Backup - 240529 Water Forward 2024 Working Group Meeting Notes — original pdf

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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