[CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:03]
OKAY, GO AHEAD AND CONVENE US.
UM, WE'VE GOT A JOINT COMMITTEE MEETING HERE TODAY, SO I WILL, UH, CONVENE THE PORTION THAT IS THE AUSTIN ENERGY UTILITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING.
TODAY'S WEDNESDAY, MARCH THREE, 2021.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, WHICH IS THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL DOES HAVE A, DOES HAVE A CO UH, MAJORITY QUORUM HERE.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, KITCHEN.
UH, YES, I'LL CONVENE THE, UM, THE, UH, WATER COMMITTEE.
AND SO WE'RE CONVENIENT, YOU KNOW.
[1. Austin Energy February Winter Storm Event Briefing]
UM, TODAY WE'VE GOT THE BRIEFING IN THE FIRST HOUR FROM OUR AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF AND JUST TO KIND OF KIND OF CENTER US HERE BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF GROUND TO COVER TODAY IS GOING TO BE THE FIRST OF SEVERAL, UH, MEETINGS FOCUSED ON AUSTIN ENERGY AS WELL AS OTHER ISSUES.BUT TODAY THE PIECE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT TODAY FROM AUSTIN ENERGY, THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF SEVERAL MEETINGS OVER THE COMING MONTHS TO COVER ALL THE ISSUES, UH, THAT WE WANT TO COVER RELATED TO THE FEBRUARY WINTER STORM TODAY FOR THE AUSTIN ENERGY PORTION, WE JUST HAVE AN HOUR FROM ONE TO TWO, THE AUSTIN WATER UTILITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WAS GENEROUS ENOUGH TO SHARE THE FIRST PORTION OF THEIR REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING WITH US, WHICH IS HOW WE GOT THIS, UH, NICE JOINT MEETING.
UM, THE SECOND SERIES OF THIS, UH, THE SECOND MEETING OF THE SERIES WILL AGAIN BE A JOINT ONE WITH THE AUSTIN WATER UTILITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ON MARCH 31, WHICH IS THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED AUSTIN ENERGY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING.
UM, IN THAT MEETING SERIES CONTEXT, I'D LIKE US ALL TO BE THINKING, UM, AS OUR CONVERSATION CAN BE FRAMED AS HOW IT STARTED, HOW IT'S GOING AND WHAT'S AHEAD.
THIS WILL HELP US IN OUR REVIEW, UM, IN THE MONTHS AHEAD TO EXAMINE LESSONS LEARNED AND DETERMINE THE BEST PATH FORWARD FOR IMPROVEMENTS BECAUSE ALL OF US HERE AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN ARE COMMITTED TO, UM, BEST PRACTICES AND CONSTANT IMPROVEMENTS, UM, MINDSET FOR OUR PROFESSIONAL, UH, THE, THE, UM, SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE AT A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME WE HAVE FOR THIS FIRST MEETING, I THOUGHT IT'D BE HELPFUL TO START WITH SOME FOUNDATIONAL INFORMATION FROM AUSTIN ENERGY LEADERSHIP ABOUT THE UTILITY, AND THEN THEY WILL PRESENT US INCLUDED, UH, IN THIS PRESENTATION WILL BE A BROAD TIMELINE OF THE STORM EVENTS.
UM, WE'LL ALSO TALK ABOUT HOW AUSTIN ENERGY COMMUNICATED WITH THE PUBLIC AND ITS CUSTOMERS TODAY, AND THEN CLOSE WITH, IF WE HAVE TIME WITH A LISTING OF THE VARIOUS RELIEF OPPORTUNITIES THAT AUSTIN ENERGY HAS CRAFTED ALONG WITH THE OTHER THINGS THAT THE CITY IS DOING IN SUPPORT OF THE RESIDENTS WHO WERE WITHOUT POWER, UM, AND OTHER SERVICES FOR THAT PERIOD FROM FEBRUARY 11, TILL ABOUT FEBRUARY 18.
UM, I WANTED TO ASK MY VICE CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO TO MAKE SOME OPENING AND CENTERING REMARKS AS WELL, BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, THE, THE WORK THAT WE'RE ENGAGING IN IS, UH, THIS IS JUST THE, THE OPENING DOOR FOR A LOT OF WORK THAT WE WILL BE ACCOMPLISHING IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS SINCE MEMBER TOVA.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER POOLS.
SO LAST WEEK AT OUR, AT OUR COUNCIL MEETING, WE PASSED A MEASURE TO CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW THAT WOULD TAKE PLACE AT THE COUNCIL, UM, AS WELL AS A COMMUNITY TO, AS WELL AS ADD A COMMUNITY TASK FORCE.
UM, AND THE IFC THAT I'LL BE BRINGING FORWARD IS ALSO GOING TO HAVE A COMPONENT THAT IS, UM, UNDER THE AUDITORS SCOPE.
AND SO REALLY THE ONLY, THE ONLY POINT I WANTED TO MAKE TODAY IS THAT AS A COUNCIL, UM, OVER THE NEXT WEEK, I HOPE WE CAN BE IN CONVERSATION ON THE COUNCIL MESSAGE BOARD ABOUT HOW TO STRUCTURE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
THEY WILL CERTAINLY INCLUDE, UM, JUST GOT FORMAL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT AUSTIN ENERGY AND AUSTIN WATER, AS WELL AS OTHER ELEMENTS.
UM, SHELTER COMMUNICATION RUNS THROUGH ALL OF THEM, UM, FOOD DISTRIBUTION, WATER DISTRIBUTION, OTHER KINDS OF SUPPLY, AND HE HAS SEE RELATED ITEMS. SO WHAT I, WHAT I JUST WANTED TO AIR IS THAT, UM, IN TALKING WITH THE MAYOR, UM, WHO'S, UH, GOING TO BE A CO-SPONSOR ON THE IFC.
WE TALKED ABOUT HOW WE LAY OUT THE WORK PLAN.
AND SO COUNCIL MEMBER, I KNOW YOU SAID THE NEXT CONVERSATION WOULD BE THE 31ST AND I, AND CERTAINLY WE CAN TRY TO WORK THAT INTO THE WORK PLAN, BUT IT'S MY HOPE THAT, THAT WHEN WE PASS THE IFC, WE WILL CARVE OUT A CALENDAR THAT INCLUDES A CONVERSATION AT OUR WORK SESSIONS AND AT OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS UNTIL THE COUNCIL CAN KIND OF WORK THROUGH OUR, OUR WHOLE WORK PLAN.
I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE
[00:05:01]
LOOK AT THE, UM, EMERGENCY IN, IN A COMPREHENSIVE WAY, AND REALLY BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO SEGMENT OUT THOSE CONVERSATIONS AT WHICH, WHICH SPEAKERS WE WANT TO BE INCLUDED IN EACH OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS.AND SO THESE, THESE EFFORTS I THINK, WILL WORK SEAMLESSLY TOGETHER, BUT THEY ARE, UH, I HOPE PART OF THAT, THAT LARGER CALENDAR OF HOW WE'RE GOING TO UNDERTAKE THE REVIEW.
SO JUST TO UNDERSCORE SOMETHING YOU SAID, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO CONVEY TO THE PUBLIC THAT THIS IS A PIECE OF THE CONVERSATION, BUT THE BIG, ONLY THE BEGINNING OF THE CONVERSATION AND THAT WE ARE HOPING TO UNDERTAKE IT IN A COMPREHENSIVE WAY.
UM, AS WELL AS TO HAVE THE COMMUNITY TASK FORCE REALLY HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE PUBLIC AND HAVE OUR AUDITOR LOOK MORE, MORE CLOSELY AT CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF IT IN A, IN A MORE INTENSIVE WAY AS WELL.
THANK YOU FOR THAT COUNSELING AND RETIREMENT.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU, UM, WHAT THAT STRUCTURE LOOKS LIKE.
I DO KNOW THAT OUR AUSTIN ENERGY UTILITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE IS A PERFECT PLACE FOR US TO REALLY, REALLY FOCUS IN AND GO A LASER LIKE AND DIG REAL DEEP IN THE GROUND THAT IS SPECIFICALLY AND ONLY, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY, AS WELL AS THE OTHER STUFF THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING WITH AUSTIN ENERGY THIS YEAR, UH, WHEN WE WERE SETTING OUT OUR WORK PLAN FOR 2021.
SO, UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE WILL HAVE AMPLE TIME BETWEEN COMMITTEE WORK AND S AND FOCUSED, UM, WORK PLAN, WORK THAT WITH THE IFC THAT YOU'RE BRINGING TO, UH, UH, CERTAINLY COVER ALL OF THE AREAS AND ALSO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OUR FOLKS AND THE COMMUNITY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN AND GIVE US THEIR, THEIR INPUT.
UM, SO I'D LIKE TO NOW, UH, INVITE THE GENERAL MANAGER, UH, JACKIE SERGEANT TO COME, UH, ONTO THE, UH, TO UNMUTE HER MIC AND GIVE US A PRESENTATION.
THE FIRST PART IS TEXAS POWER GRID AND AUSTIN ENERGY.
UH, THE TEXAS POWER GRID IS UNDER THE STATE AUTHORITY, THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION AND ERCOT.
AND WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THAT.
NOW OVER THE LAST THREE WEEKS, WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOW AUSTIN ENERGY OPERATES AS A MUNICIPALLY OWNED UTILITY THERE.
AND, UM, THE GENERAL MANAGER WILL OFFER ON HER STAFF WILL OFFER A BROAD TIMELINE OF THE STORM EVENTS AND THE COMMUNICATIONS THAT WERE ISSUED FROM THE UTILITY AND TALK ALL THAT THROUGH.
WE'LL TAKE SOME QUESTIONS AT THE END OF THAT SEGMENT, AND WE'LL MOVE ON MORE SPECIFICALLY TO COMMUNICATIONS AND, UH, TAKE QUESTIONS ON THAT PORTION WHEN THAT'S DONE.
AND THEN HOPEFULLY HAVE SOME TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE RELIEF BEING OFFERED TO, UM, OUR RESIDENTS, UH, GENERAL MANAGER, SERGEANT, THANK YOU.
GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMITTEE CHAIR, VICE CHAIR, AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
I'M JACKIE
FIRST, LET ME SAY THAT WE AT AUSTIN ENERGY SHARE THE FRUSTRATION THAT OUR CUSTOMERS AND EVERYONE HERE FEELS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE RECENT WINTER STORM EVENTS, THE OUTAGE DURATION SEVERITY, AND THE INABILITY FOR US TO ROTATE OUTAGES WAS UNACCEPTABLE.
THEY ENDURED SIGNIFICANT HARDSHIP FOR THAT.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU TO DO A BETTER JOB OF PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITY FROM THESE EVENTS IN THE FUTURE.
AS WE REVIEW THE ACTIONS THAT TOOK PLACE, WE WILL LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO HARDEN OUR SYSTEMS, ENHANCE OUR RESPONSE EFFORTS AND IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS.
OUR CITY, OUR COMMUNITY, AND OUR STATE MUST BE BETTER PREPARED FOR THE NEXT SEVERE MULTI-DAY WEATHER EVENT FOR AUSTIN ENERGY AND OUR CUSTOMERS.
THE CHALLENGES BEGAN WITH AN ICE STORM ON 11TH BEFORE THE ERCOT EMERGENCY BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 15TH.
THIS STORM HIT THE AUSTIN AREA HARDER THAN THE REST OF THE STATE, AND IT HIT THE NORTHWEST PART OF OUR SERVICE TERRITORY, PARTICULARLY HARD.
THIS STORM WAS FAR GREATER THAN ANY OF THE EXTREME WINTER WEATHER SCENARIOS MODELED BY ERCOT THAT ARE USED BY ALL ELECTRIC MARKET PARTICIPANTS FOR PLANNING.
NO ONE IMAGINED THAT WE WOULD EVER BE REQUIRED TO SHED SO MUCH LOAD SO QUICKLY AND FOR SO LONG IN ORDER TO KEEP THE ENTIRE ERCOT GRID FROM COLLAPSING IN 2011, THE ERCOT ENERGY EMERGENCY LASTED ONLY SIX HOURS AND AUSTIN ENERGY WAS REQUIRED TO SHED 158 MEGAWATTS OF CUSTOMER LOAD BY COMPARISON, STARTING FEBRUARY 15TH, OR CUT DIRECTED AUSTIN ENERGY TO SHED MORE THAN 700 MEGAWATTS
[00:10:02]
FOUR AND A HALF TIMES MORE THAN 2011 AND LASTING FOR THREE DAYS.THIS AMOUNT OF LOAD SHED WAS SO EXTRAORDINARY THAT WE HAD NO OTHER AVAILABLE CIRCUITS TO ROTATE CUSTOMER OUTAGES, AXED OUT UNAVAILABLE CIRCUITS TO ROTATE OUTAGES.
AT THAT POINT WOULD HAVE ENDANGERED CRITICAL LOADS, SUCH AS HOSPITALS, COMMUNICATIONS, INFRASTRUCTURE, WATER, TREATMENT PLANTS, AND PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES, ASTON ENERGY WORKED WITH ERCOT AND THE PUC TO AVOID A CATASTROPHIC GRID FAILURE.
SUCH A FAILURE WOULD HAVE REQUIRED WEEKS AND POTENTIALLY LONGER TO RESTORE POWER TO ALL CUSTOMERS IN THE ERCOT GRID.
FOLLOWING THE INITIATION OF THE ERCOT EMERGENCY.
A SECOND WINTER STORM BROUGHT EVEN MORE FREEZING RAIN, ICE AND SNOW THAT CONTINUED FOR THREE MORE DAYS.
AUSTIN ENERGY WORKED TIRELESSLY TO RESTORE POWER OUTAGES FOR CUSTOMERS IN DANGEROUS WEATHER CONDITIONS.
AS WE GET INTO THE DETAILS OF EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED, YOU MAY HEAR US TALK A LOT ABOUT THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF THINGS, BUT I WANT TO MAKE, MAKE IT CLEAR THAT HOW WE CARRY OUT OUR FUNCTIONS OR HOW ERCOT WORKS IS NOT MEANT TO DEFLECT OR TO OBSCURE OUR DUTY OF CARE AND COMPASSION FOR PEOPLE.
AND TO MAKE SURE OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE ELECTRICITY.
WE ARE PUBLIC SERVANTS, AND WE TAKE OUR DUTY TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND OUR COMMUNITY.
NOW THAT WE HAVE RESTORED OUR SYSTEM, WE ARE WORKING TO IDENTIFY HOW TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS.
AS A CITY COUNCIL FULFILLS ITS ROLE AS AUSTIN ENERGY'S GOVERNING BODY.
YOU HAVE MY COMMITMENT THAT WE WILL WORK TOWARD MAKING IMPROVEMENTS FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
WE MUST WORK TOGETHER TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS THIS EMERGENCY AND PLAN FOR THE FUTURE.
I WOULD LIKE TO CLOSE BY SAYING HOW THANKFUL I AM TO ALL UTILITY WORKERS HERE IN AUSTIN AND ACROSS THIS STATE FOR THEIR HEROIC EFFORTS.
