AUSTIN INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE PLANNING COMMUNITY TASK FORCE June 4, 2024 --12:00pm Hybrid Regular Meeting Austin Energy Headquarters 4815 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX 78723 Room 1111 Some members of the BOARD/COMMISSION may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live For more information go to: Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. The first 10 speakers to register will be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns not on the agenda. To register, contact Emily Rafferty at emily.rafferty@austintexas.gov. The information required is the speaker’s name, item number(s) they wish to speak on if applicable, email address and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). CURRENT TASK FORCE MEMBERS: Voting Members: Bill Moriarty Sarah Faust Hani Michel Perry Lorenz Madelline Mathis Todd Bartee Robert Mace, Vice Chair Paul DiFiore Vanessa Puig-Williams Jennifer Walker, Chair Ex Officio Non-Voting Members: Austin Water: Kevin Critendon Austin Energy: Kathleen Garrett Austin Resource Recovery: Donald Hardee Housing and Planning: Tymon Khamsi Office of Innovation: Daniel Culotta Office of Sustainability: Zach Baumer Parks and Recreation: Liana Kallivoka Watershed Protection: Ramesh Swaminathan AGENDA CALL TO ORDER – PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL APPROVAL OF MINUTES 2024. DISCUSSION ITEMS 1. Review and approve the meeting minutes from the Regular Task Force meeting on May 14, 2. Update on Lower Colorado River and Highland Lakes water supply conditions 3. Update on Preliminary Water management strategy Assessment and Vulnerability 4. Update on Water Forward 2024 Demand Management Strategies Evaluation (WAVE) results FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURN The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force Liaison, Emily Rafferty at 512-972-0427, for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task …
Water Forward Task Force (WFTF) Water Forward 2024 Working Group May 29, 2024 Meeting Notes Teams Meeting, 3:00 pm Attendees: Jennifer Walker, WFTF Madelline Mathis, WFTF Emily Rafferty, Austin Water Marisa Flores-Gonzalez, Austin Water Preview of WFTF Member Conservation and Demand Management Strategies Feedback Austin Water staff went over the written feedback that they had received from Task Force members regarding conservation and demand management strategies. Austin Water staff discussed the next steps of providing this feedback to Austin Water’s consultant, Plummer. Over the month of June, the consultant will develop costs and yields for any tactical demand management strategies based on Task Force member feedback. Austin Water staff shared that at the July Task Force meeting, Austin Water aims to share the costs and yields of additional demand management strategies developed by the consultant. Task Force member questions and discussion included the following: • Task Force members discussed the future survey to be sent out regarding tactical demand management strategies and possibly including costs and yields in the survey, depending on the timing of the survey release • Task Force members provided further feedback on existing comments regarding the following: o Decentralized facilities could be a way to expand reuse ordinance to include smaller/mid-sized buildings instead of piping all the way to centralized reclaimed infrastructure. o Provide a certification program tailored for landscapers and landscape architects, enabling them to demonstrate their expertise in building water- efficient landscapes. o Collaborate with the Texas Native Plant Society to enhance informational materials for landscapers by incorporating recommendations for plants based on root depth and their benefit to stormwater infiltration. o Implement a color-coded feedback system in the MyATX Water portal, where customers' water usage is visually represented. AW staff shared that this type of practice is already in place in the portal. Water Forward 2024 Working Group Meeting May 2024
Water Forward Task Force Member Written Feedback (Received 5/14/2024 --- 5/21/2024) Feedback Received by Bill Moriarty: • Completion of the reclaimed water hook up to the new Travis County Courthouse. • Completion of the Indirect Potable Reuse Project that was previously identified in WF18. I think there needs to be an initial evaluation to see if this project is even feasible anymore given the algae issue and other possible permitting of public relations issues. • An evaluation of the existing and near-term reclaimed water piping network to identify obvious hook ups, that are not currently connected. This could be facilities with various high non-potable demands such as irrigation and air conditioning chillers. These facilities could then be approached by Austin Water to gauge their interest in hooking up. • An evaluation of the State Capital Complex for a complete conversion to reclaimed water for non-potable purposes. (Irrigation, air conditioning chillers, ornamentals, future buildings that could be dual plumbed. • An evaluation of the University of Texas Campus for a complete conversion to reclaimed water for non-potable purposes. (Irrigation, air conditioning chillers, ornamentals, future buildings that could be dual plumbed. • An evaluation of large non-potable customers (irrigation, chillers) city wide for possible hook up to reclaimed water system. Feedback Received by Paul DiFiore: My main concern with our Drought Contingency Plan and Water Conservation Plan is that over the next decades, Austinites will work diligently to conserve water, yet we will fail to manage where our supply goes. As it stands, all our hard-earned gains on water conservation are vulnerable to being instantly wiped away by massive new industrial users coming onto our system. It’s a glaring hole in our planning process. And it exists because of an outdated east-west inequity in our city, which allows for projects in the so-called Drinking Water Protection Zone to receive heightened levels of public scrutiny while those in the so-called Desired Development Zone get staff approval with no boards or council oversight. Consider the anticipated goals in the Water Conservation Plan: by 2029 we are hoping to save 245 million gallons of water each year through the increased use of our reclaimed water system. Likewise we are hoping to save 266 million gallons of water each year through landscape transformation. Each of those monumental efforts—which require massive resources from utility staff and buy-in from tens of thousands of Austin residents—would be more than …
