North City Landfill Closure Project

SMUD works hard to protect its customers, the community, the environment, and to keep its infrastructure in good working order. As part of that commitment, SMUD is conducting landfill closure and site improvement activities on the North City Substation property in Midtown, Sacramento as part of the North City Landfill Closure Project. 

Decades ago, SMUD built the North City Substation on property it purchased from the City of Sacramento that was historically used as a landfill, the North City Landfill. The City operated the North City Landfill for many years and used it to dispose of burn ash, refuse, and construction and demolition debris. The North City Landfill is required to be closed in accordance with environmental regulations. SMUD has initiated and implemented plans to close the landfill, demolish the North City Substation and associated infrastructure, and provide drainage and grading improvements to the site.

The site has four, high-voltage transmission towers to convey electricity to and from the substation and is surrounded by a chain link fence to restrict access. The goal of the Landfill Closure Project is to keep the towers intact and in good working order. 

To replace the North City Substation, SMUD built Station E on SMUD’s property adjacent to the North City Station. Station E is now complete and the North City Substation has been decommissioned to allow closure of the North City Landfill. Once closure is complete, SMUD intends to leave the site prepared for future use by the City of Sacramento.

Project Benefits

Generally, the closure project will involve construction activities on two separate parcels, one owned by SMUD and Lot 31 owned by the City of Sacramento, and will be in compliance with solid waste management requirements and regulations, minimize impacts to nearby sensitive receptors, and help protect health and the environment. 

Closing the landfill and conducting remediation and mitigation activities will:

  • Help protect human health 
  • Mitigate public contact with disposed wastes 
  • Provide positive environmental impacts 
  • Improve drainage 
  • Establish vegetation

Construction Activities & Monitoring

The Landfill Closure project involves closing two separate parcels impacted by historic landfill activities. During construction, SMUD and its consulting engineering firm SCS Engineers will observe and document that permitting, quality assurance, and waste management activities comply with local, state and federal requirements. They will also perform gas and groundwater monitoring and reporting in accordance with environmental regulations. 

1. SMUD will remediate its North City Landfill property to:

  • Demolish the North City substation concrete slab and piers
  • Regrade the site
  • Add an engineered soil cover
  • Improve drainage
  • Install a gravel maintenance road and transmission tower maintenance pads
  • Conduct post-closure monitoring and maintenance 

2. SMUD will remediate the City of Sacramento’s Lot 31 to:

  • Regrade the site 
  • Excavate an infiltration pond
  • Make drainage improvements 

SMUD plans to leave the existing transmission towers in place and provide a gravel access road and a working pad next to them. This allows a crane and bucket truck to be set up in tandem to perform heavy maintenance and other construction activities more quickly.

Work Details & Location Map

Construction starts in May 2022 and is planned to be complete in September 2022. Construction intensity and hours are limited to 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday. The project site is located at 20th Street and North B Street in Sacramento, California and is accessed at the 28th Street entrance to Sutter’s Landing. It is bounded by:

  • West: Union Pacific Railroad tracks
  • North: American River and levee
  • East: undeveloped parcels owned by the City of Sacramento and Blue Diamond Growers 
  • South/southeast: SMUD-owned property, Station E

North City Landfill Closure Project map

Frequently Asked Questions

What construction impacts do you anticipate?

There will be a temporary but significant increase in truck traffic entering and leaving the 28th Street construction site entrance that will impact surrounding neighborhoods. During this time, residents may notice more vehicles on City Streets, additional noise, dust, and/or vehicle emission levels.

Construction equipment and the materials staging area will be located adjacent to the project site on SMUD’s Station E property, located immediately south of the landfill property. 

What environmental document did you develop and has it been approved?

In compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, SMUD prepared a written Notice of Intent to provide responsible agencies and interested parties written notice that a draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration was available and invited comments and concerns about environmental issues associated with the proposed project. The draft Initial Environmental Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration was developed in accordance with CEQA requirements and was published on April 16, 2021. It analyzes potential environmental effects associated with the proposed project.

After the comment period, the final Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration was adopted in May 2021. Please see links to the project’s completed environmental documents: 

For environmental questions, please contact Kim Crawford at kim.crawford@smud.org or 1-916-732-5063.

How will we keep you updated?

We’re committed to keeping the community informed while this work is being performed. We will update the project website regularly with schedule information, construction impacts and progress updates. Please check back for updates and changes. While we have every intent to complete construction as quickly as possible, there can be unanticipated construction delays that are out of our hands. 

SMUD staff and our consulting firm SCS Engineers are happy to meet with any person or group to discuss the project and construction activities. If you have questions, please contact Keegan George by email or at 1-916-732-5548.