Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force - Sept. 19, 2024
Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force Special Called Meeting of the Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force
AUSTIN INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE PLANNING COMMUNITY TASK FORCE September 19, 2024 --12:00pm Hybrid Special Called Meeting Waller Creek Center, Room 104 625 East 10th Street Austin, Texas 78701 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: Chase Bryan 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 September 10, 2024. DISCUSSION ITEMS 1. Review and approve the meeting minutes from the Regular Called Task Force meeting on 2. Presentation on revisions to the draft Water Forward 2024 plan report, including preliminary Colorado River Land Analysis recommendations 3. Presentation on water conservation program investment and marketing activities DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 4. Discuss and possibly make a recommendation regarding the draft Water Forward 2024 5. Discuss and possibly make a recommendation regarding the draft revised Drought 6. Discuss and possibly make a recommendation regarding the draft revised Water Plan Report Contingency Plan Conservation Plan 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 …
Presentation on revisions to the draft Water Forward 2024 plan report, including preliminary Colorado River Land Analysis recommendations September 19, 2024 Further Water Forward 2024 plan revisions 3 Further Revisions Presented in 9/10 meeting • Comparison of WF18 and WF24 strategies • Summary of strategy yields and costs To be discussed today • Draft 100 Year Adaptive Management Pathways • Additional information on Colorado River Land Analysis plan development Ongoing work • Editorial review, graphic design, etc. • Confirming plan alignment with WCP/DCP Draft 100 Year Adaptive Management Pathways Portfolio 6 in 2080 Adaptive pathways identify signposts that may prompt us to pursue different water management strategies in the very long-term future If Climate = historic If Climate = 2.6 (low severity) If Climate = 4.5 (medium severity) If Demand = Low If Demand = Med If Demand = High If Demand = Low If Supply = Med If Supply = Low, High If Supply = Low, Med If Supply = High If Supply = Med, High If Supply = Low If Demand = Med, High If Demand = Low If Supply = Low, Med If Supply High If Demand = High If Supply = Med If Supply = Low, High 4 6A 6A 6B 6B 6C 6C 6A 6B 6C 6B 6C 6B 6B 6C If Climate = 8.5 (high severity) If Demand = Med Draft 100 Year Adaptive Management Portfolios 5 Water Forward Strategies Water Conservation Strategies Utility-Side Water Loss Control Customer-Side Water Use Management Native & Efficient Landscaping Water Conservation Strategies Sub-Total Non-Potable Water Reuse Strategies Centralized Reclaimed Decentralized Reclaimed Onsite Reuse Non-Potable Reuse Strategies Sub-Total Potable Water Supply Strategies Aquifer Storage and Recovery Lake Walter E. Long (Decker) Off Channel Reservoir Indirect Potable Reuse Brackish Groundwater Desalination Additional Colorado River Basin-Independent Supply* Additional Colorado River Basin Supply** Water Supply Strategies Sub-Total Water Forward Strategies Overall Total Estimated Yield (Acre Feet per Year) Portfolio 6 2080 Portfolio 6A 2120 Portfolio 6B 2120 Portfolio 6C 2120 15,000 11,400 7,000 33,400 26,900 1,300 10,600 38,800 44,500 18,300 22,400 40,000 0 0 125,200 197,400 26,300 13,100 10,900 50,300 41,700 3,100 16,300 61,100 44,500 18,300 33,600 40,000 20,000 0 156,400 277,800 26,300 13,100 10,900 50,300 41,700 3,100 16,300 61,100 83,000 18,300 22,400 40,000 20,000 35,000 218,700 340,100 26,300 13,100 10,900 50,300 41,700 3,100 16,300 61,100 44,500 18,300 44,800 40,000 60,000 30,000 237,600 359,000 Current Supplies Colorado River …
Presentation on water conservation program investment and marketing activities 9/19/2024 Austin Water Conservation Program Investment Overview AW has a permanent Water Conservation Division of more than 20 staff members • Division addresses incentives, enforcement, inspections, and analysis • Additional staff are brought on during the annual irrigation season and during drought Ten staff members work on onsite water reuse and the engineering of the centralized reclaimed system, with many more maintaining and expanding the system Water loss mitigation activities are undertaken with a utility leak detection team, as well as a contracted leak detection firm AW Staffing Levels Austin Water Teams/Divisions Permanent Positions Temporary Positions Demand Reduction (Water Conservation Division) Total Enforcement & Compliance Customer Programs Research & Planning Reclaimed and Reuse Total Onsite Water Reuse Team Engineering Systems Planning Water Loss Total Data analysis Leak detection – Austin Water Leak detection – contracted staff 22 9 6 5 10 5 2 3 7.5 1 4 2.5 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 Note: Additional staff work on outreach to customers and to develop the water and reclaimed water systems. Water Conservation Division Comparison Utility Number of Permanent Staff Single Family Connections (TWDB, 2022) Positions per 50,000 Single Family Connections 27* 237,934 San Antonio Water System 224,266 Austin 281,331 Dallas 199,925 El Paso Fort Worth 264,888 *plus 4 temporary staff, ** plus 6 temporary staff 22** 12 8 5 5.7 4.9 2.1 2.0 0.9 Questions Conservation Communications & Outreach Update Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force September 19, 2024 Randi Jenkins, Assistant D irector, Customer Experience Geneva Guerrero, Public Information Program Manager Agenda Communications Overview Spring Quarter Activities: • Community Events and Outreach • Educational Programming • Advertising Campaigns • My ATX Water Leak Notifications • Social Media Engagement • Web Traffic Indicators Conservation Rebate Applications Community Events and Educational Outreach APRIL – JUNE: Fix A Leak Week Water Conservation Outreach at Utility Bill Payment Centers Water Conservation Lunch & Learns Water Forward Plan Virtual Session 13 Other Community Events 40 Dowser Dan Appearances TOTAL REACHED: 9,173 Advertising Campaigns APRIL – JUNE: WaterWise Landscapes Drought Stage Awareness Conservation Rebates Irrigation & Outdoor Watering Schedules Register for My ATX Water ~4 MILLION IMPRESSIONS My ATX Water Portal Campaign & Communications Robust communications plan still in action …