THANK YOU FOR WORKING TIRELESSLY, EVEN WHEN FACED WITH YOUR OWN PERSONAL CHALLENGES TO RESTORE SERVICE TO CUSTOMERS TODAY, AS REQUESTED BY THE COMMITTEE CHAIR AND CONSIDERATION OF THE TIME AVAILABLE, OUR PRE PRESENTATION WILL FOCUS ON THE TIMELINE OF EVENTS AND A SUMMARY OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS PROCEEDING.
AND DURING THE EVENTS WE WILL TOUCH ON CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND BILL RELIEF MEASURES.
AND FINALLY, WE'LL SHARE INFORMATION REGARDING POLICY DISCUSSIONS AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE ACTIVITIES.
I APPRECIATE THAT WE CAN'T COVER EVERYTHING TODAY AND UNDERSTAND THAT WE WILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FUTURE TO ADDRESS OTHER TOPICS IN GREATER DETAIL THAT I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER SIDNEY JACKSON FOR AN OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW OF THE EVENTS THAT TRANSPIRED SYDNEY.
THANK YOU, GENERAL MANAGER AND GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, COUNCILMEN OR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND CITY AND CITY MANAGER.
AGAIN, MY NAME IS SYDNEY JACKSON.
I'M THE DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AT AUSTIN ENERGY.
AND MY OBJECTIVE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MINUTES IS TO GO OVER THE TIMELINE OR MAJOR EVENTS LEADING TO DURING AND AFTER THE WINTER STORE OR POLAR VORTEX THAT BEGAN THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH, AND IT CONTINUED MOST OF THE NEXT WEEK OR THE FOLLOWING DAYS WHILE ALSO, UM, THAT STORM BEING INSIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR TO THE ERC HIGHEST EMERGENCY THAT RESULTED IN SEVERE EMERGENCY LOAD SHED.
FOLLOWING MY BRIEF REMARKS, OUR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION, MS. RISSA MONROY WILL ADDRESS OUR EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS THAT OCCURRED BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER ELECTRICAL, UH, THE ELECTRIC GRID EMERGENCY.
WINTER STORM THAT IMPACTED AUSTIN WAS A HUNDRED YEAR STORM EVENT.
AND THAT A HUNDRED YEAR WINTER STORM AFFECTED MUCH OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL PORTION OF THE UNITED STATES.
AS WE ALL KNOW, THE STORM COULD REALLY BE CATEGORIZED AS A CONTINUING STORM, AND IT WAS UNIQUE TO AUSTIN GEOGRAPHY, UM, AND DIFFERENT.
IT WAS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER TEXAS METRO AREAS.
THE STORM IS REALLY A WAVE AFTER WAVE OF STORMS, LEAVING SNOW ICE, FREEZING RAIN IN MULTIPLE BOUTS THAT CODED OUR IN AN ADDITIVE MANNER.
SO IT WAS A UNIQUE STORM EVENT IN MANY WAYS.
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TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND STORM RESPONSE.AUSTIN ENERGY WAS FOCUSED ON THIS WEATHER FORECAST.
WE HAD THE RECENT EXPERIENCE OF THE JANUARY 10TH AND JANUARY 11TH SNOW EVENT THAT OCCURRED THE PREVIOUS MONTH.
OUR COMMAND STRUCTURE WAS IN PLACE PRIOR TO THE STORM.
OUR CREWS WERE SCHEDULED IN ANTICIPATION OF THE STORM.
IN SHORT, WE WERE MOBILIZED TO RESPOND IN TERMS OF OUR STRATEGIC PREPARATION.
AS STRATEGIC TIMES, OUR CREWS WERE EVEN SEQUESTERED TO ASSURE THEIR AVAILABILITY, TO INCLUDE FIELD CREWS, POWER, PLANT PERSONNEL CONTROL AND PERSONNEL, ALL IN EFFORTS TO ASSURE THAT WE CAN RESTORE CUSTOMERS AND STAKEHOLDERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, AS THIS SLIDE SHOWS, UH, THE DEGREE OF ICE FORMED ON EDUCATION ON VEGETATION WAS SIGNIFICANT RESULTING IN NUMEROUS OUTAGES.
AS WE HAVE COMMUNICATED PREVIOUSLY FALLING DEBRIS, VEGETATION CONTACT WITH POWER LINES, POWER LINES, SYKES ACTIVE, THE WEIGHT OF ICE, AND MORE OVER THE RESTORATION FOR OUR STAFF AND EMPLOYEES IN THE FIELD WAS DIFFICULT AND HARSH AS IT WAS CONDUCTED IN EXTREME CONDITIONS OR EXTREME TEMPERATURES, LOW TEMPERATURES, UH, AS WELL.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE PROBABLY WANT TO SPEND THE BULK OF MY COMMENTS AROUND THIS SLIDE.
THIS SLIDE SPEAKS TO THE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS OUTAGE AT ANY GIVEN TIME IS PROBABLY OF KEEN INTEREST TO, TO ALL OF YOU.
IT'S BIFURCATED INTO THREE BOXES.
UH, THE YELLOW BOX ON THE LEFT, THE ORANGE BOX IN THE MIDDLE AND A MORE DARK COLORED BLUISH DARK BOX ON THE RIGHT, LOOKING AT THE YELLOW ORANGE COATED BOX ON THE LEFT.
IT REPRESENTS OUTAGE CUSTOMERS THAT PRIOR TO THE ERCOT LOAD SHED, THAT WOULD BE THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY, ESSENTIALLY THE FEBRUARY 11TH TO THE 14TH TIMEFRAME.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR PEAK OUTAGE CUSTOMERS WAS 33,000 DUE TO THAT THURSDAY, FRIDAY STORM.
AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE YELLOW BOX ONLY, AND THAT IS DESPITE TWO WAVES OF ICE AND SNOW THAT CAME THROUGH THE SERVICE TERRITORY.
THE RESTORATION DURING THIS PHASE WAS MADE PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT DUE TO WHAT WE CALL PRE REPEATED OUTAGES ON THE SAME CIRCUIT.
UM, THIS WAS A COMMONPLACE OCCURRENCE AS WE HAD WAVE AFTER WAVE OF STORMS COME THROUGH.
SO WOULD WE WOULD RESTORE CIRCUIT AND RE-ENERGIZE ONLY TO BE FACED WITH, UH, UH, CONTINUING FALLING DEBRIS ON THE SAME OUTAGE AND MANY, UH, SINCE THIS COULD BE CATEGORIZED AS REWORK AND REWORK AND REWORK, UH, JUST TO THE DEGREE OF THE STORM, UH, THE CONTINUATION OF THE STORM AND THE, AND THE PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF ICE, AS YOU KNOW, OUR GOAL IS TO RESTORE ALL CUSTOMERS AS SOON AND AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE.
AND AS WE CROSSED INTO SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING, EFFECTIVELY, ALL OUR CUSTOMERS WERE RESTORED.
AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE YELLOW BOXES, WE GET TO THE RIGHT END OF THE YELLOW BOX.
ESSENTIALLY ALL OUR CUSTOMERS WERE RESTORED, BUT AGAIN, WE HAD CONTINUING STORMS. AND AS WE APPROACH SUNDAY, GOING INTO MONDAY, WE DID HAVE RE OUTAGES THAT OCCUR ONE DUE TO THE OUTAGES THAT I MENTIONED, AND ALSO DUE TO CONTINUING STORMS. SO AS WE APPROACHED THE ORANGE BOX IN THE MIDDLE, AND THIS IS WHERE WE HAD THE, THE ERCOT EVENT, WE WERE UP TO APPROXIMATELY 822 CUSTOMERS THAT TRANSITIONED FROM THE YELLOW BOX INTO THE ERCOT EVENT.
AND, UM, LET'S TRANSITION INTO THE RED BOX.
THE RED COATED BOXES I MENTIONED REPRESENTS OUT AS CUSTOMERS DURING THE ERCOT LOAD SHED EVENTS.
SO OUR MAXIMUM WAS 33,000, UH, NORMALLY IN THE YELLOW BOX, AS WE GOT INTO THE RED BOX, OUR MAXIMUM CUSTOMERS THAT WERE OUTAGE DUE TO A LOAD SHED, A MANUAL ERCOT LOAD SHED WAS 220,000 CUSTOMERS, OBVIOUSLY, ORDER OF MAGNITUDE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE YELLOW AND THE RED BOX.
AND AGAIN, THIS WAS THE RESULT OF MANDATORY AND SEVERE ERCOT LOAD SHED DIRECTIVES, APPROXIMATELY 44% OF OUR CUSTOMERS DUE TO A MURDER EMERGENCY GRID DIRECTIVES TO BRING LOAD IN LINE WITH EMBEDDABLE GENERATION.
AND AGAIN, AT THE DIRECTION OF HER CAR, ANY CUSTOMERS OFTEN ASK WHY COULDN'T AUSTIN ENERGY COMMUNICATE WHEN THEY WOULD BE RESTORED AGAIN, LOOKING AT THE RED BOX AND DURING THE, DURING THE ERCOT LOAD SHED PHASE, ERCOT HAS A GRID AUTHORITY ISSUE, THE DIRECTORS TO AUSTIN ENERGY TO EXECUTE THOSE LOAD SHEDS.
DURING THIS EA THREE EMERGENCY SEGMENT, AUSTIN ENERGY WAS TOLD HOW MUCH TO SHED AND WHEN TO SHED AND WHEN TO RESTORE AGAIN AT THE DIRECTOR OF ERCOT.
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JUST THROUGH THE VOLATILITY OF CUSTOMERS COMING IN AND OUT AS SHOWN BY THE GRAPHIC, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR AUSTIN ENERGY TO HAVE A VIEW OF WHERE ERCOT MIGHT GO.AS YOU KNOW, ERCOT HAS TELEMETRY TO MOST EVERY GENERATION FACILITY OR A PERMISSION FACILITY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
ERCOT HAS THE SYSTEM, THE STATEWIDE VANTAGE POINT AND THE CHARTER AUTHORIZATION AS WELL.
AND THEY MAKE THOSE DIRECTORS BASED ON THAT AUSTIN ENERGY DOES NOT HAVE THAT BREADTH OF, AS YOU KNOW, OUR MANDATE WAS TO EXECUTE ROTATING OUTAGES DURING THE ERCOT LOAD SHED EVENT.
AND AS OUR GENERAL MANAGER HAS PREVIOUSLY COMMUNICATED, UM, OUR SYSTEMS, WE'RE STANDING BY OUR SYSTEMS, WE'RE AT THE READY TO EXECUTE OKAY FOR ROTATION ALLEDGING ROTATING OUTAGES.
BUT AS YOU HEARD, THE DEPTH OF THE LOAD SHED PER WAS, WAS SO SEVERE THAT TO EXECUTE AND OUTAGE ROTATION WOULD HAVE HAD ONE POTENTIAL COMPROMISE THE CRITICAL LOADS, VERTICAL LOADS, SUCH AS POLICE, FIRE, EMERGENCY RESPONDERS, OR POTENTIALLY HAVE DIMINISHING RETURNS DUE TO COLD LOAD PICKUP, OR IN RUSH, ESSENTIALLY PICKING UP COLD.
LOGAN HAS NOT HAD THE DIVERSITY CAN RESULT AT TIMES UP TO THREE TIMES THE SUSTAINED LOAD VERSUS A SINGULAR LOAD THAT HAD WAS WARM AND ESSENTIALLY HAD HEATING DIVERSITY ON IT.
UM, AGAIN, LOOKING AT THE RED BOX AS YOU LOOK TO THE BACK END OF THE RED BOX, FORTUNATELY TOWARDS THE BACK END OF THAT TIME PERIOD, ERCOT, WHILE STILL IN EEA THREE, THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL OF EMERGENCY WAS ALLOWING A RESTORATION AT THEIR DIRECTOR AND AUSTIN ENERGY COMPLIED WITH THAT DIRECTIVE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE TO STORE LOAD HAS THE GREENEST BOX ON THE RIGHT INDICATES MUCH OF THAT AS THE RESTORATION PHASE.
AND THAT OCCURRED THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY TIMEFRAME, ESSENTIALLY FEBRUARY 18TH, 19TH, AND 20 AUSTIN ENERGY RESTORED GREATER THAN 99% OF OUR CUSTOMERS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH, AROUND 12 NOON.
AND THAT WAS IN PART AIDED BY FEDEX, UH, FAVORABLE WEATHER.
SO THOSE THREE TRANSITION BOXES ARE AN ATTEMPT TO DESCRIBE THE TIMELINE DESCRIBED AS SEVERITY AND DESATTING.
DESCRIBE THE ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES THAT WERE GOING ON SIMULTANEOUSLY DURING THOSE PERIODS.
UM, THIS NEXT TIMELINE KIND OF HAS A BIT OF A DIFFERENT EMPHASIS, BUT VERY SIMILAR.
IT EMPHASIZES THE WAVE AFTER WAVE OF STORMS THAT WERE OCCURRING, UH, THE DIFFICULT RESTORATION OCDISH, UM, CONDITIONS, UH, THE CLOSE TRAFFIC CORRIDORS OF THE SUSTAINED POLAR VORTEX, THE BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES, UH, AND SOME OF THE OTHER CHALLENGES THAT I'VE PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED.
THIS SLIDE SPEAKS TO THE UNPRECEDENTED NATURE OF THE NEAR COLLAPSE OF ELECTRIC GRID.
I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD THAT IS ACTUALLY AS A GRAPH OF THE FREQUENCY OVER A 30 MINUTE PERIOD.
UM, THE IDEAL FREQUENCY IS 60 HERTZ AS WE'RE ALL AWARE.
UM, AND I JUST WANT TO TALK, TALK ABOUT THE LOAD SHED THAT OCCURRED OVER THIS 30 MINUTE PERIOD OVER THIS 30 MINUTE PERIOD FROM THE LEFT-HAND OF THE GRAPH TO THE RIGHT HAND AND THE GRAPH ERCOT EXECUTED FIVE SEPARATE AND DISTINCT LOAD SHED DIRECTORS, ALL WITH THE PURPOSE OF DESPERATELY TRYING TO SAVE THE ELECTRIC GRID, OBVIOUSLY ALSO ARREST FREQUENCY COLLAPSE AS THE SYSTEM FREQUENCY WAS FAST.
HE CAME SO LOOKING AT THIS GRAPH, ALL THE INDICATIONS IN RED ARE LOAD SHED.
SO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TIMEFRAME TO THE LEFT OF THE GRAPH, A THOUSAND MEGAWATTS WAS LOAD SHED BY ERCOT DIRECTOR THAT AT THE ONE 23, AN INCREMENTAL A THOUSAND MEGAWATTS WAS SHED AS YOU MOVE FURTHER TO THE RIGHT, UM, 25 MINUTES LATER.
AND AGAIN, THE FREQUENCY IS STARTING TO DEGRADE DEGRADE FURTHER FIVE MINUTES AFTER THAT, AND INCREMENTAL 3000 MEGAWATTS WAS LOAD SHED, AND YOU CAN SEE THE FREQUENCY IS DEGRADING FURTHER AT A DANGEROUSLY LOW 59 POINT ALMOST 59.3 HERTZ.
