Sanitary District Of Hammond

What Sanitary District Of Hammond does

The Sanitary District of Hammond (HSD) is a governmental municipal utility established by Indiana state legislation in 1938, operating as a separate legal entity with bonding powers and a five-member Board of Sanitary Commissioners independent from the City of Hammond. Its mission is to collect, transmit, store, and treat sewage and stormwater from the City of Hammond, the Town of Munster, contract municipalities (Whiting, Highland, Griffith), 32 permitted industrial users, and an underlying base of approximately 150,000 residential and commercial ratepayers across a 50-mile service area. The district treats an average of 40 million gallons per day through a multi-stage process — grit removal, pre-aeration, primary settling, secondary biological aeration, tertiary sand filtration, and chlorination/dechlorination — with biosolids processed via anaerobic digestion that feeds a 2,000-hp Waukesha biogas engine with cogeneration. Approximately 400 miles of sewers, 40+ pumping stations, 5,000 manholes, 12,000 drainage structures, and 70 regulating chambers support the collection system, complemented by a 33 MG storage basin completed in 2014 to mitigate combined sewer overflows (CSOs). Revenue is generated through bi-monthly residential user fees ($2.31/1,000 gallons plus a $16.79 base charge), monthly commercial fees ($4.90/1,000 gallons plus $8.40 base), industrial fees with pollutant-based surcharges, and inter-municipal service agreements with contract communities. The district also administers the MS4 Phase II stormwater program for the City of Hammond, operates a 25,000-square-foot in-house laboratory running 150,000+ tests annually, manages a pretreatment program regulating industrial discharges, and runs a Household Flood Protection Program offering $500 homeowner reimbursements. The district is the subject of a January 2017 EPA/IDEM consent decree requiring approximately $240M in sewer improvements over 18+ years, which the Board of Sanitary Commissioners adopted to avoid the rate spikes associated with a prior 2011 enforcement action while delivering a 97% reduction in CSOs into the Grand and Little Calumet Rivers.

Name

Sanitary District Of Hammond

Legal name

Sanitary District of Hammond

Website

https://hammondsd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sanitary District of Hammond is a 1938 Indiana governmental utility that collects and treats wastewater and stormwater for ~150,000 residents across Hammond, Munster, and contract municipalities via a 40 MGD plant, ~400 miles of sewers, and an EPA consent-decree capital program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Wastewater Treatment

NAICS

Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Municipal Wastewater Collection (Sewer Networks) (BPALAMAA)

Keywords

• Municipal wastewater treatment
• Sewer maintenance services
• Stormwater management
• Industrial pretreatment
• Flood protection programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hammond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Residential User Fees: Charged bi-monthly to residential customers. Rate: $2.31 per 1,000 gallons plus $16.79 bi-monthly base charge. A 2021 Indiana Water/Wastewater survey found HSD had the lowest cost for residential customers (5,000 gallons/month) among 25 Indiana municipalities with populations of 25,000 or more.
2. Commercial User Fees: Monthly charges to commercial customers. Rate: $4.90 per 1,000 gallons plus $8.40 monthly base charge.
3. Industrial User Fees: Monthly charges to industrial users. Rate: per 1,000 gallons plus $8.40 monthly base charge, with additional COD charge of $0.19/pound, TSS charge of $0.31/pound, and TKN charge of $1.00/pound. Currently serves 32 permitted industrial users.
4. Customer Municipality Service Fees: Service agreements with customer municipalities (Whiting, Highland, Griffith) for sanitary sewer services and fees. Agreements include monthly payments and capital project contributions (e.g., Griffith agreement includes $2.7 million in additional payments for operating costs and capital projects).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Sanitary District of Hammond is a separate governmental unit that collects, transmits, stores, and treats sewage and stormwater from the City of Hammond, the Town of Munster, and customer municipalities (Whiting, Highland, Griffith), serving approximately 150,000 people across a 50-mile area. Operations span a multi-stage wastewater treatment plant, roughly 400 miles of sewers with 40+ pumping stations, an industrial pretreatment program for 32 permitted users, and an MS4 stormwater program. The district charges user fees to residential, commercial, and industrial customers, and operates a 25,000-square-foot laboratory performing over 150,000 compliance tests annually.

