CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION
                      NEWS RELEASE


For Immediate Release: January 30, 1995
More Information Contact: Rob Schlichting - (916) 654-5159




        CENTRAL CONTRA COSTA SANITARY DISTRICT 
             HONORED FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY


The Central Contra Costa Sanitary District in Martinez has 
been named an Energy Showcase by the California Energy 
Commission, which praised the district's resourcefulness in 
saving energy.

The Central Contra Costa treatment plant is one of only 16 
wastewater facilities to be selected for the Commission's 
Energy Showcase project.  Ten water supply districts were 
also selected from the more than 4,000 water and sewer 
agencies in California.

"The Showcase program was designed to reward and spotlight 
energy efficient water facilities like Central Contra Costa,"
explained Commissioner Jananne Sharpless of the Energy 
Commission.  "With their innovative approaches to energy use,
the operators of the plant serve as models for other water 
professionals around the state."

The Central Contra Costa Sanitary District was singled out 
for its energy management program, which reduces electrical 
use during higher priced on-peak times of the day.  Its 
sewage treatment system also boasts high efficiency motors 
that use less electricity and variable frequency drives that 
pump water more efficiently.

"In addition, we will soon generate our own electricity, 
using a combination of purchased natural gas and bio-gas that
occurs naturally from decomposing material at an adjacent 
landfill," said James Belcher, Senior Engineer at the plant. 

"Our new electrical cogeneration system should supply 100 
percent of our facility's average dry weather power needs, 
and the waste heat generated will provide 50 percent of the 
steam we need for our aeration turbines," he said.  

"Energy efficiency can be as simple as using natural lighting
wherever possible in our buildings," Belcher said.  "We have 
also converted our lighting fixtures to efficient high 
pressure sodium models which take lower-wattage bulbs, 
further cutting our electrical bills.  "When it comes to 
energy efficiency, we find that every little bit helps," 
Belcher concluded.



As a participant in the Energy Showcase project, the Central 
Contra Costa Sanitary District will serve as a demonstration 
facility, allowing other agencies to learn from its 
accomplishments.  

"The Energy Commission is encouraging every water supply 
district and every wastewater agency in the state to become 
as energy efficient as possible," said Sharpless.  "It makes 
good business sense.  Californians spend over half a billion 
dollars a year to pump and treat their water and sewage.  If 
every agency could cut its energy bill by 10 percent, the 
savings statewide would result in an additional $50 million a
year that could be used to replace old pipes and aging 
infrastructure, improve water quality and increase the amount
of water recycling."

The Central Contra Costa Sanitary District serves 398,000 
people and processes sewage from a 130 square-mile area which
includes the City of Concord.


                             ####


For more information, contact:

James L. Belcher, 
Senior Engineer, Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, 
(510) 229-7211

Rob Schlichting, 
California Energy Commission,  (916) 654-5159 



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