AGAIN, OUR TARGET IS 60 HERTZ, AND THEN FOUR MINUTES LATER, AN INCREMENTAL 3,500 MEGAWATTS OF LOAD SHIT AGAIN.
AND THEN SEVEN MINUTES LATER, THE FIFTH LOAD SHED EVENT INSIDE THIS 30 MINUTE WINDOW OF AN INCREMENTAL 2000 MEGAWATTS.
THIS SHOWS HOW DIRE THE SITUATION WAS.
UM, AND THESE LOW CHET'S EVENT EVENTS NEEDED TO ARREST FREQUENCY, DECAY, AUSTIN ENERGY, AND OTHER TRANSMISSION PROVIDERS AND DISTRIBUTION
[00:25:01]
PROVIDERS PASS COMPLIANCE WITH THESE CORRECT DIRECTORS WERE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR.AS I MENTIONED TO RESTORING ELECTRIC GRID STABILITY, MOVING TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO THE QUESTION OFTEN BECOMES HOW DID AUSTIN ENERGY'S GENERATION PORTFOLIO PERFORM, AS YOU CAN SEE AUSTIN'S GENERATION EXCEEDED LOAD IN MOST INCIDENTS INSTANCES, THE LOAD BEING THE BLACK LINE, AS YOU CAN SEE THERE IN THIS COLOR ABOVE THAT BLACK LINE, AUSTIN ENERGY GENERATION RESOURCES WERE MADE AVAILABLE TO ERCOT, UH, AND MOREOVER AUSTIN ENERGY'S RENEWABLE RESOURCES OR MEASURABLE AND IMPACTFUL, AND NOT ONLY ASSISTING ERCOT MEET DEMAND, BUT WHILE ALSO EXISTING AUSTIN ENERGY IN TERMS OF MINIMIZING OR MITIGATING OUR PRICE VOLATILITY, UH, TO THE PER PRICE SWINGS.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE NOTATION IN RED, UH, POINTING TO OUR, OUR LOAD.
AND THAT'S WHERE IT WAS CURTAILED BY.
I STARTED TO GET CURTAILED BY ERCOT LOAD SHED DIRECTIVES.
AND I MOVED TO MY LAST TWO SLIDES AS COUNCIL MEMBER POOL SAID, WHAT'S AHEAD.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
AND AS A CONTINUOUSLY LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS, ONE OF THE MOST VISIBLE IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES IS OUR OUTAGE GRAPH.
AND THAT IS WHAT'S HERE TODAY.
WHILE QUANTITATIVELY THE OUTAGE GRAPH DID PROVIDE THE BIG PICTURE DATA, TOTAL OUTAGES, TOTAL INSISTENCE, TOTAL CUSTOMERS OUTAGE.
UH, THE MORE GRANULAR GRAPH COULD BE IMPROVED SUCH THAT CUSTOMERS, ALL CUSTOMERS, NOT JUST THE VAST MAJORITY, BUT ALL CUSTOMERS CAN GRAPHICALLY DRILL DOWN TO THEIR SERVICE AREA AND GAIN A BETTER FEEDBACK, UH, AS TO THE OUTAGE SITUATION.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS JUST A SNAPSHOT IN TIME.
UH, THE OUTAGES WERE WELL DISPERSED ACROSS THE WHOLE SERVICE TERRITORY AND MOVING TO MY LAST SLIDE, LOOKING AT CONSIDERATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT.
SOME OF THOSE CONSIDERATIONS INCLUDE WE ARE REACHING OUT TO EVERY, THAT IS AN ACRONYM FOR ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH IN INDUSTRY TO ASSIST AUSTIN ENERGY.
AND OUR AFTER INCIDENT WOULD VIEW EVERY IS ONE OF THE LEADING ELECTRICAL POWER RESEARCH ARMS IN OUR INDUSTRY.
THERE'S OTHER TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT.
SOME OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES MAY BE A POTENTIAL, UM, CANDIDATE.
UH, AGAIN, THEY WILL REQUIRE FURTHER REVIEW SMART, UM, DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS OR SMARTER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS OR MORE INHERENT AUTO SWITCHING, MAYBE SOMETHING WORTH CONSIDERING, UH, EXPANDED USE OF THE AMI BUSINESS CASE COULD BE A POTENTIAL, BUT THERE'S MANY OTHERS ARE AFTER AN ACTION ARE AFTER ACTIONS REVIEW.
UH, WE'LL BRING MANY OF THOSE TO LIGHT.
IN SUMMARY, WE HAVE CONTINUED WORK TO DO ON THE POST OF VALUE VALUATION, AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY INCLUDES WORKING WITH ALL OUR STAKEHOLDERS, POLICY MAKERS, COUNCIL MEMBERS, CUSTOMERS, AND INDUSTRY REGULATION, INDUSTRY REGULATORS, WITH THOSE CONCLUDING REMARKS, OUR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION, MISS RISSA MONTEREY WILL SPEAK TO OUR EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS BOTH BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE ELECTRIC GRID EMERGENCY ORISSA.
ARE WE GOING TO ASK QUESTIONS AFTER EACH SEGMENT BEFORE WE GET INTO THE NEXT TOPIC? YEAH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE, UH, USEFUL, UH, RECOGNIZING THAT WE HAVE JUST UNDER 20, WE HAVE ABOUT 25 MINUTES LEFT FOR THAT.
UM, I DID WANT TO, UM, WE CHECKED FIX THAT LAYOUT SO I CAN SEE EVERYBODY ON THE PIECE THAT MR. JACKSON, UM, JUST GAVE US WITH THE, UH, GRAPH THAT SHOWS THE PRECIPITOUS DROP OF ENERGY, THE FAST, UM, SUCCESSION OF, UH, THE MANDATES TO SHED THAT CAME DOWN AND OUT TYPE TIME, PERIOD.
UM, AND THE FACT THAT WE WERE CLOSE TO, UH, THE ENTIRE SYSTEM GOING BLACK, UH, THAT PORTION THAT WE JUST NOW TALKED ABOUT.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO ASK AT THIS POINT? YES.
I HAVE A SERIES OF QUESTIONS AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE'LL BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THEM ALL TODAY, BUT I WAS WONDERING, AND I, AND YOU MAY HAVE THIS INFORMATION ON THAT GRAPH.
UM, COULD YOU GIVE US SOME SENSE OF HOW MUCH THROUGHOUT THE EMERGENCY, HOW MUCH, UM, AUSTIN ANDREW ANDRAGOGY WAS GENERATING COMPARED TO WHAT WE WERE PULLING OFF THE GRID? DO WE HAVE A SLIDE THAT REFLECTS THAT? CAN, UH,
[00:30:01]
CAN WE PULL UP SLIDE NUMBER NINE, PLEASE? YEAH.I WONDER IF THIS ONE MIGHT BE SHOWING, SHOWING US THAT YOU CAN SEE WHERE OUR LOAD WAS AT ANY GIVEN TIME HERE, AND THEN YOU CAN ALSO SEE WHERE OUR GENERATION WAS.
IN MOST CASES, OUR, OUR GENERATION WAS AN EXCESS OF THAT.
SO IN OTHER WORDS, ARE OUR PLANTS WE'RE GENERATING MORE FOR THE GRID THAN AUSTIN ENERGY CUSTOMERS WERE ABLE TO ACTUALLY RETRIEVE FROM THE GRID BECAUSE OF THE MANDATED OUTAGES.
THAT'S CORRECT WITH EMPHASIS UPON, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, AS YOU SAID, DUE TO MANDATORY LOAD SHED WAS DIMINISHED ON THOSE TWO PLACES WHERE THE DIPS ARE, UM, REALLY SIGNIFICANT.
THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT GAP BETWEEN, UM, THE LOAD AND, AND OUR GENERATION.
UM, CAN YOU ADDRESS THOSE? AND ALSO, I GUESS, COULD YOU ADDRESS MORE GENERALLY HOW AUSTIN ENERGY, UM, WHERE, AND YOU MAY NOT HAVE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION YET, BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE CONTRACTS AND THEN WE HAVE OUR OWN PLANTS, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THE QUESTION OF HOW WE WENT.
ARRISED HOW WE WINTERIZED OUR OWN PLANTS.
AND ALSO, UM, TO WHAT EXTENT THAT'S BUILT INTO OUR CONTRACTS WITH OTHER GENERATION.
AND, AND THEN COULD YOU ADDRESS, UH, WHETHER THERE WERE OUTAGES THAT ACCOUNT FOR THOSE GAPS BETWEEN LOAD AND GENERATION ON THIS GRAPH ON NINE? WELL, LET ME, UM, DEFER TO, UM, OUR VICE PRESIDENT, BUT BEFORE I GET TO THAT, UM, WE DO HAVE THOSE GAPS AND OFTENTIMES THOSE GAPS ARE GIVEN BECAUSE WE'RE PROVIDING ANCILLARY SERVICE SPENDING RESERVE OR SOME TYPE OF RESERVE.
SO IT'S SOMEWHAT MISLEADING BECAUSE WE HAVE GENERATION THAT WAS PERHAPS NOT FULLY MAXED OUT BECAUSE WE WERE PROVIDING RESERVE TO THE MARKET.
SO THERE'S A, THERE'S THIS, THERE'S A SECONDARY SUBPLOT THERE.
AND CAN WE OPEN, UH, MR. VICE PRESIDENT, PAT SWAYZE IN REGARD TO WINTERIZATION? AND AGAIN, THERE'S MORE COMING ON THIS.
I THINK PAT CAN GIVE YOU SOME VERY BRIEF, UH, HIGH-LEVEL COMMENTS, MR. UM, MR. JACKSON, BEFORE YOU TURN IT OVER TO MR. SWEENEY, SO THAT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE RESERVES THAT SOME OF OUR GENERATION WAS BEING HELD IN RESERVES, THAT'S PART OF THE 15% RESERVES BREAD WISE, THE 15% OF THE RESERVES THAT THE GRID.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT SPECIFIC THRESHOLD.
UM, ERICA, YOU, UH, OUR VICE PRESIDENT, UH, ERICA
CAN YOU ADDRESS THAT PLEASE? I MEAN, JUST LISTENING TO THE, I'M JUST TRYING TO MATCH THIS UP WITH THE HEARINGS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE AT THE STATE AND THE CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW MUCH RESERVES ARE ON HAND AT ANY ONE TIME.
AND IT SOUNDED LIKE THAT THRESHOLD WAS 15%.
AND I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS IN THOSE AREAS WHERE THERE WERE GAPS, SOME OF OUR GENERATION WAS GOING TOWARD THAT RESERVE.
I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT SAME RESERVE.
GENERALLY SPEAKING, UH, ERCOT CAN CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF RESERVES DEPENDING ON THE SEASON, BUT TYPICALLY SPEAKING, WE HAVE 5,000 MEGAWATTS OF OPERATING RESERVE.
UH, ERICA, ARE YOU AVAILABLE TO JOIN? UH, SH SHE NEEDS TO BE MOVED OVER MODERATOR.
WE CAN COME BACK TO THAT IF YOU WANT.
I MEAN, IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, IF YOU WANT TO MOVE ON TO MR. SWEENEY AND CIRCLE BACK TO ERIC ON THAT QUESTION.
CAN YOU, CAN WE HEAR YOU? I THINK SHE JUST NEEDS TO TURN HER MIC ON WHY DON'T WE MOVE TO, UM, PAT SWEENEY THEN, UM, TO ANSWER CUSTOMER VITO'S FIRST QUESTION, AND THEN IF MS. BEARISH BOT CAN, CAN GET ACCESS TO THEM, WE'LL GRAB IT AT MR. SWEENEY.
THE QUESTION WAS ABOUT MOTORIZATION, GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS.
SO ALL OF OUR GENERATORS, UM, DO, DO GO THROUGH A WINTERIZATION PROCESS.
SO THIS IS DONE IN THE FALL LEADING UP TO WINTER.
UH, THERE IT'S A PRESCRIBED ACTIVITY BY ERCOT.
IN FACT, WE REPORT THIS END TO ERCOT AS DO ALL GENERATORS THAT IT'S COMPLETED.
UM, AND THEY CAN, FROM TIME TO TIME, THEY DO ONSITE INSPECTIONS, UH, BUT THEIR SPOT INSPECTIONS, THEY DON'T INSPECT EVERY SINGLE UNIT.
SO AS WE HAVE IN THE PAST, WE, WE DID COMPLETE OUR WINTERIZATION PROCESSES AND THEY VARY BY THE PLANT AND THE TYPE OF FACILITY.
SO THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT ALL EXACTLY THE SAME, BUT THE, BUT THE GIST OF THEM IS THE SAME.
AND THAT IS TO, UH, PROTECT THE UNITS, UH, FROM EXTREME COLD OR COLD WEATHER.
UM, AND SO THAT WAS DONE, UH, THAT, THAT
[00:35:01]
DOES NOT CHANGE THE OUTCOME THAT, THAT, UH, WE AND OTHER GENERATORS DID HAVE ISSUES FROM TIME TO TIME WITH THE EXTREME COLD THAT, THAT WE ACTUALLY INCURRED.UH, WE'RE FORTUNATE IN THAT, UH, FOR THE MOST PART, UH, UH, OUR GENERATORS AT WHILE THEY DID INCUR SOME ISSUES WITH COLD WEATHER AND TYPICALLY WHAT THESE ARE FOR US, AND EVEN MORE BROADLY ARE, UH, UH, SENSING OR CONTROL LINES THAT FREEZE UP, UH, THESE, THESE CAN CONTAIN MOISTURE IN THEM.
AND AT CERTAIN TEMPERATURES, IF THOSE LINES FREEZE UP, THEY LOSE A CONNECTION TO THE CONTROL SYSTEM.
THE CONTROL SYSTEM SAYS NEED TO TURN THINGS OFF BEFORE THEY COMPLETELY BREAK, AND THEY DO THAT.
UH, AND, AND, AND THAT'S, THAT'S, WE EXPERIENCED A BIT OF THAT AS DID MANY OTHER FOLKS, UH, FORTUNATELY FOR US, WE'RE ABLE TO TURN BACK AROUND, UH, THOSE ISSUES RELATIVELY QUICKLY.
PROBABLY THE BIGGEST EXCEPTION FOR US WAS, IS THAT THE SOUTH TEXAS NUCLEAR PROJECT, UM, IN, IN SOMEWHERE, SOMEWHERE ISSUE THERE, UH, BUT, UH, AS A NUCLEAR FACILITY, THEY HAVE A MORE EXTENSIVE SET OF PROTOCOLS THAT THEY HAVE TO FOLLOW, UH, BEFORE THEY CAN, UH, COME ALL THE WAY BACK UP.
AND SO THEY, THEY UNDERTOOK THEIR PROCESS THAT TOOK A BIT LONGER, BUT, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S A SHORT VERSION, UH, THAT I CAN GIVE YOU IF THERE'S SOME UP, I CAN TRY AND ANSWER THAT.
