Septage Receiving Station

The City of Santa Maria Septage Receiving Station is located at the Wastewater Treatment Plant on 601 Black Road. Liquid waste haulers can become permitted through the City and discharge at the plant for a fee. In addition to liquid waste haulers, the City allows RVs to discharge for free, no permit is necessary.

Hours of operation

 Monday – Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Closed on weekends and City holidays 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – FAQs 

Who can discharge at the plant? Chemical toilet pumper trucks, septic tank pumping trucks, wash water for mobile car washers, RVs, and gray water haulers. There is currently a grease waste hauler that stores decanted water at the plant.

•    What do I need to become permitted? All users will need to complete a Liquid Waste Hauler Permit Application. For everyone EXCEPT mobile car washers, supporting documentation that must be provided includes: A County of Santa Barbara Health Permit, Certificate of Liability Insurance, proof of tank capacity (this can be the County of Santa Barbara inspection form). The same process applies to add an additional vehicle or to replace a vehicle. 

•    Once I turn in the application, what’s next? Regulatory Compliance will review the application and contact the user. Once complete, an access card will be issued for each vehicle that will be permitted, and an appointment time will be scheduled to give the user an overview of the plant discharge location and process. 

•    What are the hours? Current hours are Monday – Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Closed on weekends and City holidays. 

•    How does billing work? Customers are billed monthly for each discharge, which is based on the capacity of their vehicle’s tank. For example: if a hauler has a 500-gallon tank, but it is half-full, the hauler will still be billed for the 500-gallon tank. 

•    What is the rate for each gallon? $.12348 per gallon (Example - $123.48 for a 1000- gallon tank) for septage/chemical toilet/gray water/ mobile car washers.

Grease hauler rate: $.20580 per gallon 

•    When does the permit expire? The permit is issued for 5 years minus a day.

•    Who can I contact with any other questions? Contact Regulatory Compliance Staff with any issues regarding the permitting process or to add additional vehicles, Regulatory Compliance Specialist, Tony Bravo, abravo@cityofsantamaria.org or (805) 925-0951 extension 7218