Backup_5_Working Group Overview Recommendations Presentation — original pdf

Backup

Large Water Working Group Water Forward Task Force June 9, 2026 Working Group Process ● Developed research document with source information. ● Meeting 1 reviewed research, drafted questions for Austin Water, discussion centered around identifying issues and problem characterization. ● Submitted questions to Austin Water. ● Reviewed responses to questions and developed additional research. ● Meeting 2 reviewed responses, discussion centered on identifying policy gaps and developing interventions/recommendations. ● Finalized memo and recommendations over email. Large User Demand ● Commercial, industrial, and institutional users together account for about one-quarter of total water use. ● Austin's five largest retail customers used about 13,900 acre-feet in 2025 (4.5 billion gallons). This is about 29% of projected 2030 commercial baseline demand (47,600 acre-feet)(before conservation and reuse). Total Austin Water baseline 2030 demand is a little over 150,000 acre-feet. (2025 water use approximately 144,000 acre-feet/47 billion gallons) ● Large users do not forecast water demand for Austin Water. Future water demand is projected through disaggregated demand model, and water benchmarking if available. ● Additional large users can materially change supply timing, costs, and conservation outcomes. Planning Pressure Points ● Growth in semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and AI data centers may outpace historic forecasts of water use. ● Disaggregated demand models for commercial sector relies heavily on historic employee, demographic, and billing patterns. ● Square footage and employee counts may not be predictive of water use for high tech industries and new data centers that can have high water use per square foot and/or fewer employees than traditional commercial sector use. ● City is developing a new economic development plan to recruit new businesses through tax rebates, with high water use industries expected to be part of recruitment program. ● No public review of service extension requests in the desired development zone. Opportunities to continue to innovate and catalyze non- potable water use ● Shifting as much use as possible to non-potable protects potable supplies. ● Austin's reclaimed system serves 226 meters, including 4 added in 2025 and averaged 455 million gallons reclaimed water used in 2025. System expansion is constrained by cost and construction process in existing urban areas but could be energized with stronger mandates to connect and aligning system growth with new business recruitment. ● Cooling towers remain a major opportunity because current reuse requirements are effective but could be expanded. ● Expanding reclaimed and onsite reuse requirements can protect potable supplies as growth continues. ● Rainwater harvesting provides viable volumes of non-potable water for data center cooling. Suggested Actions ● Require non-potable water for data centers and more commercial and industrial cooling uses. ● Adapt SER process to increase transparency and incentivize conserving potable water by establishing threshold potable water volume to qualify for waiver board, commission and city council process. ● Adopt commercial water budgeting and tiered rates for large water use customers by 2028. ● Expand triggers for reclaimed and onsite reuse ordinance to have larger distance allowances and a projected water use trigger (not based on square footage). ● Align economic development incentives with non-potable water goals; ensure centralized reclaimed is considered in real estate inventories and development pipelines.