I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN A MORE IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THAT.
UM, AND I, AND I SAW THAT STP THAT WAS SOUTH TEXAS WAS DOWN FOR A BIT.
UM, DO YOU HAVE A, UH, PER SE, DO YOU KNOW WHAT CAPACITY OUR PLANTS WERE OPERATING AT THROUGH THE WEEK, OR IS THAT INFORMATION THAT YOU COULD PROVIDE US WITH AFTER? UM, SO I CAN'T GIVE YOU A QUICK, UH, IT'S NOT AN EASY ANSWER JUST TO ARTICULATE HERE, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, GOING BACK TO MR. JACKSON'S US FLIGHT, NUMBER NINE, YOU GET A SENSE OF THAT.
UH, HE DID, UH, THAT, THAT SLIDE NUMBER NINE.
I REALIZED, I DON'T THINK IT'S UP IN FRONT OF US HERE CURRENTLY, BUT, UH, IT DOES GIVE YOU A SENSE OF THE OVERALL OUTPUT FROM THE GENERATORS, AS IT VARIED THROUGH THE COURSE OF TIME, UH, AS WAS ALLUDED TO, UH, IN THE PERIODS PRIOR REALLY PRIOR TO 20, UH, I'M SORRY TO THE 15TH WHERE YOU SEE SOME DIFFERENCES IN DIPS, THEIR PRICES WERE LOWER.
AND SO OUTPUT DIPS, UH, ACCORDINGLY THEY'RE NOT NEEDED, THEY'RE THERE, THERE'S BETTER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE MARKET.
UH, AND SO ON, SOME OF THAT IS AS WAS ALSO REFERENCED, UH, UH, WHAT ARE CALLED ONLINE OR ANCILLARY SERVICE RESERVES.
THAT'S WHERE GENERATOR IS NOT FULLY LOADED, BUT CAN RESPOND QUICKLY, MOVE UP, UH, TO EVENTS ON THE GRID.
THOSE ARE INTENTIONALLY, UH, UH, UH, DONE BY ERCOT TO AVOID OR TO ADDRESS ISSUES THAT OCCUR IN THE SHORT RUN WITH THE GENERATOR GOES AWAY.
UH, SO SOME OF THAT'S EMBEDDED IN THERE AS WELL.
UH, BUT, UH, UM, ULTIMATELY TO PROVIDE A BREAK DOWN OF THE INDIVIDUAL GENERATORS OVER THE SAME PERIOD AND GIVE THAT THAT'S A DIFFERENT LOOK THAN THIS ONE ALSO COUNSELED YOU REGARDING YOUR 15% QUESTION.
I BELIEVE YOU WERE SPEAKING TO PLANNING RESERVE, AND WE CAN COME BACK TO YOU WITH MORE INFORMATION ON THAT, OR COD DOES HAVE A PLANNING AND SEPARATE MARGIN, AND IT'S A LOOK AHEAD PLAN MARGIN BASED ON, UH, SOME ACCEPTABLE FORECASTS, UH, VERSUS PERHAPS A DAILY OPERATING RESERVE, WHICH I QUOTED A NUMBER.
UM, THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS AND WE CAN COME BACK TO YOU, UH, AT A LATER TIME WITH THOSE DETAILS.
OKAY, I'M GOING TO TAKE ONE MORE QUESTION AT THIS POINT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR.
UM, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT SLIDE NINE.
SO IF YOU COULD PUT THAT UP AS WELL.
UM, SO I APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER TOMOS QUESTIONS ON THE WINTERIZATION, UM, AND WHAT WE DO WITH OUR OWN GENERATION.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, GRAPHS AND CHARTS TELL US STORIES.
UM, THIS CHART TELLS ONE STORY.
IT DOESN'T TELL US THE FULL STORY, WHICH I THINK, UM, YOUR STAFF WILL ACKNOWLEDGE.
THIS IS EITHER I UNDERSTAND THAT TELLING US THE STORY OF WHERE OUR LOAD WAS VERSUS THE, THE, UM, FUEL THAT WE GENERATED.
AND IF I, IF I UNDERSTOOD MR. SWEENEY CORRECTLY, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE DON'T GENERATE IT OURSELVES, CAUSE IT'S CHEAPER FOR US TO GET IT ELSEWHERE AND THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SHOWN ON HERE.
UM, AND IT IS GREAT TO SAY THAT WE PERFORMED WELL IN SO FAR AS WE WERE SUPPLYING POWER TO ERCOT GIVEN OUR LOAD SHED.
BUT THIS ALSO SEEMS TO SUGGEST THAT IF WE WERE, UM, GOING ALONG AT THE LOAD THAT WE WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHOUT, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF OUR OWN GENERATION TO COVER, UM, OUR NEEDS AND TO BE CONTRIBUTING INTO THE, TO THE SYSTEM.
UM, AND SO I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, MORE ABOUT THE CHOICES THAT WERE MADE ABOUT THAT GENERATION AND THE FORECAST,
[00:40:01]
UM, BECAUSE IT, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE WERE PREPARED VERY WELL, UM, WITH OUR OWN GENERATION RESOURCES FOR THIS AND THOSE AND THOSE GAPS WERE LARGE.IT'S NOT A, YOU KNOW, AT A TIME THAT WE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THE COST TO BE VERY HIGH.
SO CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE TO, TO THAT SIDE OF, OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, MR. JACKSON, IF I COULD STEP IN AND ANSWER THAT QUESTION, I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING AVAILABLE.
THIS IS ERICA BEER SPOCK ON VICE PRESIDENT OF ENERGY MARKET OPERATIONS.
WE ARE TYPICALLY LONG THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR.
THERE ARE VERY FEW INTERVALS THAT WE ARE NOT A LONG THEREFORE GENERATION BEING ABLE TO SURPASS OUR LOAD.
UM, UH, WHAT, UH, MR. SWEETIE MENTIONED WAS, UH, WHENEVER IT IS LESS EXPENSIVE TO BUY IT FROM THE MARKET, WE HAVE THAT CAPACITY IN OUR STACK.
IT'S THAT IT'S JUST HAPPENS TO BE THAT THERE'S A CHEAPER FUEL SOURCE ON THE MARKET.
AND THESE SITUATIONS THERE WAS, UH, BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER BECAUSE OF THE WINTER EVENTS.
HE VERY, VERY EXTREME WINTER EVENT THAT WE WENT THROUGH, UM, WHICH CAUSED A LOAD SHED, BUT ALSO CAUSED, UH, PROBLEMS WITH GENERATION IN GENERAL.
SO NOT ONLY WERE WE RECEIVING FORCE MEASURE ON SOLAR FACILITIES, UM, TURBINES, UH, BEING DE-RATED OR BEING SHUT IN DUE TO ICING AS WELL AS OUR, UH, AS WELL AS PEOPLE'S CONVENTIONAL GENERATION HAVING ISSUES BECAUSE OF THE EVENT.
UM, IT'S, UH, UH, IT HAS LESS OF AN ISSUE OF, OF, UH, NOT HAVING THE GENERATION TO MEET OUR LOAD AS IT DOES MANAGING THE CONSEQUENCES OF, YOU KNOW, A STORM THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WAS A VERY, VERY UNUSUAL EVENT.
SO I'M NOT SURE IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION FROM A SHELTER I'M, I'M HAPPY TO, UH, YOU KNOW, ANSWER IT MORE PROPERLY.
IF, IF I, IF I HAVEN'T, UH, ADDRESSED WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, I GUESS WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO POINT OUT WAS THIS CHART IS NOT TELLING THE FULL PICTURE AND THAT THERE IS STILL A SENSE WHERE OUR GENERATION WOULD NOT HAVE MET THE TASK.
EVEN IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THE LOAD SHED, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN PURCHASING IT AT HIGH PRICES, OR WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD THE ENERGY TO MEET THE DEMAND EVEN WITHOUT THEIR COP LOADS YET.
UM, AND THAT IS A PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS.
AND WHILE WE CAN SAY, IT'S GOOD THAT WE MET THE NEEDS OF OUR LOAD, THAT SUCH AS IT WAS REDUCED, AND THAT'S BETTER THAN HAPPENED IN OTHER MARKETS.
WE STILL, THERE'S NOT CLARITY HERE THAT WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MEET OUR NEED IN ABSENCE OF THE AIRCRAFT LOAD SHEDS.
SO, YOU KNOW, IN SOME SENSE, WE WERE STILL CONTRIBUTING TO THE NEED FOR THE LOAD SHED IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE OF THE CHOICES THAT WE MADE OR BECAUSE OF FAILURES THAT OUR GENERATION PLANTS.
UM, AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT GRAPHIC AND EXACTLY WHAT INFORMATION SHOWS US THAT, UM, BUT THIS IS A SNAPSHOT THAT DOESN'T FULLY SHOW THAT BROADER PICTURE.
IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THE ARCOP LOAD SHED SITUATION, WE WOULD HAVE, HAVE TO BE BUYING ELSEWHERE.
AND SO IN SOME SENSE, WE'VE CONTRIBUTED TO THAT, UM, WITH THE CHOICES THAT WE MADE IN OUR PREPARATION.
UM, I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FEBRUARY 11TH TO 14 SECTION.
I DON'T THINK WE HAVE TIME TODAY TO DO THOSE.
SO I WILL SAVE THOSE EITHER FOR OUR FUTURE MEETING OR MY INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS, BUT I DID WANT TO ASK, UM, THIS WAS THE FIRST THAT I HEARD THAT THE STORM HIT AUSTIN IN A PARTICULAR WAY THAT WAS DIFFERENT THAN ELSEWHERE.
CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THAT? AND YOU ALSO SAID IT HIT THE NORTHWEST PART OF YOUR SERVICE TERRITORY MORE.
SO I JUST GIVE YOU ONE REFERENCE POINT, UH, GARLAND FOR INSTANCE, SPOKE AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER THERE SPOKE OF, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY STORM DAMAGE, UH, AS A RESULT.
UM, SO QUITE DIFFERENT THAN, THAN, THAN, UM, AUSTIN.
THAT'S JUST ONE TOPICAL TOPICAL ONE OFF, BUT DOES THAT MEAN THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE STORMS OR THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE DAMAGE TO THEIR LINES? YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE, UH, WE HAD A LOT OF PLACES WHERE WE HAVE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT THAT IS BEYOND WHERE WE WANT IT.
AND SO WE HAD DAMAGE, BUT WHEN GARLANDS, THEY DIDN'T HAVE STORM DAMAGE, DID THEY DO A BETTER JOB OF THEIR LIVES OR DID THEY NOT HAVE THE ICE STORMS? UM, LISTENING TO HIS TESTIMONY? I TOOK AWAY THAT HE DID NOT HAVE STUDENTS.
LET'S MOVE ON TO THANKS EVERYBODY FOR THE QUESTIONS.
AND OBVIOUSLY THERE'S WAY MORE THAT WE COULD DIG INTO.
I WAS WONDERING IF WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER A Q AND A FROM STAFF.
WE HAVE, IF THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA.
[00:45:01]
ABSOLUTELY.WE'RE GOING TO MOVE INTO COMMUNICATIONS NEXT COUNCIL MEMBER CASAR.
DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING? ARE YOU IN A PRESENTATION NOW AND COMMUNICATIONS, AND THEN WE MIGHT HAVE SPACE FOR A QUESTION OR TWO IN THERE.
I PROMISED I'D TURN THIS BATON OVER AT TWO O'CLOCK TO THE WATER OVERSIGHT FOLKS.
LET'S MOVE QUICKLY ON TO PATIENTS.
MY NAME IS MAURICE MON, RIGHT? YES.
MY NAME IS MARISSA MONTERREY AND I AM THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR AUSTIN ENERGY.
NOW I WANT TO BEGIN BY SAYING THE AUSTIN ENERGY COMMUNICATIONS TEAM, CONTINUOUSLY ENGAGED WITH THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS, THE MEDIA AND MAYOR AND COUNCIL BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER ERCOT ISSUED ENERGY EMERGENCY ALERTS.
WE KNOW HOW OUR UTILITY COMMUNICATES DURING A CRISIS IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS HOW THE INCIDENT IS MANAGED OPERATIONALLY.
AND SO WE WORK HARD TO UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS AND DEMANDS OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND THE PUBLIC SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DELIVER MESSAGES CLEARLY AND WITH CREDIBILITY.
SO FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF MINUTES, I'LL MAKE THIS QUICK.
I PROMISE I WILL WALK YOU THROUGH THE COMMUNICATIONS.
THE AUSTIN ENERGY TEAM PROVIDED THROUGHOUT ALL OF THE EVENTS THAT UNFOLDED BETWEEN THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11 AND SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST.
LET'S BEGIN WITH A LOOK AT OUR COMMUNICATIONS ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH AND FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH, AS WE'VE NOTED THAT INITIAL ICE STORM CAME THROUGH THAT FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
BUT AHEAD OF THAT INITIAL ICE STORM, OUR TEAM WORKED THROUGH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CHANNELS TO LET PEOPLE KNOW BAD WEATHER WAS ON ITS WAY.
WE ALWAYS WANT TO HELP OUR CUSTOMERS THROUGH CONSERVATION AND OUTAGE PREPARATION MESSAGING, BUT WE KNOW IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO LET FOLKS KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING ON OUR END AS WELL.
SO WE SET OUR ALARM CLOCKS REALLY EARLY ON THOSE DAYS, WE PROVIDED LIVE INTERVIEWS TO NEARLY EVERY TV STATION IN TOWN.
WE RESPONDED TO MEDIA REQUESTS ABOUT THE NUMBER OF CREWS WE HAD IN THE FIELD, ENERGY CONSERVATION AND ADAGE PREPARATION.
WE SHARED SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGING AND UPDATED OUR WEBSITE.
THIS IS A SAMPLING OF WHAT THAT COMMUNICATION LOOK LIKE DURING THOSE EARLY DAYS ON THE LEFT, YOU'LL SEE THE NEWS RELEASE WE SENT OUT TO HER 150 PLUS MEDIA PARTNERS.
IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE ALWAYS MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE MAYOR AND COUNCIL STAFF ON ALL OF OUR NEWS RELEASES SO THAT ALL OF YOU ARE IN THE LOOP WITH THE INFORMATION WE'RE PROVIDING IN THE MIDDLE SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGING ABOUT HOW TO PREPARE AND REPORT POWER OUTAGES AND ON THE RIGHT, JUST TO THE MANY INTERVIEWS WE PROVIDED BEFORE THAT INITIAL I FROM HIT HE'S ONE SPECIFIC TO CVS AUSTIN AND TELL HIM TO AUSTIN.
ONCE THAT INITIAL STORM ROLLED THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON, WE FOUNDED OUR MESSAGING TO INCLUDE OUTAGE RESTORATION AND MESSAGING AROUND THE NEXT INCOMING WINTER STORM.
WE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE THE SAME COMMUNICATIONS WE HAD PROVIDED BEFORE THAT INITIAL ICE STORM.
