Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force Regular Meeting of the Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force

Agenda — original pdf

REGULAR CALLED MEETING OF THE AUSTIN INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE PLANNING COMMUNITY TASK FORCE TUESDAY, April 14, 2026, AT 12 P.M. WALLER CREEK CENTER, ROOM 104 625 EAST 10TH STREET AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community (Water Forward) Task Force may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via 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 by remotely, contact Emily Rafferty, Emily.rafferty@austintexas.gov. telephone. To to speak register CURRENT TASK FORCE MEMBERS: Jennifer Walker, Chair Robert Mace, Vice Chair Paul DiFiore Hani Michel Madelline Mathis Todd Bartee Perry Lorenz Sarah Faust Leah Martinsson AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force Regular Called meeting on December 9, 2025. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. 3. 4. Staff briefing regarding Lower Colorado River and Highland Lakes water supply conditions. Presentation by Emily Rafferty, Program Manager, Austin Water. Staff briefing regarding CY25 Q4 Water Management Strategy (WMS) Implementation Report. Presentation by Kevin Kluge, Water Conservation Division Manager, Austin Water. Staff briefing regarding Aquifer Storage and Recovery and Brackish Groundwater Desalination Field Testing and Community Engagement plan. Presentation by Marisa Flores Gonzalez, Water Resources Team Supervisor, and Emlea Chanslor, Chief of Staff, Austin Water. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Emily Rafferty at Austin Water Department, at 512-972-0427 or Emily.rafferty@austintexas.gov, to request service or for additional information. For more information on the Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force, please contact Emily Rafferty at 512-972-0427 or Emily.rafferty@austintexas.gov.

2_Update on Lower Colorado River and Highland Lakes water supply conditions — original pdf

Update on Lower Colorado River and Highland Lakes water supply conditions Austin Water | Water Forward Task Force Meeting | April 14, 2026 Highland Lakes Inflows 2 Lakes Buchanan & Travis Combined Storage 3 U.S. Drought Monitor 4 NOAA 3-month Outlook: May – July The seasonal outlooks combine long-term trends, soil moisture, and El Nino/Southern Oscillation. 5 NOAA El Niño/Southern Oscillation Forecast  ENSO-neutral conditions are present and are favored through April-June 2026 (80% chance).  In May-July 2026, El Niño is likely to emerge (61% chance) and persist through at least the end of 2026. 6 Lakes Buchanan & Travis Combined Storage Projections 7 Questions? 8

3_CY25 Q4 Water Management Strategy (WMS) Implementation Report — original pdf

Water Management Strategy Implementation Report - Highlights Fourth Quarter 2025, October - December Water Forward Task Force| April 14, 2026 Q4 Highlights  1,600 new residential automatic irrigation systems inspected since October 2024.  Over 30 million gallons saved through participation in rebate programs in 2025.  Position added and staff training completed to address water loss.  Monthly Home Water Reports had an average 68% open rate (industry average is 25%).  Onsite Water Reuse System Operator Training Manager and certificate program published. 2 Water Use and GPCD (Gallons Per Capita Daily) 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 ) D C P G ( y a D r e p a t i p a C r e p s n o l l a G GPCD by Calendar Year and Quarter CY 2018 121 GPCD CY 2019 128 GPCD CY 2020 131 GPCD CY 2021 125 GPCD CY 2022 133 GPCD CY 2023 130 GPCD CY 2024 130 GPCD CY 2025 128 GPCD 15 9 11 29 17 5 9 29 19 17 8 10 26 27 24 28 42 48 19 5 9 20 24 30 21 10 11 32 17 6 10 23 31 26 17 5 9 19 24 55 28 34 21 7 10 24 28 36 22 9 11 25 32 23 7 10 19 28 21 7 9 20 29 52 42 39 22 5 10 19 25 30 19 8 10 25 31 18 6 10 21 29 24 6 10 20 24 5 8 17 28 27 33 36 46 34 22 9 12 30 33 17 8 11 25 30 45 52 19 6 10 22 30 35 17 5 9 17 27 31 22 10 12 31 21 6 10 33 22 29 16 6 11 22 29 17 5 10 18 27 55 30 37 33 23 8 11 27 23 8 9 24 31 31 21 6 10 23 29 22 5 9 18 28 21 8 11 26 20 7 10 23 33 30 23 7 10 22 31 22 5 9 18 28 44 38 29 35 30 37 40 33 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 . 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 …

