AUSTIN INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE PLANNING COMMUNITY TASK FORCE October 14, 2025 --12:00pm Hybrid Regular 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 Todd Bartee Robert Mace, Vice Chair Paul DiFiore Madelline Mathis Jennifer Walker, Chair Ex Officio Non-Voting Members: Austin Water: Kevin Critendon Austin Energy: Kathleen Garrett Austin Resource Recovery: Donald Hardee Housing: Chase Bryan Innovation Office: Daniel Culotta Office of Climate Action and Resilience: Zach Baumer Parks and Recreation: Liana Kallivoka Watershed Protection: Ramesh Swaminathan AGENDA CALL TO ORDER – PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the meeting minutes from the Regular Called Task Force meeting on June 10, 2025. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Update on Lower Colorado River and Highland Lakes water supply conditions 3. Update on Austin Water’s water distribution system water loss and mitigation 4. Presentation of Q2 Water Management Strategy Implementation Report ACTION ITEMS 5. Review and approve the 2026 Water Forward Task Force meeting schedule 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. …
Update on Lower Colorado River and Highland Lakes water supply conditions Austin Water | Water Forward Task Force Meeting | October 14, 2025 Highland Lakes Inflows 2 0100,000200,000300,000400,000500,000600,000700,000800,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAcre-FeetHighland Lakes InflowsAverage 1942 - PresentAverage 2008 - 20152024Jan.-Sep. 2025 Lakes Buchanan & Travis Combined Storage 3 0200,000400,000600,000800,0001,000,0001,200,0001,400,0001,600,0001,800,0002,000,0002,200,00020052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202520262027Storage, acre-feetCombined Storage of Lakes Buchanan and TravisJanuary 1, 2005 through October 1, 20250.6M ac-ft2.0M ac-ft Full StorageInterruptible stored water for non-Garwood agricultural operationswas not provided by LCRA in 2012 through 2015 and beginning with the second growing season of 2022 through 2025. U.S. Drought Monitor 4 NOAA 3-month Outlook: November – January The seasonal outlooks combine long-term trends, soil moisture, and El Nino/Southern Oscillation. 5 NOAA El Niño/Southern Oscillation Forecast ▪ La Niña conditions are present and are favored to persist through December 2025 – February 2026. ▪ A transition to ENSO-neutral is likely in January – March 2026 (55% chance). 6 Lakes Buchanan & Travis Combined Storage Projections 7 Questions? 8
Water Loss and Mitigation Briefing Austin Water | Water Forward Task Force | Oct. 14, 2025 Matt Cullen, P.E. Agenda • • • • Overview Water Loss Factors – 2023-2024 Actions to Reduce Water Loss Next Steps Overview Austin Water’s water distribution system includes: 4,018 miles of pipeline Pipes range in size from 2-inch to 84-inch diameter Our multi-pronged approach to reduce sources of water loss: On-going participation in industry best practices and innovations Fast response to reported leaks Infrastructure renewal investments Proactive leak detection 3 Water Loss Trends & Goals 10.00 9.00 8.00 7.00 6.00 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 1.00 FY 08 FY 09 FY 10 FY 11 FY 12 FY13 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI) WF Goals 4 Water Loss & ILI Terms ILI is an industry performance indicator calculated as the ratio of Current Annual Real Losses to Unavoidable Annual Real Losses Real Losses: Water lost from system leaks and pressure-related issues. Unavoidable Annual Real Losses: The theoretical minimum level of water loss through all feasible leakage control efforts, regardless of cost. Unavoidable Loss is based on system-specific factors: miles of water mains number of service connections average annual system pressure Apparent Losses: Water that is distributed to a user but isn't accurately measured or billed. Results in lost revenue rather than a physical loss of water. 5 Water Loss Factors 2023 – 2024 30% increase in calculated water loss attributed to: Improvement in production flow measurement (0.5-1.0 billion gallons, or a 7-14% increase) Updated reporting of municipal water use (0.816 billion gallons, or an 11% increase) Increased “Real” Real Loss (0.376-0.876 billion gallons, or a 5-12% increase) 6 Actions to Reduce Water Loss In 2023, Black & Veatch was contracted to analyze our Water Loss Program The final 2024 Black & Veatch Report offered 32 recommendations: 9 are Complete or Operationalized 15 are In Progress 8 prerequisite items are In Progress 7 Leak Detection Practices Evaluate entire system every 6 years Explore more targeted approaches Continue large diameter leak detection & condition assessment Complete leak detection SOPs that include: Contract standards Data management Ongoing staff training Piloting new technologies Inspecting ARV’s, valves & vaults …