BUT IN ADDITION, WE FACILITATED VIRTUAL NEWS CONFERENCES THAT SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, WE PROVIDED MAYOR AND COUNCIL WITH KEY MESSAGING ABOUT OUR CURRENT OPERATIONS.
WE EMAILED ALL CITY OF AUSTIN, UTILITY, COMBUST CUSTOMERS, AND MESSAGE ABOUT ENERGY CONSERVATION.
WE ALSO SENT OUR KEY ACCOUNT CUSTOMERS, WHAT WE CALL A NEWSFLASH.
THAT'S AN EMAIL ENCOURAGING THEM TO CONSERVE ENERGY.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH OUR KEY ACCOUNTS CUSTOMERS.
THOSE ARE OUR CUSTOMERS WHO CONSUME A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ENERGY OR HAVE A COMPLEX ELECTRIC SERVICE.
AND FINALLY, WE WERE PROVIDED MESSAGING TO OUR PARTNERS AT THREE ONE, ONE AND CITY OF AUSTIN UTILITIES CALL CENTERS SO THAT THEY COULD BE PREPARED FOR THE MANY QUESTIONS WE KNEW WOULD COME FROM THE PUBLIC.
ON THE LEFT, OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER PROVIDED VIRTUAL NEWS CONFERENCES THAT SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AND THE RIGHT YOU'LL SEE ONE OF OUR CREW FIELD CREWS.
WE KNOW THAT THE BEST WAY TO TELL OUR STORY IS WHEN IT COMES FROM THE FOLKS WORKING IN THE ELEMENTS THAT LAST IMAGE OF THE SNAPSHOT TAKEN FROM A VIDEO WE PUT TOGETHER OF OUR CREWS WORKING IN ICY CONDITIONS, THIS PARTICULAR FIELD CREW LIKENED HIS EXPERIENCE OF TRYING TO OPEN IC EQUIPMENT.
SO THAT OF OPENING UP A CAR DOOR THAT HAD BEEN ICED OVER.
IT TAKES A LITTLE MORE FORCE THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNICATIONS.
IT'S DIFFICULT THAT IT WAS, WE REALLY DID OUR BEST TO PUT THINGS IN THE SIMPLEST TERMS POSSIBLE FOR THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON.
AND THIS VIDEO IS ONE EXAMPLE OF THAT NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT ON SUNDAY, ERCOT ISSUED ITS FIRST EEA OR ENERGY EMERGENCY ALERT, OFTEN ENERGY STAFF PRACTICES FOR EES EVERY YEAR.
OUR TEAM HAS COMMUNICATION TEMPLATES READY TO GO.
AND THAT'S WHY IT TOOK US LESS THAN THREE MINUTES TO KNOCK OUT EVERY SINGLE COMMUNICATION BULLETED BELOW EACH BEA IN EEA THREE IS WHAT TRIGGERS ROTATING OUTAGES.
SO WHEN ERCOT ISSUED IT, WE KNEW WE HAD TO GO BEYOND OUR NORMAL COMMUNICATION CHANNELS.
AND WE DID SO USING THE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS BOLTED ON THE SIDE, THEY INCLUDED AN EMAIL TO ALL OF YOU AND WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS AT HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ISSUE, A WARRANT CENTRAL TEXAS ALERT IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
A QUICK NOTE ABOUT THAT WARRANT CENTRAL TEXAS ALERT AS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL PROACTIVE TOOLS THAT HE USES AND USE TO REACH OUT TO PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THIS EVENT.
IT'S A REGIONAL EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM ORCHESTRATED THROUGH THE CAPITAL AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT REGISTERING WITH
[00:50:01]
WARREN CENTRAL, TEXAS OF LOCAL OFFICIALS TO CONTACT THEIR COMMUNITIES BY PHONE, EMAIL, OR TEXT DURING TIMES OF DISASTERS OR PUBLIC SAFETY EVENTS.IMPORTANT TO ALSO NOTE PEOPLE MUST REGISTER TO RECEIVE THESE ALERTS.
NEXT SLIDE SIX, JUST TWO MINUTES AFTER ERCOT ISSUED THAT E THREE, WE SHARED THAT INFORMATION ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES IN THE MIDDLE.
YOU'LL SEE A LOOK AT THE WARRANT CENTRAL TEXAS MESSAGE THAT SENT OUT BOTH IN ENGLISH AND IN SPANISH AND ON THE RIGHT IS THE EMAIL WE SENT AHEAD OF ALL OF THE EEA TO ALL CITY OF AUSTIN, UTILITY CUSTOMERS, TELLING THEM TO REPAIR FOR THE EXTREME WEATHER.
AND I JUST WANT TO, ONCE AGAIN, EMPHASIZE THAT THIS IS A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT WE PROVIDED AND NOT ALL INCLUSIVE.
NEXT SLIDE, ENERGY STAFF REALIZE THESE OUTAGES WOULD EXTEND LONGER THAN ANY OF US IMAGINED.
WE STARTED TO GET THE WORD OUT AND EXPLAIN AS BEST AS WE COULD.
OFTEN ENERGY STAFF HAD WHAT WAS HAPPENING AS THE WINTER STORM LINGERED.
AND THE EVENTS EVOLVED THAT IN OUR MESSAGING, WE FOCUSED ON ENERGY CONSERVATION, CRITICAL LOAD CIRCUITS, BILLING QUESTIONS, AND SAUDI SCAM AWARENESS.
WE SHARED AS MANY DETAILS AS WE HAD AVAILABLE TO US USING THE SAME COMMUNICATION CHANNELS WE HAD BEEN RELYING ON AND PARTICIPATED IN THOSE DAILY NEWS CONFERENCES THAT WEEK WITH THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY LEADERSHIP.
AND WE ANSWERED MEDIA QUESTIONS THERE.
AND THROUGH THE MEDIA REQUESTS WE RECEIVED, WE KEPT IN TOUCH WITH OUR CUSTOMERS THROUGH EMAILS ABOUT CONSERVATION AND OUTAGE UPDATE.
AND ONE BULLET POINT I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IN THIS LIST IS THE MORE THAN 500 SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGES WE PROVIDED THIS WEEK.
WE UNDERSTAND NOT EVERYONE IS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WHICH IS WHY WE'VE WORKED THROUGH OTHER COMMUNICATION CHANNELS, BUT WE WERE ABSOLUTELY GETTING INUNDATED WITH QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY SPECIFIC TO INDIVIDUAL SITUATION THROUGH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. WE ALSO PROVIDED A SPECIAL HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OUR OUTAGE SITUATION WEBPAGE.
WE KNEW THAT WEBSITE WOULD BE CRUCIAL IN GETTING EVERYONE, WHETHER IT WAS ALL OF YOU, THE MEDIA, THE PUBLIC RING, ONE, ONE, EVERYONE, A PLACE TO COME BACK TO YOU ON THIS DYNAMIC SITUATION.
AND THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, WE PROVIDED UPDATE AFTER UPDATE, AFTER UPDATE RIGHT THERE ON THE FRONT PAGE OF BOSTON NG.COM.
WE ALSO KNEW OUR OUTAGE MAP WAS GETTING A TON OF CLICKS.
WE MADE SURE TO INCLUDE UPDATES THERE AS WELL.
ON THE LEFT, YOU'LL SEE THAT WEB PAGE WE UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, WHICH PROVIDED KEY INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING ON THE RIGHT A GLIMPSE OF WHAT WE CALL ONE OF OUR ROTATING BANNERS.
THIS ONE SPECIFICALLY LINKS TO INFORMATION ABOUT AUSTIN ENERGY BUILT, WHICH WAS AND CONTINUES TO BE A HOT TOPIC.
OF COURSE, THE OTHER PLACE BOTH MIGHT GO TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION IS OUR COA UTILITIES.COM WEBPAGE.
THAT'S WHERE PEOPLE GO TO PAY THEIR BILLS.
SO WE MADE SURE TO UPDATE CONTENT THERE AS WELL, SHOWING THE IMAGE AT THE BOTTOM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
AND OUR SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGING.
WE CONTINUE TO USE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS AS MUCH AS WE COULD TO EXPLAIN THIS CHALLENGING SITUATION.
WE USE INFOGRAPHICS WHERE WE COULD TO KIND OF MAKE THIS INFORMATION MORE DIGESTIBLE.
THIS IS AN INFOGRAPHIC ABOUT HOW WE RESTORE POWER.
AND FINALLY, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE FINALLY LOOK AT THE COMMUNICATIONS WE SHARED WITH ALL OF YOU.
I'D REALLY LIKE TO TAKE THIS TIME TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR HELPING US AMPLIFY OUR MESSAGING DIRECTLY TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO RESERVE THAT NOTE, WHICH YOU'LL SEE THERE ON THE LEFT.
AND WE'VE SENT EMAILS THROUGHOUT THIS EVENT, REACH TWEETING OR SHARING OUR SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGING.
SO MANY OF YOU ALSO SHARE OUR TALKING POINTS ABOUT ENERGY CONSERVATION IN YOUR NEWSLETTER TO CONSTITUENTS.
SOME OF YOU INVITED TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING ON YOUR OWN MESSAGING CHANNELS AT THE BEHAVE.
THE COUNT THE NUMBER HAS DRAMATIC IN FACEBOOK LIVE EVENT, RIGHT THERE IN THE CENTER.
THAT'S OUR CHIEF OF STAFF IN THAT ORANGE HAT, JUST TO HER LEFT OUR RIGHT, READY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, HAVE NO DOUBT THAT HAVING ALL OF THESE SHERIFF MESSAGING, RATHER THAN THAT, HELP PEOPLE FIND SAFETY, COMFORT, AND HELP.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU IN THE FUTURE AS THEY CONTINUE TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THAT AND BOTH DURING THE STORM.
THANK YOU, MS.
SOMEBODY NEEDS TO MUTE, UM, UH, JUST POINT OUT A COUPLE OF THINGS IN, IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MINUTES.
UM, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY POWER, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE POSSIBLE TO READ THE SOCIAL MEDIA OR TO WATCH THE TV.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS I HOPE TO TALK WITH YOU GUYS ABOUT AND GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IS WHAT OTHER WAYS CAN WE IMAGINE TO GET INFORMATION OUT? UM, IF WE DON'T HAVE POWER, THERE'S A TIME LAG IN UPDATING THE OUTAGE MAP.
AND THERE IS, UM, AND THERE'S ALSO NOT A GENERAL FAMILIARITY OF, OF THE PUBLIC ON WHERE TO FIND THE OUTAGE MAP OR WHAT IS ON IT OR WHAT IT MEANS.
SO I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION ON THAT.
SO A LOT OF INFORMATION WAS ABSOLUTELY PROVIDED BY AUSTIN ENERGY.
AND I THINK GOING FORWARD IN OUR ADDITIONAL CONVERSATIONS, WE CAN DIG INTO WHAT CAN WE DO WITH AUSTIN ENERGY AS A COUNCIL AND IN OUR COMMUNITY TO INCREASE PEOPLE'S FAMILIARITY AND, UM, UH, FACILITY WITH THE VARIOUS FORMS OF INFORMATION, THAT TYPE OF INFORMATION THAT YOU GUYS WERE PROVIDING.
SO WE'RE BETTER EQUIPPED NEXT TIME.
[00:55:01]
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS IN THE REMAINING? I DID WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT RELIEF PROGRAMS AUSTIN ENERGY WAS PROVIDING.UM, AND MAYBE WE'LL BE ABLE TO SLIP THAT IN YES.
I WAS ONE OF THE ONES THAT DIDN'T HAVE ANY POWER FOR MONDAY TO THURSDAY, AND THERE WAS NO WAY THAT I COULD GET ANY COMMUNICATION.
EVERYTHING I GOT WAS THIS LITTLE TRANSISTOR RADIO WAS THE ONLY WAY THAT I COULD GET ANY INFORMATION.
AND THAT WAS TO KUT AND, AND, AND SOME OF THE OTHER STATIONS WHEN THEY DO HAVE THEIR NEWS TIME.
AND THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY THAT I COULD FIGURE IT OUT, WHAT WAS GOING ON.
AND THEN Y'ALL GUYS PROMOTED THAT IT WAS GONNA BE A ROLLING BLACKOUT THAT NEVER HAPPENED.
SO PEOPLE STAYED THE NEXT DAY, GOT STEP THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE BACK ON, ON TUESDAY THAT NEVER HAPPENED.
AND EVERYBODY WAS LOOKING AT THE STREETS WHERE I LIVE AT THE CROSS 35 AND SEE DOWNTOWN FLASHY LIGHTS ALL OVER THE PLACE.
I MEAN, IT WAS SO RIDICULOUS TO THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN ABILITY TO GO OUT AND COMMUNICATE WITH ANYBODY I, TO GO AND PATH TO MY CAR SO I COULD GET IN THERE AND CHARGE UP MY BATTERY ON MY PHONE.
I HAVE MY OWN TEST TO COMMUNICATE.
SO WE REALLY NEEDED TO STEP DOWN THERE AND REALLY TAKE A LOOK HARD AND LOOK AT THIS AND HOW YOU COMMUNICATE BECAUSE IT CANNOT EXPECT TO HAVE SOME DISPLAYS LIKE ALTER THEIR HAD 40% OF THEIR PEOPLE OUT WITHOUT ELECTRICITY.
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU IF THEY CAN'T GET ONLINE ENERGY OR ELECTRICITY, TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THROUGH THE INTERNET, YOU CAN POST WHATEVER YOU WANT ON THE INTERNET.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO SEE IT REALLY THANK YOU.
COUNCIL MEMBER, RENTERIA, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY STUFF.
UM, DO WE HAVE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RELIEF PROGRAMS? AND I SEE COUNCIL MEMBER DESALT RAISED HIS HAND.
I WANT TO REITERATE COUNCIL MEMBER AT NVIDIA'S POINT JUST TO PUT A PIN IN IT, THAT ONE, FIGURING OUT HOW WE CAN COMMUNICATE TO PEOPLE THAT THEY WEREN'T GOING TO ROLL.
AND THEN SECOND, HOW WE COULD COMMUNICATE EARLIER IN THE DAY THAT YOU'RE LIKELY NOT GOING TO GET YOUR POWER BACK SO THAT PEOPLE COULD MAKE DECISIONS.
CAUSE SO OFTEN IT WAS AT NIGHTS THAT PEOPLE WERE STARTING TO REALIZE THAT, AND THEN WE WERE TELLING THEM NOT TO DRIVE.
AND SO I THINK THOSE ARE JUST IMPORTANT THINGS FOR US TO MARK.
AND THEN THE LAST BIT, WHICH I THINK MIGHT BE FOR THE FIRST PRESENTATION.
AND I HAVEN'T, I DON'T THINK I HEARD IT BROUGHT UP, BUT JUST IF WE GET SOME LEVEL OF REPORT BACK ABOUT HOW WE COULD BETTER GET TO ROLLING BLACKOUTS, IF YOU'RE ASKED TO SHED THAT MUCH POWER IN THE FUTURE, WHETHER THAT'S BETTER, SECTIONALIZING THE, OUR CIRCUITS OR THE SMART METER ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED, I CAN THEN BE REALLY HELPFUL BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO COMMUNICATE SO MUCH THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET YOUR POWER BACK.