Product overview

The Sanitary District of Hammond is a governmental utility providing wastewater treatment and related services through an integrated system of core offerings. The core platform encompasses wastewater treatment services utilizing a multi-stage process (grit removal, primary treatment, secondary aeration, tertiary filtration, and disinfection), supported by sewer maintenance of approximately 400 miles of infrastructure, storm water management under MS4 Phase II requirements, and a pretreatment program controlling discharges from 32 industrial users. The district also operates a 25,000 square foot laboratory conducting over 150,000 tests annually for compliance monitoring. Supporting programs include CSO notification services, a Household Flood Protection Program offering homeowner reimbursements, and comprehensive flood proofing guidance. The district serves 150,000 people over a 50-mile geographic area including contract communities of Whiting, Highland, and Griffith, with treatment plant operations financed by user-fee charges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wastewater Treatment Services Collects, transmits, stores, and treats sewage and stormwater from Hammond, Munster, and contract municipalities through a multi-stage process (grit removal, pre-aeration, primary treatment, secondary aeration, tertiary sand filtration, and chlorination) before discharging effluent to the Grand Calumet River.
• Sewer Maintenance Maintains approximately 400 miles of Hammond sewers, including 5,000 manholes, 12,000 drainage structures, and 70 regulating chambers, with cave-in repair, basin and drain fixes, standing water complaint response, and 24/7 emergency response for Munster.
• Storm Water Management Program Administers the MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) program for the City of Hammond, including public outreach, illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE), construction site runoff control, and post-construction stormwater management under NPDES Phase II requirements.
• Pretreatment Program Controls discharges from 32 permitted industrial users across Hammond, Munster, Griffith, Highland, and Whiting through a Pretreatment Ordinance with site-specific permits and Local Limits for pollutants including mercury, heavy metals, and other chemicals of concern.
• Laboratory Services Conducts over 150,000 analytical tests annually for NPDES permit compliance, process control testing, and industrial user permit compliance; capabilities include CBOD, COD, TSS, metals, ion chromatography, and E. coli testing.
• CSO Notification Program Public notification service for Combined Sewer Overflow discharges as required by Indiana Law (327 IAC 5-2.1), offering email alerts when CSOs discharge to the Grand or Little Calumet River, with notification signs posted at outfall locations.
• Household Flood Protection Program Reimburses and assists Hammond and Munster residents experiencing basement flooding from extreme rainfall events with Phase II solutions including plugs, standpipes, toilet pedestals, valves, and overhead sewer conversions to protect homes from sewage back-ups.
• Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Management Manages combined sewer overflows through a Long Term Control Plan developed under Clean Water Act requirements, with $240 million in planned sewer improvements over 18+ years including the 33 MG storage basin.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% reduction in combined sewer overflows expected from 33 MG storage basin
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 January 2017Consent decree agreement with EPA and IDEM to address combined sewer overflows required by the federal Clean Water Act. The agreement provides 18+ years for HSD to complete mandated capital improvements to reduce combined sewer overflows, protecting ratepayers from dramatic rate increases.
• Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 January 2017Joint consent decree partner with EPA for CSO mitigation under the Clean Water Act. HSD submitted Long Term Control Plan revisions to IDEM, originally submitted in 1997.
• Town of GriffithcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2016Binding agreement for sanitary sewer services and fees following protracted litigation. Agreement covers past rate adjustments, capital expenditures, new rates, and future capital improvements required by EPA Consent Decree. Griffith to provide $2.7 million in additional payments for operating costs and capital projects. Commits to cost-of-service study.
• Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District (LCSWCD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContract partnership to bring educators to Hammond Public Schools to educate students on stormwater-related subjects. Part of MS4 Phase II Public Outreach and Education program.
• City of HammondcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSD administers the Stormwater MS4 program for the City of Hammond. City of Hammond is a designated MS4 entity required to comply with Rule 13 under Indiana Administrative Code 327 IAC 15-13.
• Town of MunstercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdded to district jurisdiction in 1948. Town Council appoints one of five Sanitary Commissioners. HSD provides wastewater collection and treatment services to the town.
• Town of HighlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustomer municipality. HSD is working with Highland to finalize a service agreement similar to the Griffith agreement, committing to cost-sharing for EPA-mandated capital improvements.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Essential Utilities (Aqua America): Multi-state regulated water and wastewater utility (formerly Aqua America) serving approximately 5 million people across 10 states. Comparable to HSD as a regulated wastewater and water service provider with significant municipal and residential customer base, though operating under PUC regulation rather than municipal franchise structure.
• Veolia North America: Subsidiary of Veolia Environnement operating municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment contracts across the U.S. and Canada. Broad incumbent in the same wastewater-treatment space as HSD, though operating private contract operations rather than owning a municipal franchise.
• Severn Trent plc: U.K.-listed water and wastewater services company operating regulated water businesses in the UK and contract operations globally including U.S. municipal contracts. Comparable to HSD in core wastewater treatment capabilities, though operating internationally with a much larger and more diversified asset base.
• American Water Works Company: Largest U.S. investor-owned water and wastewater utility serving over 14 million people across 14 states. Comparable to HSD as a regulated water/wastewater operator with significant Indiana presence through Indiana American Water, though operating under a different regulatory model (state PUC vs. direct municipal franchise).

Direct peers

• Citizens Energy Group: Indiana-based municipal utility providing water, wastewater, natural gas, and thermal energy services to Indianapolis and surrounding Central Indiana communities. Directly comparable to HSD as an Indiana-regulated multi-service municipal utility with similar governance, customer-municipality relationships, and regulatory oversight by IURC and IDEM.
• Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District: Regional wastewater authority serving 63 Northeast Ohio communities including Cleveland. Directly comparable to HSD as a multi-municipality regional sewer district with EPA consent-decree obligations, customer-community service agreements, and combined sewer overflow mitigation programs of similar scope.
• DC Water: Independent authority providing wastewater collection and treatment, drinking water distribution, and stormwater management to the District of Columbia and surrounding jurisdictions. Comparable to HSD as a single-purpose wastewater and stormwater utility operating under federal EPA consent decrees and serving a defined municipal service territory.
• Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District: Wisconsin municipal sewerage district serving Madison and surrounding communities with wastewater collection and treatment, including advanced nutrient removal and biogas recovery. Directly comparable to HSD as a mid-size municipal wastewater utility with similar scale (~400,000 customers), energy recovery, and consent-decree compliance experience.
• Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago: Independent governmental unit providing wastewater treatment and stormwater management to Chicago and 128 suburban communities. Comparable to HSD as a regional sanitary district with multi-municipality service obligations, EPA consent-decree experience, and separate governmental/bonding authority from host city.

Regional players

• Indiana American Water: Indiana subsidiary of American Water Works providing water and wastewater service to over 300,000 customers across 50+ Indiana communities. Strong regional overlap with HSD's service area in Northwest Indiana, providing a relevant local benchmark for rates, capital intensity, and regulatory treatment by IURC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hammond-sanitary-district

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sanitary District Of Hammond