Where Does this Operate?
- Marin Power is not designed to serve every flood-prone location in Marin County.
- The initial pilot will focus on a small number of high-impact areas where temporary pumping may materially reduce flooding and where EV-powered mobile pumping can be deployed safely.
- Starting small allows us to test the concept, learn from real deployments and build a system that can eventually serve more of Marin.
Our Initial Focus
The pilot begins in three areas:
- Ross Valley Creek Corridor (Downtown San Anselmo)
- Santa Venetia *
- Downtown San Rafael
* Conditions vary significantly from one location to another, so individual sites must be evaluated before they are included in the deployment network.
Why These Three Areas?
The initial pilot is intentionally limited.
We want to concentrate equipment, trained volunteers and operational attention where the potential benefit is greatest.
The pilot will help us learn:
- Which types of locations benefit most from mobile pumping
- How quickly equipment can be deployed
- How long pumping missions typically need to operate
- Which locations should receive priority during a major storm
- How many EV volunteers are needed
- What additional locations could be appropriate for future expansion
What About Other Parts of Marin?
They matter.
The initial service geography does not mean other flood-prone communities are unimportant or that Marin Power will never operate there.
It means that a pilot needs boundaries.
Trying to cover the entire county before we understand the equipment, volunteer network and deployment requirements would spread limited resources too thin.
We would rather prove the model in a few carefully selected areas and expand based on what we learn.
Not Every Flooded Location Is a Pumping Location
- Water alone does not determine whether Marin Power should deploy.
- A location must be evaluated to determine whether pumping can actually improve the situation.
Considerations may include:
- The source and expected accumulation of water
- Pump capacity and operating requirements
- Distance and elevation to the discharge point
- A safe and appropriate discharge location
- Access for volunteers and equipment
- Expected duration of the pumping mission
- Weather and road conditions
- Volunteer safety
- Whether pumping would materially reduce the potential impact
If mobile pumping will not make a meaningful difference, the equipment should be used somewhere it can.
Planned Locations, Not Improvised Rescues
The strongest version of Marin Power is a network of locations that have been evaluated before the storm.
For participating sites, the program can determine in advance:
- Where the pump should be positioned
- Where water can be safely discharged
- What equipment is required
- What type of EV can support the pump
- How volunteers can safely reach the location
- How the site should be monitored
- When deployment should begin or end
Preparation turns an improvised response into a more repeatable system.
The Pilot Is the Beginning
Marin Power’s first three areas are a starting point, not a boundary around who matters.
Pilot.
Test.
Learn.
Improve.
Expand.
The long-term vision is a community resource that can provide mobile pumping capacity wherever it can safely and meaningfully help.
For now, we’re starting where we believe a small, well-prepared network can make the greatest difference.
Find Your Place in the Project
- [Need Pump & Power?] If you live in one of the initial areas, you may want to learn whether your location could be appropriate for the program.
- [Join EV Network] If you own a qualifying EV, you can help provide the power.
- [Sponsors & Partners] If you are a business, organization, municipality or community member who wants to help build the network, there is a place for you too.