Grove Downers Sanitary District

What Grove Downers Sanitary District does

Downers Grove Sanitary District (DGSD) is a unit of local government organized in 1921 under the State of Illinois' Sanitary District Act of 1917. It provides sanitary sewer collection, wastewater treatment, billing, and customer support services to more than 60,000 people across roughly 20,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional accounts in DuPage County. Operations are anchored by an 11 million-gallon-per-day Wastewater Treatment Center (with peak excess flow capacity of 22 MGD) and more than 250 miles of sewer main, supported by 24/7 emergency response and a Board of Trustees governance structure.

The District's underlying technology is a tertiary wastewater treatment process with nitrification, integrated with on-site renewable energy generation. A Combined Heat and Power system produces 660 kW of electrical energy (80%+ capture efficiency), complemented by high-efficiency turbo-blowers (>80% versus 55% for legacy blowers), fine-bubble diffusers for aerobic biological processes, and geothermal heat pumps that exploit the consistent 55-75°F effluent temperature. Anaerobic digestion captures methane that is converted to electricity, and the facility is described as net-zero energy. The District also runs an Industrial Waste Survey Program under EPA pretreatment oversight, a free biosolids distribution program (>50% solids content), and a cooking oil recycling program in partnership with SCARCE.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring sewer service fees charged to all accounts within the franchised service area, supplemented by transaction-based fees for hauled grease trap waste processing from restaurants. Biosolids are provided free of charge to customers (with a $5 annual user credit per service address), serving as a cost-effective disposal alternative for the District. Distribution is direct: walk-in service at the Administration Center, 24/7 phone support, online billing via Invoice Cloud, and biosolids delivery/pickup during a March-November season. Customer assistance programs (BSSRAP, BURP, OHSP) address sewer backup risk, and educational outreach is delivered through school partnerships and an annual open house at the treatment plant.

Name

Grove Downers Sanitary District

Legal name

Downers Grove Sanitary District

Website

https://dgsd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Downers Grove Sanitary District is an Illinois municipal sanitary district that provides sewer collection, tertiary wastewater treatment, and customer billing services to roughly 20,000 accounts and 60,000+ people in DuPage County, operating a net-zero energy treatment facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Wastewater Treatment Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Gravity Sewer Collection Networks (Sanitary Sewers) (EUANACAA)

Keywords

• Wastewater treatment services
• Sewer collection infrastructure
• Biosolids distribution program
• Industrial pretreatment compliance
• Municipal sanitary utility

Headquarters

HQ city

Downers Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sewer Service Fees: Charges for sewer service to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers
2. Hauled Grease Trap Waste Processing: Accepts hauled grease trap waste from restaurants at a per gallon charge based on volumetric capacity of delivering truck
3. Biosolids Distribution: Free biosolids distribution to customers; provides cost-effective disposal alternative

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Downers Grove Sanitary District is a municipal sanitary utility providing sanitary sewer collection and tertiary-level wastewater treatment to more than 60,000 residents and 20,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional accounts across 250+ miles of sewer main in DuPage County, Illinois. The district operates a net-zero energy Wastewater Treatment Center with 11 million gallons per day design capacity, processes biosolids into a free soil amendment for customers, runs financial assistance programs for sewer backups, and accepts hauled grease trap waste from restaurants for energy recovery.

