Austin Water is preparing to roll out digital water meters that will allow the utility, as well as individual customers, to see how much water each customer is using every hour. Ultimately, every single one of the utility’s 240,000 meters will be replaced by a new meter that can broadcast a digital signal, according to […]
Austin Water Utility
AWU is the municipal utility that provides water service for the City of Austin.
Posted inWater
Water and Wastewater Commission learns cause of foamy water
On Jan. 22, residents in South Austin reported foamy water in their taps following the Austin Fire Department’s extinguishing of a church fire. At the Feb. 12 meeting of the Water and Wastewater Commission, Rick Coronado, the assistant director of Austin Water, told commissioners that the foam was a benign substance. “Essentially it’s a soap […]
Posted inCity Hall
After years of service, Slusher retires from city
After nine years on City Council, about 18 months at Austin Energy and more than 12 years as Austin Water’s assistant director for environmental affairs and conservation, Daryl Slusher hung up his city spurs last week, retiring on Dec. 31. As he contemplates his future, he says he wants to start writing again, though he’s […]
Posted inWater
Over 60 roadway improvements require relocation of water and wastewater lines
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 […]
Posted inWater
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 […]
Posted inAustin, Water
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 […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Water Forward
In this edition of Austin Monitor Radio, Austin Water Forward program manager Marisa Flores Gonzalez sits down with Monitor reporter Jessi Devenyns to talk water conservation. Specifically, the pair dive into the city’s plan to ensure access to safe drinking water for the next 100 years. Curious to know what the plan entails? Ready to […]
Posted inWater
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 […]
Posted inWater
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 […]
Posted inWater
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 […]
Posted inWater
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 […]
Posted inWater
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 […]