IF WE COULD MAKE CHANGES THAT COULD GET US TO ROLLING, EVEN IF THAT MUCH LOAD IS CAUGHT.
SO BEFORE IT ESCAPES, THAT'S, THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
AND WE'LL BE DIGGING INTO THAT LATER.
I MEAN, AT HOPEFULLY THE NEXT MEETING.
UM, UH, IS THERE ANYBODY WHO HASN'T ASKED QUESTION WHO WOULD LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION? I WANT TO GO INTO THE RELIEF PROGRAMS, IF NOT, UM, WHO'S GOT THE RELIEF, IS IT MS. COOPER? MR. BEAVERTON.
MR.
WE CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
AND SO I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT GOING ON IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE OURSELVES AVAILABLE TO ANSWER THOSE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FROM YOU AND FROM THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AS I STATED, WE CERTAINLY RECOGNIZE THE HEARTFELT PRESENTED BY THE STORMS AND THE IMPACT THAT THEY'VE HAD ON OUR COMMUNITIES.
UH, OTHERS HAVE ALREADY SHARED THE GRAVITY OF THE EVENTS, BUT LET YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK ON WITH YOU AND, UH, IN THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS FROM LESSONS LEARNED AND PROVIDE AS MUCH RELIEF AS POSSIBLE.
UM, IS THE SLIDE UP NEXT SLIDE PLEASE? YES.
UH, WE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT BECAME APPARENTLY AWARE THAT WE WERE AWARE OF WAS THAT MANY CUSTOMERS, UH, HAD BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT OUTSIDE REPORTS OF LARGE BILLS TO BIKES DUE TO VARIABLE PRICE CONTRACTS, A PROVIDES STABLE AND AFFORDABLE RATES TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
OUR ELECTRIC UTILITY RATES ARE FIXED AND CHANGES TO THOSE RATES, UH, CAN ONLY HAPPEN AND MUST BE AUTHORIZED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
SO WE WANTED TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION OUT TO THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS SOME LEVEL OF CALM
[01:00:01]
IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY WERE HEARING.UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, OUR CUSTOMERS WILL ONLY BE CHARGED FOR ELECTRIC ELECTRICITY THAT THEY ACTUALLY CONSUME.
YOU'LL HEAR LATER IN THE AUSTIN WATER REPORT THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM AND THEY'RE GOING TO BRING FORTH ANOTHER SET OF ADDITIONAL RELIEF MEASURES, RIGHT? WITH THESE MEASURES TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT OF THE STORM AND THE IMPACT THAT THEY WILL HAVE ON OUR CUSTOMER BILL.
UM, AND LAST WEEK, UH, COUNSEL, YOU'VE ALREADY APPROVED THE SUSPENSION OF ALL OF THE COA UTILITY, LATE FEES, AND COMING FORWARD TOMORROW, OUR PROVISIONS ASSOCIATED WITH WAVE THE WAVING OF THE $20 SERVICE INITIATION FEE FOR IMPACTED CUSTOMERS, UH, RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS, AND A $10 BILL CREDIT FOR AUSTIN ENERGY, RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS, AS AN OFFSET TO THE CUSTOMER SERVICE CHARGE.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, AS PART OF THE BILL RELIEF EFFORTS, WE'VE EXPANDED THE DEFINITION OF THE HARDSHIP TO INCLUDE CUSTOMERS IMPACTED BY THE STORMS TO THE PLUS ONE ADDITIONAL MONEY.
SO AS YOU'RE AWARE, AUSTIN WATER AND AUSTIN ENERGY PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION TO THE BILL RELIEF EFFORTS ASSOCIATED WITH COVID-19.
WE ALSO ARE MAKING THOSE PROVISIONS THROUGH THE HARDSHIP OF THE STORM AVAILABLE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AS WELL.
SO I'LL JUST SUMMARIZE THIS VERY BRIEFLY.
UM, WE'RE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE, BUT THIS IS HOW CUSTOMERS CAN ACTUALLY REACH US.
THEY CERTAINLY CAN CALL US AT ANY OF THE NUMBERS THAT ARE LISTED THERE ON THE SLIDE.
THEY CAN CONTINUE TO CONTACT US THROUGH THE OFFICE BILL HELP.COM.
UH, WE SPECIFICALLY HAVE, UM, AN AGENT AND A THIRD PARTY REPRESENTATIVE RE UH, REPRESENTATIVE THERE TO TAKE, UH, ANY INFORMATION THAT CUSTOMERS NEED.
WE ALSO, UM, HAVE OUR COA UTILITIES.COM WEBSITE AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
I WILL NOTE IN THIS SLIDE, UH, WE MISSED THE, UH, THE UTILITIES IS A MISSPELL RIGHT THERE.
SO, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL SEND ASIDE THE CORRECT IT.
SO THE HYPERLINK SEND YOU TO THE RIGHT PLACE AND WE ALSO WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR CUSTOMERS WHO NEED TO SEE US IN PERSON THAT DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO COMPUTERS OR, UM, UM, THE INTERNET.
THEY CAN ALSO VISIT WITH US DIRECTLY AT OUR NORTH AUSTIN UTILITY CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER.
AND THE ADDRESS IS LISTED HERE AS WELL.
AGAIN, WE'LL STAY AVAILABLE, THEY CAN ALWAYS CALL US.
AND OUR MAIN UTILITY CONTACT CENTER IS THE FIVE +1 229-494-9400 NUMBER (512) 494-9400.
AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO BRING OTHER UPDATES IN TERMS OF BILL RELIEF IN THE DAYS TO COME.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. OVERTON.
UM, I DID PROMISE THAT I WOULD LAND THIS PLANE BY 2:00 PM.
WE ARE A LITTLE BIT OVER, I APPRECIATE THE GENEROSITY OF THE AUSTIN WATER UTILITY OVERSIGHT FOLKS TO LET US USE SOME OF THEIR TIME TODAY.
UM, I KNOW THAT THIS RAISES LOTS OF QUESTIONS AND THAT WAS A MAJOR INTENTION OF THIS MEETING WAS TO START CENTERING US IN OUR COUNCIL DISCUSSIONS ON WHAT HAPPENED, HOW THINGS ARE AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO, UM, IMPROVE OUR PROCESSES THROUGHOUT.
AND IT WILL BE A CONTINUATION OF A DISCUSSION.
AND THANKS AGAIN, EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE FOR THIS NOW.
UM, I HOPE YOU'LL STAY AND LISTEN TO THE PRESENTATION, UH, FROM OUR WATER UTILITY STAFF.
AND THEN WHEN YOU HAVE A FREE MILLISECOND, DO PLEASE LOOK AT THE READING LIST AND ALL THE LINKS THAT WERE PART OF THE MESSAGE BOARD POST.
IT GIVES YOU A REALLY GOOD FLAVOR OF WHAT HAPPENED FROM SOME PRETTY SMART PEOPLE, UM, UH, WITH REGARD TO THE ENERGY, UH, REGULATORY STRUCTURE IN OUR SUIT, IN OUR STATE AND, AND THE PIECE THAT AUSTIN WAS IN THAT, UM, IN THAT 12 DAY PERIOD.
SO THANKS VERY MUCH, AND I WILL, UH, ADJOURN THE AUSTIN ENERGY PORTION OF OUR JOINT OR JOINT SESSIONS.
UH, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, I'LL TURN NOW
[2. Austin Water February Winter Storm Event Briefing]
TO THE WATER OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ASPECT OF THIS, JUST A FEW, JUST FEW THINGS TO REMIND PEOPLE OF, YOU KNOW, AS WE SAID BEFORE, OUR PURPOSE HERE IS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ALL ARE, YOU KNOW, PE PEOPLE WERE HURT AS PART OF THIS AND SOME PEOPLE ARE STILL RECOVERING.SO OUR PURPOSE HERE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDRESS THE ISSUES THIS RAISES SO THAT WE CAN BE SURE THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.
SO OUR PURPOSE IS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE BETTER PREPARED AND MORE RESILIENT
[01:05:02]
IN THE FACE OF CONTINUED CLIMATE CHANGE.SO TODAY, AGAIN, AS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ALREADY BEEN SAID, THIS IS THE BEGINNING, MANY WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE NEXT JOINT COMMITTEE WITH AUSTIN ENERGY.
AT THE END OF MARCH, WE HAVE ALSO DECIDED TO, UM, SCHEDULE ANOTHER MEETING IN APRIL.
SO OUR TOPICS, WE HAVE FOUR TO FOUR MAJOR TOPIC AREAS, A SYSTEM OVERVIEW, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT HAPPENED.
SO WE WILL WALK THROUGH TIMELINES, UM, ET CETERA, ON WHAT HAPPENED, UH, TO PUT US IN A POSITION WHERE WE HAD LOW WATER PRESSURE AND WATER OUTAGE, WE WILL ALSO TALK.
THE SECOND THING WE WILL TALK ABOUT IS COMMUNICATIONS, UH, PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNICATIONS.
THIRD THING IS THE, UM, BILL RELIEF, FINANCIAL RELIEF, FOURTH THING IS COMMUNITY RECOVERY ACTIVITIES.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL TAKE A FEW MINUTES AT THE END TO TALK ABOUT NEXT STEPS.
WE WILL SPEND MOST OF OUR TIME, UH, TALKING ABOUT THE SYSTEM OVERVIEW AND THE TIMELINE AND COMMUNICATIONS, AND THAT WE'LL, WE WILL SPEND ABOUT AN HOUR, AN HOUR AND 15 MINUTES MAX ON THAT TOPIC.
AND WE WILL TURN TO THE FINANCIAL RELIEF PLAN AND WE'LL SPEND ABOUT 15 MINUTES MAX ON THAT TOPIC.
AND THEN FINALLY THE SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY RECOVERY ACTIVITIES, WHICH WE'LL SPEND ABOUT 15 MINUTES ON THAT ALSO.
SO I'M GOING TO ASK THAT, UM, WE HOLD OUR QUESTIONS UNTIL AFTER WE GET THROUGH THE COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES.
SO WE WILL HAVE THE PRESENTATION ON THE SYSTEM OVERVIEW AND THE COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES.
AND THEN WE WILL PAUSE AND TAKE QUESTIONS.
UM, AND WHEN YOU ASK QUESTIONS, I'M GOING TO ASK THAT, THAT YOU ASKED ONE QUESTION AND ONE FOLLOW-UP SO THAT WE CAN ALLOW THE MOST NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO ASK QUESTIONS.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS JUST BEGINNING OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS, IS HELP THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED, START TO DRILL DOWN ON WHAT THOSE ISSUES ARE, WHICH WILL DEFINE HOW THE COMMITTEE CONTINUES TO LOOK IN MORE DETAIL AT THE WATER ISSUES.
SO WITH THAT SAID, I'M GOING TO TURN THIS OVER TO DIRECTOR MASAKO COUNSELING.
WE, UH, COULD WE START OFF THE PRESENTATION MATERIAL? THANK YOU.
SO, UH, I AM, UH, GREG NOVARIS, UH, DIRECTOR OF BOSTON WATER AND, UH, PLEASED TO BE HERE TODAY.
UH, COUNSEL, WHEN I LAST SPOKE TO YOU, I SPOKE TO YOU ABOUT THE GREAT WORK OF OUR EMPLOYEES, AND WHILE THEY ARE CLEARLY COMMUNITY HEROES, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT AS LEADER OF AUSTIN WATER, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO SEEK THAT OUR SYSTEM OPERATES IN A WAY THAT OUR EMPLOYEES TO BE HEROES AND DO HORRIBLE THINGS THAT, UH, THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO GO ABOUT THIS.
OUR SYSTEM BECOMES MORE, UH, RESILIENT AND RELIABLE, AND WE DON'T PUT OUR IN A POSITION WHERE THEY HAVE TO DO HEROIC THINGS FOR THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S MY COMMITMENT AS DIRECTOR.
AND, AND THAT'S THE COMMITMENT OF ALL THE EXECUTIVES OF AUSTIN WATER THAT, THAT WE, WE WORK TO GET TO A MORE RESILIENT SYSTEM, UH, AS WE SPEAK ABOUT RESILIENCY, UH, IT'S REALLY A CHALLENGING TIME FOR THE WATER INDUSTRY, PARTICULARLY HERE IN AUSTIN.
WE FACE EXTENDED DROUGHT PERIODS HERE IN AUSTIN THAT ARE BEING AMPLIFIED BY CLIMATE CHANGE.
OUR COMMUNITY HAS ROUTINELY BEEN INFECTED BY, UH, SPLASH FLOODING THAT IS ALSO BEING INTENSIFIED BY MORE FREQUENCY AND MORE INTENSE.
AND NOW, UH, POLAR VORTEXES AND STORMS THAT ARE LASTING UPWARDS OF FIVE TO SEVEN DAYS.
SO IN A CHALLENGING SET OF, OF ISSUES TO WORK THROUGH.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RESILIENCY, IT'S NOT ONLY OUR INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS, IT'S OUR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS. IT'S ALSO OUR PREPAREDNESS.
I KNOW WITH THIS EVENT VERY DIFFICULT TO SECURE EMERGENCY BOTTLED WATER, UH, TO HAVE WATER TRUCKS AVAILABLE, OTHER THINGS, TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY, UH, THROUGH AN EMERGENCY EVENT.
AND AUSTIN WATER IS GOING TO PLAY A MORE SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SEEING THAT THOSE RESOURCES ARE SECURED AND STORED PRIOR TO ANY EVENT.
IT'S TOO DIFFICULT TO LIFT THOSE OFF THE GROUND DURING AN EVENT TO ASK OUR EOC TO DO THAT.
AND JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE, THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF AREAS THAT AUSTIN WATER IS GOING TO BE STEPPING UP AND EXAMINING AND TAKING STEPS BEYOND JUST THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF OUR SYSTEM.
I KNOW THAT'S THE CITY MANAGER'S EXPECTATION THAT WE HAVE A THOROUGH AND OBJECTIVE A MULTI-PART RESILIENCY REVIEW.
I KNOW THAT'S YOUR EXPECTATION AS POLICY MAKERS, UH, AND WE'LL BE WORKING WITH YOU AS YOU'RE SETTING UP YOUR IFC
[01:10:02]
AND OTHER FORUMS. I HAVE ALREADY REACHED OUT TO THE CHAIRMAN OF OUR COMMISSION, UH, UH, CHIN LEE, AS WELL AS THE VICE CHAIR, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, CHRISTIANNE CASSELBERRY, AND ASKED FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE, UH, THROUGH OUR COMMISSION, UH, FOR, UH, FOR AFTER ACTION REVIEW AND RESILIENCY, THEIR TALENTED ENGINEERS IN THEIR OWN, RIGHT.AND OUR COMMISSION HAS A LOT OF TALENT, AND I THINK IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE INVOLVE THEM IN OUR AFTER ACTION REVIEWS.
NOT ONLY DID THEY HAVE TALENTS, BUT THEY LIVE THIS EVENT.