4_Aquifer Storage and Recovery and Brackish Groundwater Desalination Field Testing and Community Engagement — original pdf

Aquifer Storage and Recovery and Brackish Groundwater Field Testing and Community Engagement Austin Water | 4/14/2026 Agenda  Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) & Brackish Groundwater Desalination Field Testing  Current Status  Contracting Pathways  Preliminary Activities Overview  Field Testing and Drilling Overview  2026 Community Engagement Strategy  Next Steps 2 ASR and Brackish Current Status  Early Site Planning  AW is considering several City-owned properties in eastern Travis County for potential test well sites  AW is working closely with other City departments to collaborate on plans for City- owned land 3 Contracting Pathway: Two-Scope Approach  Scope 1 – Preliminary Activities  Covers early desktop study updates, environmental and cultural analyses, and permitting activities  Does not include test well drilling  Will use existing allocated funds  Can be approved administratively by City staff  Scope 2 – Field Testing & Drilling  Covers test well drilling, sample collection, laboratory testing, and brackish evaluation  Will require City Council action, anticipated in May, to authorize additional funding for expanded scope 4 Preliminary Activities Overview  Analysis of Project Locations in Travis County  A more detailed hydrogeological desktop study of potential project locations in Travis County  Environmental Desktop Study  Will identify environmental constraints and outline permitting needs at potential well sites  Test-Well Site Selection Timeline  Using results from the hydrogeological and environmental analyses, we will advance toward selecting specific test well locations  Current draft schedule: complete test well site selection by Fall 2026  Ongoing Interdepartmental Coordination  Coordination with City departments will continue throughout Phase 1B kickoff and test well site selection 5 Field Testing and Drilling Overview  Field testing will include:  Exploratory test wells drilled at two potential locations (Trinity-Hosston aquifer formations)  Pump tests, geophysical logging, water quality analysis, and geochemical compatibility studies  Coordination with environmental, permitting, and cultural resource requirements  Test wells converted into long-term monitoring installations  Preliminary Timeline  Fall 2026: Test well design, environmental, and permitting tasks  Spring 2027: Test well drilling, sample collection, and laboratory analysis  Spring 2028: Complete Phase 1B plan report, start Phase 2 ASR pilot well design, and prepare for TCEQ ASR pilot authorization 6 Community Engagement Purpose  Raise Awareness: Help secure Austin’s water future and raise awareness about AW water supply projects, including Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) and …

