Water reuse plan coming back to Council next month

In March, City Council is scheduled to consider making on-site water reuse mandatory for a majority of large future projects as part of the city’s Water Forward plan.

Council postponed consideration of the reclaimed water reuse rule last November after Austin Water recommended a delay to look at how they might lower the price and establish some exemptions for affordable housing projects.

On Thursday, the City Council Water Oversight Committee heard from Austin Water Director Shay Roalson, who told them the utility has come up with some proposals to reduce the cost of participating in the reclaimed water system. For example, she said the utility might reduce monthly charges for people using reclaimed water.

Reclaimed water, which comes through purple pipes, is used for irrigation, flushing toilets and other uses that don’t involve drinking water. In addition, Roalson suggested that developers who opt for the purple pipes might be able to get an expedited building permit review.

Her presentation noted that there will be no new water reuse rules for developments smaller than 250,000 square feet. In addition, Roalson said developments of 250,000 square feet or more can connect to centralized reclaimed water within 500 feet or install their own on-site water reuse system. Affordability Unlocked developments and projects receiving state tax credits will not be subject to the new rules.

Roalson pointed out how well Austin has done in reducing its water usage, adding that use of reclaimed water will put the city at the forefront of water conservation and climate action.

Mayor Kirk Watson agreed. “I think that how we implement Water Forward will be definitive in how we address climate change – and how we address the future of this city when it comes to water,” he said.

For Watson, Roalson’s presentation on water reuse builds on “so much that the city has done with regards to water, especially over the last 25 years. … Austin is kind of on the cutting edge of different things. I remember when we first created the green energy program back to the late ’90s, early 2000s. We were on the cutting edge, which has caused us to be leaders on a national level.”

He concluded that Austin’s embrace of reclaimed water, “the purple choice,” is also going to “put us in a leadership position. Sometimes we end up almost taking for granted how well we’re doing,” he said, adding that they should thank Roalson and others at Austin Water “for keeping us on the cutting edge. This implementation is going to be paramount and I’m pleased to be part of addressing one of the biggest climate issues of our time.”

Austin Water entered into an agreement with the Lower Colorado River Authority in 1999, paying $100 million for a guarantee that Austin would get an extra 175,000 acre-feet of water when it had used up its yearly allotment. Currently, the city gets 325,000 acre-feet per year from the Colorado River and returns about 100,000 acre-feet per year from its wastewater plants. If the city used more than its allocated amount, it would owe the LCRA $10 million, she noted.

LCRA and the city expected Austin would need additional water years ago, but that has not happened because Austin has learned to conserve. Use of reclaimed water is the next step in conservation.

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