CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION
                      NEWS RELEASE


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




CENTRAL MARIN SANITATION AGENCY HONORED FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY


The Central Marin Sanitation Agency in San Rafael has been named 
an Energy Showcase by the California Energy Commission, which 
praised the agency's resourcefulness in saving energy.

The Central Marin 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 Marin," explained 
Commissioner Jananne Sharpless of the Energy Commission.  "With 
their innovative approaches to energy use, the operators of the 
facility serve as models for other water professionals around the 
state."

The Central Marin Sanitation Agency 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.

"We also generate some of our own electricity, using methane gas 
that results naturally from the sewage treatment process," said 
Joseph Remley, General Manager of the sanitation agency.  "Our 
generator produces 30 percent of the electrical power we need and 
supplies all of our plant's heating requirements."  

Energy efficiency can be accomplished as easily as updating the 
lighting in the plant.  "We have converted many of our lighting 
fixtures to efficient fluorescent models which take lower-wattage 
bulbs, and we have installed motion sensors that turn lights off 
when rooms are unoccupied.  Outside lights are controlled by 
photocells, further cutting our electrical bills," Remley said. 
"When it comes to energy efficiency, we find that every little 
bit helps."


As a participant in the Energy Showcase project, the Central Marin
Sanitation Agency 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 Marin Sanitation Agency serves 100,000 people in Marin
County.  It processes sewage from a 42 square-mile area which 
includes the communities of Corte Madera, Larkspur, Greenbrae, 
Ross, San Anselmo, Kentfield, Fairfax, and a major portion of San 
Rafael.


                             ####


For more information, contact:

Joseph Remley, 
General Manager, Central Marin Sanitation Agency, 
(415) 459-1455 x 120

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



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File name: 95-01-30_Marin_Sanitatio