I SPOKE TO BOTH OF THEM HERE THIS WEEKEND AND BOTH AT BOTH OF MY CHAIR AND CO-CHAIR EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANT WATER OUTAGE PERIODS.
THEY EXPERIENCED THE COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES.
AND SO THEY HAVE THAT PERSPECTIVE TO ADD AS, AS CUSTOMERS OF OUR UTILITY.
I WANT TO SPEAK, FRANKLY, THAT YOU MAY BE FEELING DEMORALIZED.
I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING THAT I CERTAINLY FELT DURING THE EVENT.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, RECENTLY THERE WAS A STATESMAN ARTICLE ABOUT POWER ISSUES AT ORRICK AND, UH, AND THAT MAY HAVE FELT, UH, VERY DEMORALIZING.
AND, AND I WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT THAT TODAY IN MY OPENING REMARKS, WATER AND ELECTRIC ARE INTIMATELY ENTWINED AS THE ELECTRIC SYSTEM GOES.
SO GOES THE WATER SYSTEM AND YOU CAN'T SEPARATE THE TWO.
AND, UH, AND AT OUR REC PLANT, WHICH IS OUR LARGEST PLANT, UH, WE LOST BOTH POWER FEEDS, UH, WHILE THE PLANT STAYED, UH, ON THE CRITICAL CIRCUITS, THE STORM DAMAGE AND ISOLATED AND BRANCHES AND TREES, UH, DISABLED, BOTH POWER FEEDS TO OUR PLANT.
AND IT DE-ENERGIZED WELL, AUSTIN WATER WAS ABLE TO, RE-ENERGIZE THE SYSTEM IN A APPROXIMATELY FIVE TO SIX MINUTES THAT IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR US TO JUST START THE PLANT BACK UP OUR PLANT POLES, THOUSANDS OF HORSEPOWERS OF ENERGY TO DRIVE OUR PUMPS AND OUR SYSTEMS, AND A COLD START OF THAT PLANT REQUIRES SIGNIFICANT CHECKING AND MANIPULATION OF OUR SYSTEMS. WHAT WE HAVE TO AVOID IS DOING SOMETHING THAT WOULD BURST A LARGE TRANSMISSION MAIN SURGE, THE SYSTEM, A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE THAT WOULD TAKE DAYS OR WEEKS TO RECOVER FROM.
AND I THINK AS THE COUNCIL EXAMINES THIS AND THE COMMUNITY EXAMINES, THIS IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THOSE KINDS OF ISSUES.
I WOULD ALSO SPEAK TO THE, TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONTEXT, WHICH WE WERE OPERATING UNDER, UH, EXTREME CONDITIONS AND DEMANDS ON OUR SYSTEMS AND OUR STATS.
EVEN WITH REGARDS TO THE ELECTRICAL ISSUES AT ORRICK, WE HAD OVER 20 LIFT STATIONS OUT OF SERVICE FROM THE GRID PROBLEMS WHILE OUR MAJOR PLANTS ARE ON CRITICAL CIRCUITS ARE SMALLER FACILITIES EMBEDDED IN NEIGHBORHOODS ARE NOT.
AND MANY OF OUR ELECTRICIANS AND STAFF WERE IN THE FIELD DURING THESE CONDITIONS, UH, TRYING TO MOVE GENERATORS AROUND, POWERING THOSE SMALLER FACILITIES, IT CLEANING UP OVERFLOW AND ASSISTING IN THOSE WAYS.
UH, WE ALSO OPERATE LONGHORN DAM FOR THE CITY.
WE TOOK OVER LONGHORN DAM OPERATIONS.
WE LOST POWER IN LONGHORN, PAM.
UH, WE HAD TO SHIFT RESOURCES TO HAND CRANK THE GATES.
THESE ARE HUGE FACILITIES, UH, AND OUR STAFF HAND CRANKING THOSE VERY DIFFICULT CONDITIONS.
AND, AND IT'S, IT'S JUST IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE NOT ALL GATHERED AROUND ALL WE'RE AT THE, DURING AN EMERGENCY THAT OUR SYSTEMS WHERE WE'RE SPREAD THIN, WE HAD PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.
AND, UH, AND IT WAS A VERY CHALLENGING SITUATION.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW TOO, THAT WE HAVE SYSTEMS IN PLACE TO ASSESS RISK AND TO INVEST IN RESILIENCY.
WE HAVE A RISK-BASED CIP ALLOCATION SYSTEM.
UH, WE INVEST APPROXIMATELY A BILLION DOLLARS EVERY FIVE YEARS, AND WE USE RISK ASSESSMENT AND RESILIENCY TO EVALUATE THOSE INVESTMENT AREAS AND ELECTRIC, UH, RELIABILITY AND PERFORMANCE IS ONE OF THOSE KEYS.
UH, EVEN AT ORRICK, THE COUNCIL MAY RECALL THAT AT THE END OF 2020, YOU APPROVED A LARGE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM INVESTMENT AT ORRICK.
WE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS ON THAT AT THE DAYAS.
THERE WERE SOME STAKEHOLDERS CONCERNED ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND SOME, SOME, UH, LABOR ACTIVISTS CONCERNED ABOUT, ABOUT THE CONTRACTOR IN THE END, WE WERE SUCCESSFUL WORKING WITH YOU TO GET THAT APPROVED.
AND THAT PROJECT IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
NOW IT TOOK FOUR YEARS TO PREPARE THAT PROJECT THROUGH ENGINEERING, PERMITTING, AND DESIGN, AND NOW IT'S IN CONSTRUCTION.
YOU KNOW, I WISH IT WERE DONE NOW, BUT IT TAKES SOME TIME TO DO DO THOSE.
[01:15:01]
ARE OTHER PROJECTS ALL ACROSS THE UTILITY AT OUR DAVIS PLANT AT OUR WASTEWATER PLANTS, WHERE WE'RE INVESTING, UH, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND OTHER RELIABILITY AND RESILIENCY PROJECTS.AND WE'D LIKE TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU AND THE COMMUNITY, UH, AS YOU GATHER MORE INFORMATION OF, OF WHAT WE'RE DOING AND HOW WE CAN DO IT BETTER.
I THINK YOU'RE SEEING THE PROMISE TO HAVE OTHER ADAPTATIONS THAT WE'RE TAKING, AND WE'LL HIGHLIGHT THAT FOR YOU TODAY, BUT YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH WATER FORWARD AND OUR ADVANCED METER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT.
UH, WE OFTEN CALL IT MY ATX WATER WHILE THAT PROJECT IS ONLY NINE MONTHS INTO A ROUGHLY FIVE YEAR CONSTRUCTION PERIOD.
AND WE'RE JUST COMPLETING THE PILOT.
WE DID SEE THE PROMISE OF THAT TECHNOLOGY AT A COUPLE LEVELS.
ONE, WE DID EMPLOY OUR PORTAL.
OUR PROJECT INCLUDES A PORTAL WHERE CUSTOMERS CAN GET INFORMATION ON THEIR WATER USE DATA, BUT ALSO A WAY THAT WE CAN PUSH OUT INFORMATION TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
AND WE EMPLOYED THAT PORTAL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS EVENT.
IT WASN'T QUITE READY TO BE DEPLOYED IN THAT WAY, BUT WE FOCUSED IN AND DECIDED TO LAUNCH ON IT.
AND I THINK WE, WE GOT SOME GOOD RESULTS.
IT CLEARLY NEEDS SOME MORE WORK AS WE IMPLEMENT THE PROJECT, BUT WE'LL SHARE THAT WITH YOU TODAY.
ALSO IN THE FEW THOUSAND METERS, WE HAVE INSTALLED, WE WERE ABLE TO GATHER ALREADY INSIGHTS INTO HOW CUSTOMERS WERE USING WATER DURING THE EVENT, HOW MUCH WATER WAS, UH, WAS BEING USED TO DRIP FAUCETS IN CERTAIN HOMES.
AND THAT I THINK WILL HELP US SHAPE OUR COMMUNICATION AND OUR MESSAGES, UH, IN THE FUTURE, AS WE'RE IN THESE KINDS OF EVENTS.
AND ALSO HOW WE CAN BETTER TELL WHO'S IN WATER.
AND WHO'S OUT OF WATER RIGHT NOW WITH OUR ANALOG SYSTEM AND THE WATER PIPING NETWORK.
UH, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO TELL INDIVIDUAL HOMES OR NEIGHBORHOODS IF THEY'RE IN OR OUT OF WATER.
AND THAT'S GOING TO START TO CHANGE IN THE FUTURE AS WE HAVE MORE AMI AND WE BUILD OUT THE DATA NETWORK AND CAN HAVE MORE DEVICES, UH, COMMUNICATING THROUGH THAT NETWORK, YOU KNOW, WATER MUCH DIFFERENT THAN POWER IN THE SENSE THAT IT'S HEAVY, EVERY GALLON OF WATER WEIGHS OVER SEVEN POUNDS.
UH, WE, WE HAVE TO HAVE THE WATER MOVE THROUGH THE SYSTEM AT ONLY TWO TO FOUR FEET A SECOND.
UM, IT'S DIFFICULT TO TELL IF WATER'S LEAKING OUT THROUGH YOUR BREAK OR LEAK, UH, ELEVATION IS VERY IMPORTANT ON WATER AND WATER SERVICE AVAILABILITY.
UH, YOUR NEIGHBOR COULD HAVE WATER, AND IF YOU LIVE UP ON THE HILL, YOU MAY BE HOURS OR DAYS AWAY FROM GETTING WATER TO YOUR LOCATION.
AND WE'LL GO INTO THAT A LITTLE MORE FOR YOU TODAY, BUT THERE ARE IMPORTANT WATER DYNAMICS THAT ARE DIFFERENT THAN, THAN ENERGY AND OTHER UTILITIES THAT WE WOULD, UH, WE WOULD SEEK UNDERSTANDING, UH, FROM THE COUNCIL IN, IN CLOSING MY OPENING REMARKS, I WOULD SAY, AS WE WORK TOGETHER TO EXAMINE WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW WE MOVE FORWARD, IT'S IMPORTANT ON THE WATER SIDE TO CONSIDER MORE THAN JUST WATER AND MORE THAN AT LEAST THE PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM.
I THINK AS YOU'RE ALL EXPERIENCING WITH YOUR OWN CONSTITUENTS, UH, THERE WERE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PRIVATE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FAILURES IN THIS EVENT.
WOLVES SPEND MORE TIME ANALYZING THAT DATA.
UH, AND, AND TO THE DEGREE WE CAN, WE CAN UNDERSTAND IT ALL, BUT BETWEEN, UH, OUR RESPONSES, AUSTIN FIRE RESPONSES AND OTHERS, THERE'S CLEARLY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF BUILDINGS THAT EXPERIENCED, UH, BURST PIPES, BURST FIRE LINES, UH, BURST WATER HEATERS.
AND IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP THE PUBLIC SYSTEM GOING WHEN YOU EXPERIENCED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PRIVATE INFRASTRUCTURE FAILURES.
AND I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR EXAMINATION IS WHAT WERE THE CONTRIBUTING CAUSES TO ALL OF THAT, UH, PRIVATE INFRASTRUCTURE? HOW MIGHT PLUMBING CODES CHANGE IN THE FUTURE TO REDUCE THAT RISK? HOW DID THE GRID OUTAGE AFFECT THAT HAVING SO MANY HOMES BE WITHOUT POWER FOR SO LONG, HAVING THE TEMPERATURE IN THOSE HOMES DROP TO VERY LOW LEVELS, I THINK, IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE EXAMINED IN TERMS OF, OF HOW THAT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED AND HOW WE WOULD WORK THROUGH THAT IN THE FUTURE.
SO A LOT OF MILES TO GO, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW.
I THINK OF, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE AREAS AND, UH, AND, UH, AND WITH THAT, I WOULD TURN IT OVER NOW TO OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, RICK CORNADO
IF YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
[01:20:01]
CORNETTO ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS, AND I'LL KIND OF GO OVER THE, UM, THE OVERVIEW, THE SYSTEM, AS WELL AS THE TIMELINES.UH, WE'RE GOING TO ALSO DIVE INTO SOME COMMUNICATIONS, BUT, UH, I WANT TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF THE OVERVIEW OF THE SYSTEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE DISTRIBUTION WORKS AND ALSO WHAT WE EXPERIENCED OVER THE, UH, STORM EVENT.
SO IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH, UH, AUSTIN'S DESIGN FOR THE TREATMENT AND THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, THIS HERE IS TO ILLUSTRATE HOW WATER IS MOVED THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UH, IT'S INTENDED TO KIND OF BE A GRAPHIC OF NOT ONLY, UH, THE ZONES THAT YOU MAY HAVE, UH, SEEN THROUGH SOME OF OUR PUBLICATIONS, BUT ALSO HOW WATER IS MOVED FROM THE LAKE SYSTEMS ALL THE WAY TO THE, OUR HIGHEST ELEVATION.
AND SO WE HAVE THESE NAMES HERE AS DIFFERENT ZONES, UH, STARTING FROM THE LOWEST ELEVATION, UH, NEAR THE LAKE AUSTIN, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL ZONE.
THAT'S GOING TO BE THE LOWEST ZONE IN WHICH OUR TWO TREATMENT PLANTS, BOTH ORRICK AND DAVIS FEED INTO AND PUMP INTO, UH, THE ILLUSTRATIONS.
ALSO TRY TO DEPICT ALSO THE, UH, STORAGE CAPACITY, UH, AS YOU GET, UH, INTO THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS, WE HAVE SOME STORES CAPACITIES THAT RANGE ANYWHERE FROM THE LARGEST SYSTEM OF OUR, UH, TANKS IS A 34 MILLION GALLON TANK, WHICH IS A MARTIN HILL TO SOME OF OUR SMALLEST, UH, RESERVOIRS, WHICH WE CALL WATER STORAGE TANKS THAT ARE MAYBE LESS THAN A MILLION GALLONS.
SO THAT VARIES FROM LOCATION TO LOCATION, BUT THIS HELPS KIND OF IDENTIFY AREAS OF THE SOUTH AND ALSO AREAS OF THE NORTH.
UH, ONE DIFFERENCE IS THAT WE ALSO PULL FROM LIKE, LIKE TRAVIS, IN WHICH THE HANCOCK'S WATER TREATMENT PLANT IS, IS AT A HIGHER ELEVATION.
UH, IT ALSO WILL FEED INTO THE NORTHWEST A ZONE.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND, UM, AS WE KIND OF GO INTO, UH, IN COMPARISON TO THE, THE GEOGRAPHY, UH, THE, EACH ONE OF THESE COLOR CODES ALSO WILL BE REPRESENTED IN THE NEXT MAP, WHICH, UH, I WILL SHOW YOU IN A SECOND, BUT I WANT TO ALSO POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE NINE MAJOR PRESSURE ZONES.
UH, WE HAVE OVER 40 PLUS PUMP STATIONS AND OUR STORAGE CAPACITY FOR THE ENTIRE CITY IS AROUND 150 MILLION GALLONS.
