Item #08 - TWDB SWIFT Loan - Polybutylene Service Lines — original pdf

Backup

Item 8 Water & Wastewater Commission: April 16, 2025 Council: May 8, 2025 Posting Language ..Title Recommend approval of a resolution authorizing the City Manager to apply for funding from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) for a low-interest loan in the amount not to exceed $45,000,000 as part of the TWDB’s State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) loan program, for Austin Water’s Polybutylene Pipe Replacement project (also known as the “Municipal Conservation Project”). Funding is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. ..De Lead Department Austin Water. Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: April 16, 2025 – To be reviewed by the Water and Wastewater Commission. Additional Backup Information: This action will authorize Austin Water to apply for a low-interest loan from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), not to exceed $45,000,000 for Austin Water’s polybutylene pipe replacement project. Austin Water's waterline services replacement program was established to systematically replace water service lines—the small-diameter lines that connect water mains to customer meters—aimed at reducing water loss throughout Austin's distribution system. Polybutylene pipes tend to fail at a disproportionately high rate compared to other materials, such as copper and HDPE (high-density polyethylene). This initiative is part of Austin Water’s conservation strategy, which seeks to minimize water loss through the replacement of outdated service lines. Since 2001, Austin Water has been proactively replacing polybutylene and polyethylene services in areas of high static pressure using both internal forces and contractor resources. Under a current amended contract that Council approved on March 27, 2025, Austin Water is replacing approximately 2,200 polybutylene and polyethylene water services with pressures exceeding 105 pounds per square inch in 62 subdivisions across Austin. Construction on this current phase of replacements is currently ongoing and is projected to be completed in Fall 2025. This proposed loan from the Texas Water Development Board will be used to fund an additional phase, to replace another 10,000 polybutylene service lines. The design contract for this next phase will be brought to Council for consideration in Winter 2025.