Water Forward WAVE evaluation Water Forward Task Force Meeting June 2024 Our analysis identifies candidate 50-year portfolios of supply and demand WMS UNCERTAINTIES Future Hydrologic Sequences Regional Supply Scenarios Future Water Demand Forecasts WAM WAM Needs Assessment Projected water demands and supplies Mini-WAM Model Water balance model of AW system WMS Optimization System Performance MAXIMIZES Cost MINIMIZES 50-Year Candidate WMS Portfolios INPUTS MODELING OUTPUTS Candidate portfolios are built from an optimization of nearly 2M combinations of WMS WMS Description ASR BGD IPRLBL OCR OCR+ Decker AddLCRA Additional Supply from LCRA, regional Colorado River partnerships, and/or water rights optimization Aquifer Storage and Recovery Brackish Groundwater Desalination Indirect Potable Reuse through Lady Bird Lake with local Inflows New Off Channel Reservoir, Colorado River water New Off Channel Reservoir, Colorado River and reclaimed water Off-channel reservoir supplied by Colorado River water (Decker Lake) Seawater Desalination Direct Potable Reuse from Wastewater Treatment Plant Interbasin Transfer (surface water) Importation of conventional groundwater CR - Current Ordinance, DCR - Phase 1, OR - Current Ordinance CR - Larger System, DCR - Phase 1, OR - Smaller Building Threshold CR - Larger System, DCR - Phase 1, OR - Adjusting Benchmarks SWD DPR IBT GW DR1 DR2 DR3 DR4 DR5 DR6 DR7 CR - Larger Connection Area, DCR - Phase 1, OR - Smaller Building Threshold CR - Larger Connection Area, DCR - Phase 1, OR - Adjusting Benchmarks CR - Larger System, Larger Connection Area, DCR - Phase 1, OR - Smaller Building Threshold, Adjusting Benchmarks CR - Larger System, Larger Connection Area, DCR - Phase 1, 2, OR - Smaller Building Threshold, Adjusting Benchmarks Individual WMS can be organized into specific pathways over time Can start with DR1 and continue indefinitely DR1 Time (2030 to 2080) Individual WMS can be organized into specific pathways over time Or, can start with DR1 and then jump to DR2 at some point in the future DR1 DR2 Time (2030 to 2080) Individual WMS can be organized into specific pathways over time Or, can start with DR1, then jump to DR2, and finally to DR7 DR1 DR2 DR7 Time (2030 to 2080) Individual WMS can be organized into specific pathways over time Pathways map shows full set of possible Demand Reduction Pathways DR1 DR2 DR3 DR4 DR5 DR6 DR7 Time (2030 to 2080) Rhodium selects among possible combinations to build a set of equally-optimal candidate portfolios For each candidate …
Update on Water Forward 2024 Demand Management Strategies June 4, 2024 Task Force Feedback Summary of Task Force WCP/DCP Feedback 3 Staff to report on necessary changes to the WCP to meet trajectory set in 2019 goals, including specific measures and projected water savings Launch a high-profile education program through Austin Water University to raise awareness about drought and promote water reduction Creation of separate educational graphics for residential and commercial sectors to clarify watering schedules Concern raised about aiming for less than 1% reduction in water consumption over five years due to increasing heat and insufficient water replenishment Further analysis of the effectiveness of increasing rebates for voluntary reclaimed water hookups to reduce demand for potable water Increase public oversight into service extension requests Completion of reclaimed hookup to the new Travis County Courthouse Assessment of the existing and near-term reclaimed water piping network to identify facilities with high non-potable demands for potential hook ups Evaluation of the State Capital Complex and University of Texas campus for a complete conversion to reclaimed water for non-potable purposes Evaluation of large non-potable customers city-wide for possible hook up to the reclaimed water system Expand onsite reuse ordinance to include mid-size and smaller buildings 4 Summary of Task Force Tactical Demand Management Feedback Comparison of water usage for similar size houses within My ATX Water Training and education programs for local landscapers and garden nurseries as part of Water Efficient and Native Landscapes Summary of Task Force Water Forward Demand-Side Water Management Strategy Feedback 5 Water Forward 2024 Working Group Meeting Recap Discussed written feedback received from Task Force members Received further feedback on existing comments: • Provide a certification program tailored for landscapers and landscape architects, enabling them to demonstrate their expertise in building water- efficient landscapes. • Collaborate with the Texas Native Plant Society to enhance informational materials for landscapers by incorporating recommendations for plants based on root depth and their benefit to stormwater infiltration. 6 Next Steps Goal for this Summer 1 2 3 4 Review total water demand and demand reduction goals for the near- term (5-10 years) within WF24 Identify specific tactical measures to implement to achieve goals Assign costs and yields to those measures Include measures in WF24 Recommendations and in revised WCP and DCP 8 Questions?