Product overview

The Downers Grove Sanitary District operates as a municipal wastewater utility providing sewer service and tertiary-level wastewater treatment to over 60,000 people across 20,000 customers. The District's core offerings include wastewater treatment at its facility with 11 million gallons per day capacity, biosolids distribution as a free soil amendment, and sewer system maintenance across 250+ miles of sewer main. The District offers three financial assistance programs (BSSRAP, BURP, and OHSP) for customers experiencing sewer backup issues. Environmental programs include cooking oil recycling and grease hauling that convert waste into biogas for energy generation. The facility has achieved significant energy efficiency through its Net-Zero Energy initiative using combined heat and power systems. Additional services include educational programs with annual open houses and facility tours, plus a customer billing portal integrated with Invoice Cloud.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wastewater Treatment Services Tertiary-level wastewater purification with nitrification at the Wastewater Treatment Center with design capacity of 11 million gallons per day, serving over 60,000 people and 20,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers.
• Sewer System Maintenance Operation and maintenance of over 250 miles of sewer main, including emergency response for sewer backups available 24/7 at (630) 969-0664.
• Biosolids Distribution Program Free soil conditioning product derived from wastewater purification byproduct, delivered in quantities starting at 3 cubic yards, available March through November. Rich in nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) for use in lawns, flower beds, and landscaping.
• Grease Hauling Program Accepts hauled grease trap waste from restaurants and haulers at the receiving station. Waste is introduced into the sludge digestion process to produce methane gas for energy generation.
• Building Sanitary Service Repair Assistance Program (BSSRAP) Financial assistance program for customers with building sanitary service backup problems. District pays for repair, rehabilitation, or replacement of eligible service laterals when steps are taken to eliminate rain and groundwater sources.
• Reimbursement Program for Sanitary Sewer Backups (BURP) Reimbursement program for damages caused by blockages in the public sewer that result in backups into buildings.
• Overhead Sewer Program (OHSP) Cost reimbursement program for installation of overhead sewers or backflow prevention devices to prevent sewer backups caused by high flows in public sewers.
• Cooking Oil Recycling Program Partnership with SCARCE to collect used cooking oil from residents. Collected grease is converted into electricity at the treatment plant through the anaerobic digestion process.
• Industrial Waste Survey Program Survey program for industrial users to ensure compliance with discharge permits and protect biosolids quality through an industrial pretreatment program with EPA oversight.
• Net-Zero Energy Facility Operations Wastewater treatment facility working to generate as much energy as it uses through combined heat and power systems, anaerobic digestion, and energy-efficient equipment including turbo-blowers and fine-bubble diffusers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Net-zero energy: facility generates as much energy as it uses
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Water Technology Alliance (WTA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2018Water Technology Alliance is a Danish water utility consortium operating out of the Danish Consulate in Chicago. The District signed a Wastewater Flagship Project agreement recognizing the wastewater treatment center as an example of Danish methods and technologies that optimize processes with particular emphasis on the energy profile of the facility.
• SCARCEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 February 2016SCARCE (School and Community Assistance for Recycling and CE) is a local environmental non-profit organization partnered with the District to be a permanent collection site for cooking oil recycling. Residents can bring used cooking oil to the Administration Center where it is processed into renewable energy at the treatment plant. The partnership helps divert cooking oil and grease from sewers to prevent clogs and environmental harm.
• DuPage River Salt Creek Workgroup (DRSCW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe District is a founding member and active participant in DRSCW, dedicated to managing stream resources of the East and West Branches of the DuPage River and Salt Creek. The District actively participates in understanding nutrient impacts in the watershed and helps fund restoration projects, negotiating with IEPA for cost-effective environmental improvements.
• Local School DistrictsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe District has partnered with several local school districts to educate youth about wastewater treatment, what a sanitary district does in the community, and the value of water through school tours and classroom presentations.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District: Massachusetts regional wastewater district serving multiple communities with collection and advanced treatment. Comparable in operating model (multi-municipal sanitary district) and in deploying energy recovery and biosolids management.
• Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District: Wisconsin regional sanitary district providing wastewater treatment and interceptor service to the Madison area. Comparable scale and customer mix, and a useful peer for energy recovery and biosolids program design.
• Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District: Illinois water reclamation district providing wastewater collection and treatment to Bloomington-Normal. Operates under the same state legal framework with a similar mid-size municipal utility profile.

Direct peers

• Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago: Much larger sanitary district serving the Chicago region with wastewater treatment and sewer collection. Operates under the same Illinois sanitary district framework and provides a direct benchmark for treatment technology, biosolids management, and energy recovery at scale.
• Rock River Water Reclamation District: Illinois sanitary district serving the Rockford region with wastewater treatment and interceptor maintenance. Similar statutory authority, scale, and customer mix (residential, commercial, industrial) make it a directly comparable peer.
• Wheaton Sanitary District: Neighboring DuPage County sanitary district providing wastewater collection and treatment. Operates within the same watershed and regulatory framework, offering direct service-area adjacency and infrastructure-comparable benchmarks.
• Fox Metro Water Reclamation District: Illinois sanitary district serving the Aurora area with wastewater treatment and interceptor sewer operations. Comparable in scale and statutory structure, making it a natural operational and rate-setting peer for Downers Grove.
• Glenbard Wastewater Authority: Joint wastewater authority serving portions of DuPage County including Glen Ellyn, Lombard, and surrounding communities. Comparable in service scope (treatment + collection) and geography to Downers Grove.

Others

• Inova Energy (CHP and biogas systems integrator): Supplier of combined heat and power and biogas-to-energy systems commonly used by municipal wastewater utilities pursuing net-zero operations, like Downers Grove's CHP/anaerobic digestion setup.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia North America: Large environmental services operator that contracts with municipal wastewater utilities for operations, biosolids management, and energy optimization. Comparable as a peer on treatment technology and biosolids end-markets even though not a direct municipal operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/downersgrovesd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/downers-grove-sanitary-dist

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Grove Downers Sanitary District