Novato, one of the Bay Area's premier communities, is located in Marin County 29 miles north of San Francisco and only minutes from California’s wine country. With temperate weather and over 3,600 acres of open space, 27 parks and the 1,558-foot Mount Burdell, Novato offers a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities. Novato is well known for its excellent schools, and six cultural and historical museums. As a special District, Novato Sanitary District is an independent local agency serving about 60,000 residents. The District covers approximately 34 square miles providing wastewater collection, treatment, disposal and recycling for Novato and the surrounding area. District facilities include approximately 250 miles of sewers, 40 pump stations, an award-winning wastewater treatment plant, and an approximately 800 acre reclamation facility. In addition, the District franchises garbage collection and recycling for the Novato area, and administers local solid waste diversion activities.