10 Thursday, March 2, 2023
Coastal View News • Carpinteria, California
Carpinteria Sanitary District builds resilience through energy efficiency
BY CRAIG MURRAY, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE CARPINTERIA SANITARY DISTRICT
In simple terms, the word resilient means “built to last.” In order to serve our customers, the Carpinteria Sanitary District (CSD) must be resilient; our infrastructure and wastewater management systems must be built to last. And they are! Weathering the January storms was a big test and testament to our durability. In recent years, public agencies have broadened the definition of resilience. We are now considering the question of how to build a better and more sustainable future through conserving resources, reducing our carbon footprint and factoring the health of the planet into our long-term planning. Carpinteria Sanitary District has been productive and intentional in our efforts toward this bigger picture resilience. Along these lines, we have some news to share. CSD has nearly 45 linear miles of sewer pipeline that convey wastewater from your homes and businesses to the treatment facility. For decades, we have used closed-circuit television (CCTV) equipment to regularly inspect every inch of our collection system to identify defects and prioritize repair and replacement projects before small problems become big ones. When the time came to replace our existing CCTV vehicle – a 14-year-old gasoline fueled box truck with an onboard gasoline generator – we made resiliency a focus point. In January, the district took delivery of a new, fully electric CCTV
inspection vehicle. The unit is built on a 2023 Ford E-Transit van that has a 100-mile range – perfect for the work we do around Carpinteria on a daily basis. The camera system, computers and other equipment are powered by a bank of lithium phosphate batteries that are recharged by roof mounted solar panels. The new CCTV van does everything we need it to do, with zero emissions. To toot our own horn, CSD is one of the very first adopters of an all-electric CCTV sewer inspection van in California. As more and more public agencies build out plans for resilience, vehicles like this will become a key investment in a better future. The technology has arrived. We can now best serve our customers and do our part to protect the planet. We also recently had the pleasure of cutting the ribbon and welcoming the public into CSD’s new administration building and board room located at 5300 Sixth Street. The contrast between our new permanent building and the aging portable buildings we had occupied is stark, to say the least. The new administration building is built to endure a 100-year flood, and from building design to landscaping, electrical and heating, every part of the new facility reflects environmental sustainability and resiliency. As a “Net Zero” building, it is engineered to power itself or even be a net supplier of electricity to the grid. The 20-kW rooftop solar system generates enough electricity to run all of the building systems including heating and cooling, which are accomplished through the use of high-efficiency electric heat pumps.
The Carpinteria Sanitary District purchased a new all-electric sewer inspection vehicle in January. Designed to harness the power of Mother Nature, the building is oriented to take full advantage of natural light and climate control, honoring the old axiom, “waste not, want not.” The selected building materials provide optimal insulation value while requiring very little maintenance over the life of the structure. Entirely native landscaping and a stateof-the-art irrigation system help make local water resources more sustainable. If you’ve lived in Carpinteria for a while, you may know that Sixth Street is prone to flooding in heavy and pro-
Valley sees rain and snow
longed rain events. To protect our new administration building, we raised it well out of the floodplain. While rain lashed the Central Coast in the January storms, our new administrative building stayed high and dry. We believe that a resilient CSD and community go hand-in-hand with efficient and effective public services. It’s our duty to make sure we’re “built to last.” The Carpinteria Sanitary is located at 5300 Sixth Street in Carpinteria. See more at carpsan.com.
KARLSSON
Carpinteria saw an unusual combination of weather this past weekend, with snow, rain and wind hitting the county in a late February storm. CVN photographer Robin Karlsson captured photos of the snow settling over the mountains, blanketing Carpinteria with clouds and puffy white backgrounds.