REVISED 9/17/24 Water Forward 2024 Plan, Ch. 4 "Planning for Uncertainty" Excerpt Colorado River Land Analysis Austin’s drinking water supply has benefited from a landscape of rural, largely working lands throughout the Highland Lakes’ watershed. However, land use in Texas is changing rapidly as the state’s population grows. According to Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, the 20 counties in the lower Colorado basin have seen an 87% increase in population and the loss of over 108,000 acres of working lands since 1997. The working lands that remain are increasingly being subdivided into smaller and smaller parcels. These trends are likely to continue, emphasizing the need to plan for upstream water quality protection. Source Water Protection refers to the management of areas through which water travels and the regulation of activities on these lands to prevent pollution and contaminants from entering public drinking water sources. The quality and quantity of a city’s drinking water supply, as well as other water bodies used for recreational, environmental, and drainage purposes, can be influenced by both natural and human activities. One of the most effective ways to protect source water is to acquire land over which the water flows or to restrict development on such land through conservation easements or other mechanisms. These protections allow the land to continue acting as a natural filtration system for water as it enters water sources, preventing additional contaminants from development activities. Austin Water conducted the Colorado River Land Analysis to evaluate areas in the lower Colorado river basin upstream of Austin and rank land protection opportunities based on water supply and environmental factors. Water supply factors included stream flow, spring location, recharge zones, and location of undesirable features such as oil and gas wells. Environmental factors included vegetation, slope incline, impervious cover, protected land, and riparian and flood plain areas. This analysis was done with the use of geographic information systems (GIS) mapping tools to overlay these factors and identify priority areas. The results of this analysis are shown in the image below, with darker purple areas (680,000+ acres) indicating areas that contribute most significantly to water quality and quantity based on the evaluated factors. Further analysis and engagement is necessary to define specific conservation priorities and levels of investment for Colorado River protection. Austin Water will engage community stakeholders, the Watershed Protection Department, and other partners in further refining this analysis. This will involve identification of …
9/19/2024 Revised Water Conservation Plan Excerpt: TABLE 13. PROJECTED ADDITIONAL YIELDS FROM FUTURE WATER USE AND LOSS ACTIVITIES Activity 2029 Annual Yield (acre feet) 2034 Annual Yield (acre feet) Commercial conservation incentives New single family landscape transformation My ATX Water Residential customer water saving opportunities Commercial customer engagement and water saving opportunities Customer irrigation engagement Water use benchmarking Water use budgeting Reclaimed and reuse Water Centralized reclaimed Decentralized reclaimed Onsite water reuse Public outreach and marketing Utility side water loss control 2,240 181 652 165 192 574 24 0 880 0 880 -2 Total yields 5,875 17,219 1Benchmarking savings are anticipated to be supplanted by the implementation of water use budgeting. 2Activities that are widely recognized as water-savings measures that promote all other activities that cannot be quantified at time of the adoption of the Water Conservation Plan. 366 1,457 345 432 703 01 2,424 4,680 3,940 80 2,260 -2 1
AUSTIN INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE PLANNING COMMUNITY TASK FORCE SPECIAL CALLED MEETING MINUTES Thursday, September 19, 2024 The Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force convened in a Special Called Meeting on September 19, 2024, with Social Distancing Modifications. Chair WALKER called the meeting to order at 12:05 pm. Members in Attendance: Jennifer Walker, Chair Madelline Mathis Ex-Officio Members in Attendance: Chase Bryan Kevin Critendon Members in Attendance Remotely: Bill Moriarty Paul DiFiore Perry Lorenz Hani Michel Sarah Faust Austin Water Staff: Shay Ralls Roalson Teresa Lutes Kevin Kluge Marisa Flores Gonzalez Emily Rafferty Fatima Wahid Young-Hoon Jin Joseph Gonzales Sherri Kuhl Justin Bates Brandon Niese Randi Jackson Matt Cullen Geneva Guerrero Richard Hoffpauir 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 Others in Attendance: Qiwen Zhang, Plummer Brigit Buff, Plummer Tanzia Karim, Save Our Springs Alliance Susan Hoover, Circle C Landscape Frank Davis, Hill Country Conservancy PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL 1. Susan Hoover gave a public comment in-person. 2. Tanzia Karim gave a public comment in-person. 3. Frank Davis gave a public comment remotely. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of the meeting minutes from the regular called September 10, 2024, Task Force meeting. The minutes from the September 10th, meeting were approved on Member MATHIS’ motion and Member MICHEL’s second on an 7-0 vote. STAFF BRIEFINGS, PRESENTATIONS, AND/OR REPORTS 2. Presentation on revisions to the draft Water Forward 2024 plan report, including preliminary Colorado River Land Analysis recommendations The presentation was made by Marisa Flores Gonzalez, Program Manager III, Sherri Kuhl, Environmental Resource Officer, and Justin Bates, Environmental Conservation Division Manager, Austin Water. 3. Presentation on water conservation program investment and marketing activities The presentation was made by Kevin Kluge, Division Manager, Water Conservation, Randi Jenkins, Assistant Director, and Geneva Guerrero, Public Information & Marketing Program Manager, Austin Water. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 4. Discuss and possibly make a recommendation regarding the draft Water Forward 2024 Plan Report 5. Discuss and possibly make a …
