The first phase of the Paradise Sewer Project now centers on downtown. Its treatment plant has no site yet, and construction is estimated to start in 2028–2029 at the earliest. As of the Town's October 2026 update, nobody is required to connect, and connection costs and monthly charges haven't been set. If you're comparing Paradise homes, that changes how much "sewer is coming" should count when you weigh a listing.
For nearly every house on the Ridge, the septic system on the property is part of what you're buying, and you should plan to own it for a long time. The sewer is real and has funding behind it, but it's built around a small downtown footprint. It also has a practical problem that drives how it will roll out: the system needs flow, and much of its first service area doesn't produce any yet.
Three Plans In Four Years
The Town has wanted central wastewater service since it incorporated in 1979. The project you may have read about a few years ago looks very different from the one in design today.
- 2022. The Enterprise-Record covered the environmental report for a plan to pipe Paradise wastewater to Chico. That version covered about 1,500 parcels and estimated construction from August 2024 to May 2026. That same year, the Town secured $30 million in CDBG-DR disaster recovery funds for design and environmental work.
- January 2025. A 2023 rate analysis found the project had to be fully grant funded to be affordable for ratepayers, and the 2024 cost estimate came in above the grant money available. The Town Council switched to a local treatment plant.
- August 2025. The Council chose aerated lagoons with percolation and evaporation ponds.
- June 2026. Soil testing that spring showed percolation ponds wouldn't work at the sites tested, and likely not at other sites in and around Paradise. The Council approved a membrane bioreactor plant that sends treated water to a nearby creek or stream under permit.
Each change kept the project going by making it fit the money and the ground. The Town's project site now lists a public draft of the Subsequent Environmental Impact Report, permitting, right-of-way work and final design for 2027. Phase 1 construction follows in 2028–2029. Expansion of the pipes and plant is scheduled across 2030–2050 "as funding becomes available."
Why 83 Matters More Than 225
The key number is in a January 15, 2026 alternatives presentation. It sketched a reduced Phase 1 running along Skyway from the Town limit up to Elliott Road, plus the downtown block bounded by Pearson, Black Olive, Elliott and Skyway.
| Conceptual Phase 1, January 2026 | Occupied today | Full buildout |
|---|---|---|
| Parcels served | 83 | 225 |
| Average dry-weather flow, gallons per day | 40,000 | 100,000 |
Of the 83 occupied parcels, the concept counted 62 that would connect by gravity and 21 that would need a low-pressure pump. It sized the plant for 100,000 gallons a day and estimated it would start at 40,000. An empty lot sends nothing down the pipe, so the system works better as occupied parcels hook up. The Town says this plainly. Its FAQ says the system "will function better with more initial flow," and that Council has directed staff to connect as many parcels in the service area as possible, as quickly as possible, at the lowest possible cost.
That's why the Town is talking about incentives instead of mandates. The FAQ mentions a possible program to incentivize or subsidize early connections, and the October update repeats that no connection requirement has been set. When a system needs customers before it can run efficiently, the early connections become the ones the Town most wants to win over.
The 225-parcel figure is a concept made for a cost estimate, not a final boundary. The Town says the final Phase 1 area will depend partly on where the treatment plant goes, and that site hasn't been chosen.
Where The Pipe Starts, And How Far It Reaches
The broader planned Sewer Service Area is generally described as parcels along Skyway, Pearson Road and Clark Road. According to the Town, the collection system would start in the southwest part of town and expand north and east as funding comes in. The October update says not every property will get service right away. Later areas depend on funding, design and environmental approvals.
How a property connects will also vary. Higher parcels can drain straight into gravity mains. Lower-lying parcels would use a small onsite pump, such as a pump in the septic tank, to push wastewater up into the line. So even inside the service area, two neighboring properties may connect differently and end up with different equipment to maintain.
Put the geography and the timeline together and the picture is clear. A house on a residential street away from the Skyway, Pearson and Clark corridors isn't in the first phase as currently described. Its wait depends on funding the Town hasn't secured yet.
What "Sewer Is Coming" Is Worth In An Offer Today
The money is real, and it's worth knowing which parts are secured. The Town's June 9, 2026 presentation breaks it down:
- Secured: $30 million in CDBG-DR funds for design and $94.45 million in CDBG-DR funds for infrastructure.
- Pending: a $1.75 million EPA Community Grant.
- Being pursued, not awarded: a $28 million Clean Water State Revolving Fund grant request, up to $47 million in future State Revolving Fund money, an initial $2 million Army Corps of Engineers request, and a remaining $48 million Army Corps allocation.
The Town's FAQ puts Phase 1 at roughly $122 million, including design and right-of-way, and says the grant funding it has secured is enough to build Phase 1. The October update adds that construction costs, connection costs and ongoing service charges haven't been set. The June presentation lists a Proposition 218 rate study and rate policies as future steps. Both statements can be true at once. Grants can cover building the system while the cost of connecting a particular property, and the monthly bill afterward, remain unknown.
Owners outside the service area get one clear answer. The Town says properties that don't receive sewer service aren't expected to pay extra sewer taxes or fees.
For a buyer, that leaves a fairly simple way to think about it. A downtown or Skyway parcel in the conceptual first phase has a believable path to sewer later this decade, with costs still unknown. Anywhere else, the septic system is the wastewater plan you're actually buying, and its condition and capacity matter more than any sewer timeline.
The Septic Record You Can Pull Yourself
For homes on septic, the Town of Paradise Onsite Wastewater Division oversees both standard septic and alternative systems. Since June 9, 2025, applications, inspections and payments have gone through the Town's GovWell portal.
One recent change matters for anyone researching a rebuilt home. As-built records used to be hosted by RebuildParadise.org, and that organization closed in summer 2026. The Town's As-Built Lookup page says all available as-built maps and septic capacity details now live in the Town of Paradise GIS mapping system under a "Septic Capacity" layer, and that as-built and operating permit information is updated regularly. The Town's septic permit application also asks for the home's bedroom count, so the number of bedrooms and the system on file are tied together in the Town's records.
Before you get attached to a house, pull up that layer for the address and compare what's on file with how the listing describes the home. If something doesn't match, call the Onsite Wastewater Division. They're the authority on the system, its permits and what it can support.
A Few Questions We Hear Often
Has any sewer construction started in Paradise? No. The Town says no physical construction can begin until environmental review, design, permitting and property acquisition are done.
When can the public weigh in? The draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report is expected to open for public review and comment in 2027. The Town also gives monthly sewer updates at Town Council meetings, where the public can comment on that agenda item.
Is the Chico connection coming back? The Town's current position is that sending wastewater to Chico isn't financially feasible. The plan in design is the local plant approved in June 2026.
This post is general information about a public project, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and costs are still being set, so please confirm anything about your own property with the Town and the right professional.
If you're weighing a Paradise home and want to know where it sits relative to the planned service area, or want help pulling its septic record from the Town's map, Connect Real Estate Group can go through it with you before you make an offer. Let's Chat.