Water Management Strategy Implementation REPORT Water Forward Task Force October 14, 2025 Second Quarter 2025, April - June August 2025 Contents 2 First Quarter Summary Notes Regarding Data Water Conservation Updates Water Loss Reduction Updates Reclaimed Water and Onsite Reuse Updates Conservation Outreach Updates Water Supply Project Updates Water Use and GPCD Second Quarter Summary The second quarter of the year (April – June) transitions from the drier winter to one of the wettest months of the year in May. Implementation efforts also transition to meet changing conditions and environments. Landscape water conservation expands for existing and new homes. Increased leak detection for small-diameter pipes. Additional reclaimed customers and usage, while approving onsite reuse permits for future development. Expanded public outreach with springtime messaging. Planning for the aquifer storage and recovery project continued, as well as an emergency implementation plan for indirect potable reuse. Water Conservation Updates Council approved Uniform Plumbing Code with 3 local amendments that implement the Water Forward 2018 Landscape Transformation strategy: • Irrigation pressure reduction components • Limitation of the size of automatic irrigation systems • Requirement of laundry to landscape plumbing Residential landscape rebates – 140% increase over 2024 year to date Staff completed water efficiency audits on 6 City of Austin facilities; immediate action at one facility lowered irrigation consumption by 88% and total use by 21% 4 Water Conservation Metrics Residential Rebate Programs Approved Rebates 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 5 Drought Survival Tools Irrigation Upgrades Rainwater Harvesting Rebates WaterWise Landscape WaterWise Rainscape Other Residential Programs Q2 2024-Q1 2025 Q2 2025 Water Conservation Metrics Commercial Rebate Programs Approved Rebates 5 4 3 2 1 0 6 Bucks for Business Other Commercial Programs Q2 2024-Q1 2025 Q2 2025 Water Conservation Metrics Compliance Assessments Number of Compliant Commercial Facilities Number of Compliant Commercial Facilities 3,200 3,180 3,160 3,140 3,120 3,100 3,080 3,060 3,040 3,020 7 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Landscape Irrigation Assessment Cooling Tower Assessment Vehicle Wash Assessment Q2 2024-Q1 2025 Q2 2025 Q2 2024-Q1 2025 Q2 2025 Water Conservation Strategy Milestones 2025 Milestones Commercial Incentives Progress Pilot an increased rebate for commercial water use audits. Identify opportunities for CII facility owners/managers to benefit from the My ATX Water alerts and information. Landscape transformation Coordinate with COA Development Services Department …
Item 5 – Review and approve the 2026 Water Forward Task Force Meeting Schedule Austin Water | Water Forward Task Force | October 14, 2025 2026 Proposed Meeting Dates • February 10, 2026 • April 14, 2026 June 9, 2026 • • August 11, 2026 • October 13, 2026 • December 8, 2026 *All meetings are scheduled on Tuesdays from 12-2pm at Waller Creek Center
Water Forward Task Force: Water Forward 2024 Implementation Working Group September 9, 2025, Meeting Notes Teams Meeting, 12:00 pm Attendees: Paul DiFiore, WFTF Marisa Flores Gonzalez, Austin Water Bill Moriarty, WFTF Daniel Cavazos, Austin Water Hani Michel, WFTF Katherine Jashinski, Austin Water Jennifer Walker, WFTF Emily Rafferty, Austin Water Water Forward 2024 Water Supply Strategies Update Marisa Flores Gonzalez provided a brief update on community engagement activities in Bastrop County related to the Aquifer Storage Recovery project. Austin Water is continuing to work on Indirect Potable Reuse emergency implementation planning, with the goal of having a draft report in early 2026. There are four different consultants working on the project components of the Indirect Potable Reuse project. The Water Resources team is still working on preliminary planning for use of Lake Long as a water supply reservoir, brackish groundwater desalination, and direct potable reuse. Water Forward 2024 Water Conservation Strategies Update Daniel Cavazos provided an update on the following water conservation activities: • Austin Water is continuing implementation of the Universal Plumbing Code (UPC) and have been doing community outreach with stakeholders. These codes pertaining to water conservation can be found at the document linked here and brief descriptions are listed below: o 614.1.9 and 614.10 – related to new water pressure regulating components o 614.1.1 – limits irrigation systems to 50% of the landscape area o 1503.10 – requires laundry to landscape plumbing for new homes • Residential landscape rebates increased over 2024 year to date. • Austin Water staff completed water efficiency audits on six City of Austin facilities. Auditors found issues with one facility and made corrections that were able to lower irrigation consumption by 88%. Water Forward 2024 Implementation Working Group Meeting September 2025 • Austin Water is working on a conservation community grant program to work with the community to financially support community-based conservation messaging and outreach. The total amount of the grant program would be $15,000 with a total of up to 5 recipients and up to $3,000 per recipient. Water Forward 2024 Water Reuse Update Katherine Jashinski provided an update on water reuse activities highlighted in the Q2 Water Management Strategy Implementation Report. Katherine shared that this year has been largely focused on program development of onsite water reuse and new reclaimed water connection requirements. In March of 2025, a new wastewater billing ordinance was adopted to be able to calculate wastewater billing …