Backup_260310 WF24 Implementation Working Group Meeting Notes — original pdf

Water Forward 2024 Implementation Working Group Meeting Draft Notes March 10, 2026 Teams Meeting, 12:00 pm Attendees: Paul DiFiore, WFTF Perry Lorenz, WFTF Marisa Flores Gonzalez, Austin Water Daniel Cavazos, Austin Water Jennifer Walker, WFTF Katherine Jashinski, Austin Water Emily Rafferty, Austin Water Water Forward 2024 Water Conservation Strategies Update Daniel Cavazos provided an update on the following water conservation activities: - 1,600 new residential automatic irrigation systems have been inspected since October of 2024. - Over 30 million gallons were saved through participation in rebate programs in 2025. - A position was added to focus on addressing water loss. Task Force Member Paul DiFiore asked about the structure of rebate programs, and the amount that is spent on rebate programs. Daniel Cavasos explained the key differences between the structure of residential vs commercial rebates and is planning on following up about the cost that goes into rebate programs. Water Forward 2024 Water Reuse Update Katherine Jashinski provided an update on water reuse activities highlighted in the Q4 Water Management Strategy Implementation Report. Katherine shared that a construction contract for the West Riverside Reclaimed water main project was advertised. AW held a webinar for their newly published Onsite Water Reuse System Operator Training Manual and certificate program. The training manual is free and available to the public for anyone who wants to study it and pursue the certificate. Task Force Member Paul DiFiore asked about the rate structure for reclaimed water. Katherine Jashinski shared that there are a few groups of rates. There was a new Onsite Water Reuse project that came through at the end of Q4. There were no new incentives issued in Q4 but there are some new reclaimed water projects that will be eligible to submit applications for incentives. Two new reclaimed ready projects were approved for fee in lieu in Q4. Task Force Member Paul DiFiore asked about the fee in lieu process and Katherine shared that it means the developer paid a cost in lieu of installing their own onsite water reuse system and their plumbing is set up to connect to the centralized reclaimed system if the system reaches them in the future. Katherine also shared that the fee in lieu option only applies to multifamily units who are eligible. A new large scale wastewater mining project is set to start commercial operation soon. The first affordable and multifamily unit to use reclaimed …

Backup_CY25 Q4 Water Management Strategy (WMS) Implementation Report — original pdf

Water Management Strategy Implementation REPORT Fourth Quarter 2025, October - December February 2026 Contents  Fourth Quarter Summary  Water Conservation Updates  Water Loss Reduction Updates  Reclaimed Water and Onsite Reuse Updates  Conservation Outreach Updates  Water Supply Project Updates  Water Use and GPCD  Notes Regarding Data 2 Fourth Quarter Summary The Water Management Strategy Implementation Report is intended to provide transparency and accountability regarding the execution of strategies from the 2024 Water Conservation Plan and the 2024 Water Forward Plan. The plans include proactive and substantial demand management strategies and innovative local supply strategies, but the hard work necessary to complete the strategies and meet the goals are illustrated in the implementation reports. While the combined water storage in Lakes Buchanan and Travis stayed about 80 percent full throughout the fourth quarter of 2025, Central Texas entered moderate and severe levels of hydrologic drought and remained throughout the quarter. These dry conditions resulted in summer-like water use levels in October before lessening in November. 3 Water Conservation Updates  Annual WaterWise Irrigation Program seminar was held on November 6, 2025. Over 130 irrigators and landscapers attended the seminar to learn about landscaping and irrigation.  Irrigation inspection anniversary – since October 2024, 1,600 new residential automatic irrigation systems have been inspected to meet State and Austin regulations, providing more efficient and effective landscape irrigation.  In 2025, customers saved over 30 million gallons from rebate programs, the highest in 5 years. 4 Water Conservation Metrics Residential Rebate Programs Approved Rebates 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Drought Survival Tools Irrigation Upgrades Rainwater Harvesting Rebates WaterWise Landscape WaterWise Rainscape Other Residential Programs Q4 2024-Q3 2025 Q4 2025 5 Water Conservation Metrics Commercial Rebate Programs Approved Rebates 5 4 3 2 1 0 4 4 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Bucks for Business Other Commercial Programs Q4 2024-Q3 2025 Q4 2025 6 Water Conservation Metrics Compliance Assessments Number of Compliant Commercial Facilities 86% 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0 Number of Compliant Commercial Facilities 85% 96% 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Landscape Irrigation Assessment Cooling Tower Assessment Vehicle Wash Assessment Q4 2024-Q3 2025 Q4 2025 Q4 2024-Q3 2025 Q4 2025 7 Water Conservation Strategy Milestones (Water Conservation Plan, p. 35-36, Water Forward Plan, p. 34, 36) 2025 Milestones Commercial Incentives Progress Pilot an …