Update on Lower Colorado River and Highland Lakes water supply conditions Highland Lakes Inflows Lakes Buchanan & Travis Combined Storage Combined Storage of Lakes Buchanan and Travis January 1, 2005 through May 28, 2024 2.0M ac-ft Full Storage t e e f - e r c a , e g a r o t S 2,200,000 2,000,000 1,800,000 1,600,000 1,400,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 1.4M ac-ft, DCP Stage 1 0.9M ac-ft, DCP Stage 2 0.75M ac-ft, DCP Stage 3 0.6M ac-ft, DCP Stage 4 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 U.S. Drought Monitor NOAA 3-month Outlook: July – September The seasonal outlooks combine long-term trends, soil moisture, and El Nino/Southern Oscillation. NOAA El Niño/Southern Oscillation Forecast A transition from El Niño to ENSO-neutral is likely in the next month La Niña may develop in June- August (49% chance) or July- September (69% chance) Lakes Buchanan & Travis Combined Storage Projections Lakes Buchanan and Travis Total Combined Storage Projection (LCRA) ) t e e f - e r c a n o i l l i m ( e m u o V l Current Storage DCP Stage 1 1.4 MAF DCP Stage 2 0.9 MAF DCP Stage 3 0.75 MAF DCP Stage 4 0.6 MAF Questions?
AUSTIN INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE PLANNING COMMUNITY TASK FORCE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, June 4, 2024 The Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force convened in a Regular Meeting on June 4, 2024, with Social Distancing Modifications. Vice Chair MACE called the meeting to order at 12:08 pm. Members in Attendance: Robert Mace, Vice Chair Paul DiFiore Ex-Officio Members in Attendance: Kevin Critendon Ramesh Swaminathan Donald Hardee Members in Attendance Remotely: Hani Michel Bill Moriarty Vanessa Puig Williams Madelline Mathis Sarah Faust Austin Water Staff: Teresa Lutes Kevin Kluge Marisa Flores Gonzalez Helen Gerlach Emily Rafferty Fatima Wahid Others in Attendance: Bobby Levinski, Save Our Springs Alliance Robert Lempert, RAND PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please contact Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force liaison Emily Rafferty at 512-972-0427, for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. Page 1 of 2 1. Bobby Levinski provided a public comment in-person. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of the meeting minutes from the May 14, 2024, Task Force meeting. The minutes from the May 14th meeting were approved on Member MICHEL’S motion and Member DIFIORE’ second on an 7-0 vote. STAFF BRIEFINGS, PRESENTATIONS, AND/OR REPORTS 2. Update on Lower Colorado River and Highland Lakes water supply conditions The presentation was made by Fatima Wahid, Graduate Engineer A, Austin Water. 3. Update on Preliminary Water management strategy Assessment and Vulnerability Evaluation (WAVE) results The presentation was made by Helen Gerlach, Engineer B, Austin Water, Robert Lempert, PhD., Consultant, RAND. 4. Update on Water Forward 2024 Demand Management Strategies The presentation was made by Teresa Lutes, Managing Engineer, Austin Water. VOTING ITEMS None Vice Chair MACE adjourned the meeting at 1:33pm. The minutes were approved at the July 15th, 2024, meeting on Paul DiFiore’s motion, Madelline Mathis’ second on a 6-0 vote with one vacancy. Task Force Member Perry Lorenz and Robert Mace absent. Task Force member Jennifer Walker and Todd Bartee abstained. The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. …
