Item 5- Briefing Austin Water Conservation Plan and Drought Contingency Plan Proposed Revisions — original pdf

Backup

Proposed Revisions to Austin’s Water Conservation Plan and Drought Contingency Plan Kevin Kluge | Water Conservation Manager October 15, 2024 Conservation and Drought Planning 2 Water Conservation Plan (WCP) Drought Contingency Plan (DCP)  Plan for all weather conditions  Focuses on drought conditions  Describes • Utility and water use information • Conservation (rebates, education, enforcement) • Water loss reduction • Reuse activities  Describes • Drought Stages • Drought Triggers (demand and supply) • Drought Actions & Restrictions  Must be consistent with the LCRA DCP  Includes water consumption and water loss  Requires Chapter 6-4 changes goals Water Conservation and Drought Plans Approval – Spring 2024 3  April 16 – Resource Management Commission recommended DCP & WCP 8-0-1  April 17 – Water & Wastewater Commission recommended DCP 8-0, WCP 7-1  April 25 – Water Forward Task Force no recommendation  May 2 – City Council approved 11-0 Austin Water committed to work with the Task Force to revise plans Initial Proposed Conservation Goals Gallons per capita per day 4 2019 Plan 2018 Baseline Total GPCD 126 2024 Goal 119 2029 Goal 106 2024 Plan (May 2) 2023 Baseline Total GPCD 127 2029 Goal 123 2034 Goal 116  Continue existing water use, reuse, and water loss activities  Implement landscape transformation for new homes  Enhance commercial incentive  Expand use of My ATX Water alerts and engagement What influenced the current baseline for water use? Key Factors demand  2018 Water Forward and 2019 Water Conservation Plan GPCDs were likely based on under-projected demands  Recent years of hot and dry weather contributed to increased  Post-pandemic changes in customer behavior contributed to increased demand, especially for single-family residential  Key Water Forward water conservation and reuse strategies did not achieve projected savings 5 Water Conservation Activities Activities in May 2 Plan:  Water loss reduction  Landscape Transformation (Single Family Res.)  Reclaimed Water Use  My ATX Water • Expanded use of alerts • Irrigation engagement  Commercial incentives  Public outreach and marketing 6 Additional activities in Nov. 21 Plan:  Water loss reduction (Black & Veatch report)  Restrict drip irrigation  GoPurple requirements and incentives  My ATX Water • Commercial water use • Water use benchmarking and budgeting  Increase in public outreach and marketing Future reporting activities  Quarterly Reports • Commissions and Task Force • Leading measures to reduce demands  Annual Report • Public year-end report • Leading measures, programmatic efforts, and total water use and loss  Looking for examples from other utilities 7 8 Amended Water Use Goals 2019 Plan Baseline 2024 Goal 2029 Goal Historic 5 - Yr Average Total GPCD Residential GPCD 126 67 2024 Plan (May 2) Historic 5 - Yr Average Baseline 2029 Goal 2034 Goal 126 65 127 64 127 64 119 61 127 64 127 64 106 55 123 62 121 60 116 58 114 56 2024 Plan (Nov 21) Historic 5 - Yr Average Baseline 2029 Goal 2034 Goal Total GPCD Residential GPCD Total GPCD Residential GPCD 9 Task Force, Commission & Council Meetings  Oct. 8 – Water Forward Task Force  July 15 – Water Forward Task Force  July 24 – Working Group meeting  Aug. 13 – Water Forward Task Force  Aug. 14 – 2024 Working Group meeting  Aug. 27 – 2024 Public Workshop (in-person)  Aug. 28 – 2024 Public Workshop (virtual)  Aug. 29 – Water Forward Task Force  Sept. 10 – Water Forward Task Force  Oct. 9 – W/WW Commission  Oct. 15 – Resource Mgmt Commission  Oct. 22 – City Council Work Session Briefing  Oct. 28 – Water Forward Task Force  Nov. 4 – Water Forward Task Force [recommendation to Council]  Nov. 12 – Austin Water Oversight Committee  Nov. 13 – W/WW Commission [recommendation to Council]  Sept. 11 – Water Forward Implementation  Nov. 19 – Resource Mgmt Commission Working Group [recommendation to Council]  Sept. 19 –Water Forward Task Force  Nov. 21 – City Council [Plans approval] Questions?