—to maintain a safe and reliable water supply.

This action reinforces SSWD’s commitment to sound financial planning, environmental stewardship, and long-term water supply reliability for the communities it serves.

For more information, please contact Customer Services at 916.972.7171.