Central San Opens 'Green' Building in Walnut Creek

Central San has opened a new "green" warehouse and corporation yard at 1250 Springbrook Road, near the Highway 24 overpass.

It is the first building in Walnut Creek to have a "green roof" that uses drought-tolerant plans to stay cool in the summer, absorb rain and reduce runoff in the winter, according to a press release by the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District.

Excerpts from the press release:

State and local officials joined Board members and staff from the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District at a ribbon-cutting for the District’s new ‘green’ Collection System Operations (CSO) Department headquarters in Walnut Creek on November 16. The District’s CSO Department maintains more than 1,500 miles of public sewers within the central County area.
 
The new facility includes a combined administration/crew building/warehouse and corporation yard, and will serve as an Emergency Operations Center for the District. It incorporates efficient design with the latest ‘green’ technologies and replaces a 1956 facility which did not meet the District’s current needs nor today’s building and seismic codes.

The facility’s other ‘green’ technologies include:

•    Permeable paving for the parking lot and landscaping elements designed to remove silt and contaminants from runoff water.
•    Low-flow toilets and showers, drip irrigation and drought-tolerant plants that conserve water.
•    Skylights, glass and aluminum on exterior walls that use more natural light.
•    Energy-conserving window shades that automatically lower when a specific temperature is reached.
•    Energy-efficient heating and air-conditioning that improves indoor air quality while using less energy.
•    Energy-efficient solar collectors that supplement the water heater.
•    Hydronic (circulating water) heating in the warehouse floor that reduces energy use.
•    Recycled materials that are used in countertops and cabinets.
•    Concrete from the old facilities that was demolished, recycled and reused onsite.

The District expects the building to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification within a few months.