At the Dec. 11 meeting of the Water and Wastewater Commission, Austin Water presented an update on the 65 active transportation improvement projects that necessitate the repositioning of water utility lines. Of those projects, 56 percent are in the planning period, 22 percent are in the design stage, 17 percent are in construction, and 5 […]
Water
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Fighting zebra mussels to be costly
Zebra mussels, the tiny mollusks that have infested lakes from the Great Lakes to Lake Travis, have now proliferated in Lake Austin. “They’re on the docks and on the piers in the millions, maybe the billions,” according to Greg Meszaros, director of Austin Water. The invasive species, a native of the former Soviet Union, was […]
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Audit: City water employees misused positions
Two employees of Austin Water misused their positions to generate business for a plumbing business owned by one of the employees, according to an investigative report issued Thursday by the Office of the City Auditor. That business owner/city employee, Rodney King Jr., asked his co-workers to refer business to him, even though such referrals are […]
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Hays and Travis counties prioritize aquifer conservation
The Trinity Aquifer is the primary groundwater supply for Hill Country residents in both Hays and Travis counties. But as a natural resource, its freshwater supply is limited, even as populations continue to grow. Already, the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District is reporting that aquifer storage is strained. Continued groundwater pumping has reduced the spring […]
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Permit granted for annual extraction of 289 million gallons from Trinity Aquifer
The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District granted a permit to Needmore Water LLC on Monday evening to pump up to 289,080,000 gallons of water per year from the Trinity Aquifer. According to the applicant, the water will be used for wildlife management and agricultural purposes on Needmore River Ranch, a 5,000-acre property owned by Greg […]
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AW assures: Austin’s lead pipes pose little threat
In the wake of the drinking water scandal in Flint, Michigan, the issue of lead in drinking water has come to the forefront of the nation’s – and Austin’s – attention. Until July 9, Matt Cullen of Austin Water said neither his team nor many longtime field employees had ever run across lead water service […]
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Austin Water touts water conservation efforts
Despite Austin’s consistent growth and the city demographer’s prediction that city utilities will need to serve 4 million residents in the next 100 years, Austin Water feels confident that its facilities are up to the challenge. In terms of today’s water usage, “we’re where we were about 20 years and about 300,000 people ago,” Daryl […]
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Permanent zebra mussel solution still 18 months out
Following the odorous indication that a zebra mussel infestation had arrived in Austin waterways earlier this month, Austin Water has been working to come up with a solution to prevent a similar instance from recurring. Austin Water is already working to slow the population of zebra mussels by using chemical retardants in its piping systems and raw […]
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Buda seeks passage of aquifer storage bill
Buda’s explosive growth, from about 7,300 people in 2010 to nearly 17,000 today, coupled with a changing climate that brings both floods and drought, means that the city has to carefully manage its water resources. The city is hoping to move forward this year with plans for aquifer storage and recovery, so it can store […]
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Odd smell in Austin’s tap water likely caused by zebra mussels, city says
If you think your tap water smells strange today, you’re not alone. South and Central Austin residents began noticing the unusual smell Thursday morning. Austin Water initially said work on a waterline was to blame, but in an afternoon update, the utility said it was likely caused by the presence of zebra mussels in a […]
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Austin Water report shows big impact of boil order was conservation
Austin Water delivered an “after action” report to City Council yesterday on the weeklong boil-water order enacted during severe flooding in October. The presentation shed more light on what happened to bring about the emergency and what the city might do to avoid future water-boil mandates. When it issued the order Oct. 22, Austin Water […]
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Council approves 100-year water conservation road map
On Thursday, City Council unanimously adopted a plan to guide Austin’s water use for the next century. “This is a tremendous moment for Austin,” said David Foster, director of Texas Clean Water Action. “If we pass this plan, Austin will become the only major city to meet its water demand in the future without taking […]