SacSewer flags sewer service issues for Elk Grove's Proposed Summer Villas Project
Those comments, along with others submitted on the Summer Villas draft environmental impact report, were finally released this week
The Sacramento Area Sewer District has raised concerns about whether a proposed 499-unit senior housing development in northeast Elk Grove can be served by public sewer infrastructure, citing the project's location in an area long designated as rural and excluded from sewer planning.
In comments submitted November 24, 2025, on the draft environmental impact report for the Summer Villas Special Planning Area project, SacSewer said the City of Elk Grove previously informed that the Rural Residential Sheldon Area was not planned to receive public sewer service — a designation that led to the area's exclusion from the district's 2020 System Capacity Plan.
.
The 115.9-acre site, at the southeast corner of Sheldon and Waterman roads, could eventually be developed with up to 499 age-restricted homes. SacSewer said that because the area was not included in long-range sewer planning, the district did not evaluate whether gravity sewers or pump stations could feasibly serve the site and that no nearby backbone sewer infrastructure has sufficient depth or capacity to support the project.
.
While noting it is not a land-use authority, SacSewer asked city planners to clarify how wastewater service would be handled if the project proceeds. The district specifically requested clarification on whether the project area would be removed from the Rural Residential Sheldon Area prior to receiving sewer service and whether any surrounding areas would also be removed — a change that could require addressing additional off-site wastewater flows.
The comments stated, "Also discuss the wastewater needs of the rest of the area within the Rural Residental Sheldon Area, including if the project area will be removed from Rural Residential Sheldon Area prior to sewer service and if any other areas will be removed from Rural Residential Sheldon Area. If additional offsite areas are planned for removal from Rural Residential Sheldon Area, the project may be required to address offsite flows."
SacSewer also raised questions about whether proposed on-site sewer lines and a lift station would be public or private facilities and noted that some sewer infrastructure may not qualify for reimbursement under district policy.
.
Elk Grove public and elected officials have not yet responded publicly to the district's comments. The project would require amendments to Elk Grove's General Plan and Rural Area Community Plan before moving forward.
Those comments, along with others submitted on the Summer Villas draft environmental impact report, were released yesterday, after the City of Elk Grove's Planning Department initially refused to provide them to residents who sought their release.
