What Ojai Valley Sanitary District does

Ojai Valley Sanitary District (OVSD) is a California special district government entity formed in May 1985 under the Sanitation District Law of the State of California through the consolidation of the Oak View, Meiners Oaks, Ventura Avenue, and City of Ojai sanitary districts. The district provides wastewater collection and treatment services to over 20,000 residents (10,600 Equivalent Residential Units) across approximately 4,625 acres of Ventura County's Ojai Valley, operating a 120-mile collection system comprising gravity lines (6-25 inches), force mains, four pump stations, eight road crossing siphons, and two major siphons including a 3,400-foot triple-barrel crossing of the Ventura River. Its state-of-the-art treatment plant processes sewage through grinding, grit removal, biological treatment in oxidation ditches with biological phosphorus removal, clarification, sludge dewatering, sand filtration, and UV disinfection, releasing treated effluent to the Ventura River and producing USEPA Class A biosolids compost distributed free to the public.

OVSD's core products and services center on regulated wastewater management: the collection system and treatment plant are core revenue-generating infrastructure, while CCTV inspection (Cues video system with WinCan VX v10 software operated by NASSCO-certified staff), hydro line cleaning (2014 GapVax combination unit capable of cleaning 800 feet at 2,500 psi), biosolids composting, and regulatory programs (Industrial Pretreatment, FOG Control, Privately-Owned Sewer Lateral inspections under Ordinance 78) round out the operating stack. The district is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors and operates from its headquarters at 1072 Tico Road, Ojai, California.

OVSD's revenue model is a regulated utility model with multiple streams: monthly sewer service charges ($82.26 per service unit for residential customers as of FY 2025-26, with proposed adjustments for FY 2026-27), one-time capacity charges for new connections (Treatment Plant $5,140.21, Trunk Sewer $2,966.44, Local Sewer $7,917.17), transaction-based permit and inspection fees ($75-$475), and recurring commercial/industrial wastewater discharge permits. Customers access services through direct utility connections, online permit applications, and field interactions with the district office, reflecting a direct-to-consumer GTM characteristic of a public monopoly service provider. The district also operates educational outreach (treatment plant tours, website, e-notify alerts) and is exploring reclaimed water reuse as a future product line.

Name

Ojai Valley Sanitary District

Legal name

Ojai Valley Sanitary District

Website

https://ojaisan.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ojai Valley Sanitary District is a California special district that provides wastewater collection and treatment services to over 20,000 residents across 4,625 acres in Ventura County, operating a 120-mile collection system and treatment plant returning treated effluent to the Ventura River.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Sewer Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Municipal Wastewater Collection (Sewer Networks) (BPALAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disinfection & Pathogen Control (UV/Chlorine/Ozone) (EUANADAI), Odor & Corrosion Control in Collection Systems (EUANACAJ)

Keywords

• Wastewater treatment services
• Sewer collection systems
• Municipal utility services
• Industrial pretreatment programs
• Wastewater discharge permitting

Headquarters

HQ city

Ojai

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Sewer Service Charges: Monthly sewer service fees charged to residential and commercial customers. Residential customers pay per service unit. Commercial customers pay based on fixture unit counts.
2. Capacity Unit Charges: One-time charges for new connections including Treatment Plant Capacity Charge ($5,140.21), Trunk Sewer Capacity Charge ($2,966.44), and Local Sewer Service Capacity Charge ($7,917.17).
3. Permit and Inspection Fees: Fees for Privately-Owned Sewer Lateral Inspection ($75.00), Application and Letter Fees ($75.00), and Will Serve/Permit Fee/Plan Check/Inspection ($475.00).
4. Commercial Pretreatment Permits: Wastewater discharge permits for commercial and industrial users including food service establishments, auto service facilities, gas stations, and manufacturing facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ojai Valley Sanitary District operates a 120-mile wastewater collection system and a state-of-the-art treatment plant that processes sewage through biological treatment (oxidation ditches), clarification, sand filtration, and UV disinfection before releasing environmentally safe water to the Ventura River. The district serves over 20,000 residents and businesses across approximately 4,625 acres in Ventura County with monthly sewer service, industrial pretreatment programs, and biosolids composting.

Product overview

Ojai Valley Sanitary District operates as a public utility providing comprehensive wastewater management services to over 20,000 residents across 4,625 acres of Ventura County. The District's core offerings consist of a 120-mile wastewater collection system and a state-of-the-art treatment plant that returns environmentally safe water to the Ventura River. Supporting services include CCTV inspection using Cues video systems, hydro line cleaning with GapVax equipment, biosolids composting, and regulatory programs for industrial pretreatment and FOG control. The District also manages permit services for sewer connections, commercial wastewater discharge, and private sewer lateral inspections, along with a septic-to-sewer conversion program and educational treatment plant tours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wastewater Collection System A 120-mile collection system comprising gravity lines (6-25 inches diameter), force mains, four pump stations, eight road crossing siphons, and two major siphons (triple barrel 3,400 feet crossing the Ventura River and double barrel 1,800 feet crossing San Antonio Creek), maintained by a five-person crew of certified operators.
• Wastewater Treatment Plant

Quantifiable outcome

• Returns environmentally safe water back to the Ventura River
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Essential Utilities: Large regulated water and wastewater utility holding company. Relevant for benchmarking rate-base growth, capex intensity, and compliance program economics, though far larger and broader than OVSD.
• California Water Service Company: Large investor-owned California utility with regulated water and wastewater operations. Useful benchmark for ratemaking, capex planning, and compliance programs, but operates at materially larger scale and with a profit motive OVSD lacks.
• Veolia Water Technologies & Outsourcing: Global operator of municipal wastewater treatment plants under O&M contracts. Comparable technology stack (oxidation ditches, UV, biological nutrient removal) and regulatory compliance requirements, but acts as a contractor to districts like OVSD rather than as the district itself.

Regional players

• Casitas Municipal Water District: Neighboring Ventura County water and wastewater service provider. Comparable regulatory environment (same region, same state oversight) and similar customer-base size, though its primary mandate is water supply rather than sewer.

Others

• Xylem: Major supplier of wastewater pumps, UV disinfection systems, and smart infrastructure used by OVSD (e.g., its collection and treatment equipment). Adjacent rather than competitive — illustrates vendor ecosystem and capex cost basis.
• Evoqua Water Technologies (now part of Xylem): Provider of UV disinfection and advanced treatment equipment commonly deployed at small municipal plants. Relevant for understanding OVSD's treatment technology choices and likely upgrade paths.

Direct peers

• Las Virgenes Municipal Water District: California special district providing wastewater collection, treatment, and reuse services to a similar suburban/semi-rural Southern California footprint. Comparable in scale, governance structure (elected board, special district), and reliance on monthly user fees plus capacity charges.
• Olivenhain Municipal Water District: California special district providing wastewater collection and treatment with a similar mix of monthly service charges, capacity fees, and pretreatment programs. Comparable in scale and use of advanced treatment (including recycled water).
• Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District: San Diego County special district providing wastewater services to a comparable ERU base with similar monthly user-fee revenue model and small-operations profile. Useful scale and business-model benchmark.
• Rancho California Water District: Special district in Riverside County providing wastewater and water services to a comparable number of equivalent residential units. Closely analogous in customer mix (residential plus commercial pretreatment), revenue model (monthly ERU charges plus connection fees), and infrastructure profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ojai-valley-sanitary-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Ojai Valley Sanitary District