UH, ONE, ONE THING TO ALSO NOTE IS WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT TRANSMISSION PIPELINES, UH, THAT GO TO EACH ONE OF THESE RESERVOIRS, UH, FROM EACH PUMP STATION.
AND THAT IS, UH, PROBABLY EQUIVALENT TO THE AMOUNT OF STORES THAT WE HAVE ABOVE GROUND, AS WE DO UNDERGROUND.
SO AS MUCH VOLUME AS YOU HAVE ABOVE GROUND, WE HAVE PIPING VOLUME THAT IS EQUIVALENT BELOW GROUND, SO THAT THAT'LL COME IN FACTORY INTO KIND OF DIAGNOSING WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCED THROUGHOUT THIS EVENT.
SO YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE SYSTEM MAP.
THIS WAS UTILIZED OVER THE COURSE OF THE EVENT TO KIND OF HELP, UH, COMMUNICATE WHERE IN THE CITY WE HAD PRESSURE WHERE WE HAD OUTAGES, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU FELL IN RELATIONSHIP TO THESE, UH, PRESSURE ZONES.
SO EACH PRESSURE ZONE HERE IS DEPICTED BY A DIFFERENT COLOR, STARTING WITH A CENTRAL ZONE BEING IN GREEN.
THAT IS ONE OF OUR LARGEST PRESSURE ZONES.
AND, UH, THE SOUTH IS COLOR CODED IN BLUE, AS WELL AS THE NORTH IS COLOR CODED IN BLUE.
THOSE SEEM, THOSE REPRESENT SIMILAR HYDRAULIC GRADE LINE ELEVATIONS, UH, SIMILAR TO, UM, KIND OF A LEVEL OF THE WATER LEVEL AS YOU GET HIGHER AND HIGHER IN ELEVATION.
WE HAVE ALSO THE SOUTHWEST, A, B, AND C.
THOSE ARE KIND OF IN COMPARISON TO NORTHWEST A, B AND C.
AND IF YOU RECALL, DURING THE, UH, THE OUTAGES, THE EXTREMITIES, OR THE FIRST, UH, TO KIND OF EXPERIENCE WATER OUTAGES, AND WE'LL GO THROUGH THAT, UH, SHORTLY IN A TIMELINE.
UH, ONE OTHER THING I WANT TO POINT OUT IS THAT THERE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT, UH, UNDERSTANDING HOW MANY FOLKS OR INDIVIDUALS WERE OUT OF WATER.
THAT'S A KIND OF A RIGHT NOW A VERY DIFFICULT TASK BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE INDIVIDUAL METERING POINTS, UH, TO IDENTIFY WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE WATER OR NOT.
WE HAVE A TANK ELEVATIONS PRESSURE,
[01:25:01]
UM, INDICATORS, UH, BUT WHAT W ONE THING WE CAN'T DETERMINE AT THIS POINT, WHICH WE WILL BE ABLE TO, ONCE WE ROLL OUT A FULL, UH, FULL CITY-WIDE AMI IS WHERE IN THE CITY INDIVIDUALS WILL HAVE WATER AND WHERE THEY WILL NOT, UH, THAT IS ONE AREA THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO GROW IN TO IDENTIFY OUTAGES.WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY HOW MANY CUSTOMERS AND ALSO, UH, METERS ARE LOCATED IN EACH ONE OF THESE ZONES.
AND THESE ARE MAJOR ZONES, BUT EACH ONE OF THESE AREAS ALSO, UH, HAVE, UH, SEPARATE ZONES IN, IN, IN BETWEEN OR WITHIN THESE ZONES.
FOR EXAMPLE, UH, SOMEONE WHO LIVES IN THE SOUTH ZONE MAY EXPERIENCE MAY HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED ANY WATER OUTAGE BECAUSE THEY ARE IN A LOW LINE AREA, MAYBE A REDUCED SOUTH ZONE.
SO THERE'S EVEN VARIATIONS IN SOME OF THESE MAJOR ZONES.
SO THAT'S THE COMPLEXITY OF TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE OUTAGES THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN OCCURRED.
SO I WANT TO GIVE YOU KIND OF A TIMELINE OVERVIEW, UH, AND I WANT TO KIND OF SPEND A LITTLE TIME JUST KIND OF, UH, PUTTING OUT THE DESCRIPTIONS THAT YOU MAY SEE IN FRONT OF YOU.
THE RED, A SOLID LINE REPRESENTS STORAGE STORAGE.
IS IT KIND OF THE INDICATOR OF HOW MUCH CAPACITY YOU HAVE IN THE STORED WATER TANKS? THIS WAS A SIMILAR GRAPH THAT YOU MAY HAVE SEEN COMMUNICATIONS.
THE BLUE PEN REPRESENTS THE USAGE PATTERN, THE USAGE PATTERN THAT'S CALCULATED ONCE AN HOUR, THE GREEN PEN REPRESENTS THE, THE PRODUCTION, HOW MUCH WAS SENT INTO THE SYSTEM.
AND THE USAGE IS REALLY A CALCULATION OF WHAT, UH, WHAT IS YOUR STORAGE CHANGE OVER THAT HOUR? UH, IT'S KIND OF, UM, A WATER BALANCE THAT WE CALCULATE AN HOUR ON AN HOURLY BASIS.
SO THE OTHER POINT I WANT TO MAKE ON THIS GRAPHIC IS THE, UH, BRACKETS ON THE FREEZING TEMPERATURES AND THE, THE BEGINNING AND THE END, WHICH IS REPRESENTS ABOUT AN EIGHT DAY PERIOD OF LOW TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT.
UM, THAT WILL FACTOR INTO A LATER GRAPH IN WHICH WE WILL SEE THE AMOUNT OF LEAKS THAT WE EXPERIENCED OVER THE COURSE OF THIS EVENT.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THE INITIAL STORM RESPONSE, UH, PRIOR TO THE, UH, STORM EVENT IN THE FREEZE, THE OVERNIGHT FREEZES, WE HAD EXPERIENCED SOME EVENTS THAT, UH, I HIGHLIGHTED HERE, UH, LAKEWOOD TRANSMISSION MAIN BREAK ON, UH, FEBRUARY THE 10TH ABOUT 1:00 PM.
TH THAT IS A SPIKE OF ABOUT MAYBE 15 MILLION GALLONS PLUS A WATER USAGE THAT IS A 48 INCH TRANSMISSION MAIN THAT FAILED BEFORE THE EVENT.
THAT KIND OF GIVES YOU AN INDICATION THAT WE ON OCCASION WILL EXPERIENCE SOME OF THESE, UH, LARGE WATER LOSS EVENTS, BUT THE SYSTEM IS CAPABLE OF RECOVERING IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
THE RED, UH, INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NO STORAGE, UM, REDUCTION DURING THAT TIME, BUT THAT IS JUST ONE SINGLE EVENT.
AND SO, UH, AS A, AS YOU KIND OF WALKED THROUGH THIS, UH, SERIES SEQUENCE OF EVENTS, I WANT YOU TO KEEP IN MIND WHAT MAY TRANSPIRE WHEN YOU HAVE LEAKS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, THE NEXT A BULLET AND, UH, CAPTURE THAT I HAVE THERE IS BECAUSE OF THAT LAKEWOOD TRANSMISSION EVENT, WE PUT OUR AUSTIN WATER INCIDENT COMMAND ON STANDBY, WHICH MEANT THAT WE WERE IN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, UH, IDENTIFYING SOME OF THE NEEDS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO, UH, ENSURE THAT ARE MET, SHOULD SOMETHING ARISE DURING THE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS PERIOD.
UH, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I WANT TO KIND OF POINT OUT IS DURING THIS TIMEFRAME PREPARATIONS OCCURRED FROM ANYWHERE FROM, UH, SCHEDULING CHANGES, UH, GETTING OUR FLEET PREPARED, UH, IDENTIFYING, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT WILL BE OUR WORKLOADS OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT WEEK AS THE TEMPERATURES MAY INCREASE, IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR US TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, ONE TO TWO DAY, UH, FREEZE EVENTS.
[01:30:01]
WE KIND OF ADJUST OUR SCHEDULE, UH, PREPARE OUR STAFF, UH, HOW TO WORK SAFELY AND SOME OF THESE EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS.UM, WE ALSO KIND OF PREPARE FOR WHAT IS THE, UH, INCIDENT COMMAND SCHEDULE OVER TIME.
UH, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT NORMALLY WILL HAPPEN, INCLUDING SOME OF THE FACILITY PREPARATIONS THAT INCLUDE FREEZE PROTECTION, UH, FREEZE PROTECTION OF CERTAIN PIPES, PIPES, PIPE EQUIPMENT.
UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF CHEMICALS AND FEED EQUIPMENT AT OUR TREATMENT PLANTS, AND THEY'RE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FREEZING JUST AS ANY OTHER OUTDOOR PIPING.
UH, SO THERE'S QUITE A BIT THAT HAS TO GO IN PREPARATION FOR ANY SORRY EVENT.
THIS IS STILL PRE KNOW STORM EVENT, BUT ONE OF THE INITIAL, UM, INCIDENTS THAT WE EXPERIENCE WITH AN POWER OUTAGE WAS A SANITARY SEWER OVERFLOW ON THE 12TH.
UM, THIS WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE WERE WORKING THROUGH DURING THE EVENTS WAS SANITARY, SEWER OVERFLOWS.
WE PROBABLY EXPERIENCED ANYWHERE FROM 20 OUTAGES OF LIFT STATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, IN WHICH 10 OF THOSE WERE RESTORED FAIRLY QUICKLY, UM, OF THE REMAINDER.
WE HAD TWO OTHER PUMPING HALL MAKE SURE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WERE CYCLING, UH, TRUCKS TO GO TO THE LOCATIONS AND, UH, PUMP OUT THE SANITARY SEWER LIFT STATIONS, UH, AND THEN CONTINUE THAT PATTERN UNTIL WE EITHER GOT A TEMPORARY GENERATOR OR IF WE, UM, UM, HAD FULL POWER RESTORATION.
SO THAT WAS IN ADDITION TO, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY GENERATORS THAT WE RELOCATING THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
SO ONCE POWER GOT RESTORED, WE MOBILIZE THAT GENERATOR AND, AND TOOK IT TO ANOTHER LIFT STATION.
SO WE CONTINUED TO DO THAT FOR QUITE A FEW DAYS, UH, THROUGH THIS EVENT, UH, CURRENTLY WE STILL HAVE TEMPORARY POWER AND CONTROLS FOR THIS LIFT STATION THAT TOOK PROBABLY THE, THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF DAMAGE.
UM, LET'S SEE, OTHER TYPES OF PREPARATION INCLUDED, UM, COORDINATION WITH AUSTIN ENERGY BECAUSE WE ARE ON THE CRITICAL LOAD LIST AND UNDERSTANDING THAT, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A VERY, UH, GOOD PARTNERSHIP TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FACILITIES ARE IN POWER DURING, UH, SOME OF THESE POTENTIAL BROWNOUTS OR BLACKOUTS.
SO THAT IS A CRITICAL PART TO UNDERSTAND WHO TO CONTACT WITH AUSTIN ENERGY, KEY ACCOUNTS.
ANOTHER, UH, AREA THAT I WOULD JUST FOCUS ON BRIEFLY IS THAT WE DID HAVE TO TEND TO LONGHORN DAM WITH THE POWER OUTAGE DURING THIS TIMEFRAME AND ENSURE THAT WE HAD, UH, COORDINATION WITH LCRA AS THEY ALSO ACTIVATED THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS.
AND WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE, UH, GENERATING HYDROELECTRIC TRICITY.
THIS IS GOING TO BE PROBABLY ONE OF THE BUSIEST, UM, CALL-OUTS THAT WE HAVE DURING THIS TIMEFRAME.
AND THIS IS THE PHASE IN WHICH WE LOST, UH, WATER STORAGE, UH, IN ADVANCE OF THE WATER, THE BOWL, WATER, CITYWIDE BOWL WATER.
WE HAD A SEQUENCE OF EVENTS THAT OCCURRED ON THE 16TH.
UM, THE 16TH WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST INDICATION THAT WAS WHEN THE SOUTHWEST BE, IF YOU RECALL THE MAP, THE GEOGRAPHIC GEOGRAPHY IS SOUTHWEST.
UH, AREA OF AUSTIN WAS THE FIRST AREA TO EXPERIENCE A WATER OUTAGE.
AND NORMALLY WHEN WE GET CALLS THE, UH, ELEVATION THAT'S THE HIGHEST WILL WE'LL EXPERIENCE A WATER OUTAGE.
AND, UH, WE'LL RESPOND TO THAT.
IF WE RECOVER THE SYSTEM THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY INDICATE THAT THAT'S A BOWL WATER REQUIREMENT.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT OCCURRED DURING THAT EVENING AND OVERNIGHT WAS THAT, UM, AS WE TRY TO REPLENISH THE SYSTEM, SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT, THAT THE, UH, NOT ONLY DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM MAINTENANCE STAFF, AS WELL AS THE PUMP STATIONS AND RESERVOIR STAFF, UH, EXPERIENCE WAS, UH, FREEZING OF MAYBE LEVEL INDICATORS WHERE WE HAD TO GO OUT AND PHYSICALLY LOOK AND SEE, UH, WHAT WAS THE LEVEL? WHAT WAS THE PRESSURE? WHAT WAS THE READINGS
[01:35:01]
AT THE SAME TIME, IF THERE WERE ANY LEAKS THAT WERE OCCURRING, SOME OF THEM WERE MASKED, UH, THROUGH THE WEATHER CONDITIONS.AND SO THERE WAS A LOW, AND MAYBE SOME OF THE LEAKS THAT MAY HAVE OCCURRED.
ANOTHER, UH, FACTOR THAT COULD HAVE PLAYED IS THAT DURING THIS TIMEFRAME, THERE ARE TWO, UH, PATTERNS OF WATER USAGE.
THERE'S A MORNING PEAK AND AN EVENING PEAK.
UH, THE EVENING PEAK WOULD HAVE COINCIDED WITH A POTENTIAL OUTAGE IN THE SOUTHWEST B AREA.
UH, THIS WOULD BE TYPICALLY, UH, THE PEAK MAY EXTEND FROM ANYWHERE FROM EIGHT TO 10:00 PM AT NIGHT, AND WHERE USAGE DEMAND IS THE HEAVIEST, UH, THIS IS WHAT THE SOUTHWEST BE EXPERIENCED.
UH, WE THEN STARTED PLANS TO ACTIVATE THE, THE DEPARTMENT OPERATION CENTER AND ACTIVATE INCIDENT COMMAND.
AND SO BY 8:00 AM, THE NEXT SHIFT THAT CAME IN WAS ALREADY IN AN INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE, UH, FROM THE TEAM THAT WAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED.
AND, UM, THAT STARTED THE, THE, UH, THE PROCESS OF ACTIVATING THE DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS CENTER.
UM, OVERNIGHT THERE STILL WAS PLANNING BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WAY TO, UH, UH, IDENTIFY, UH, HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS WERE OUT OF WATER.
OTHER THAN WHAT I'VE ESTIMATED IS WE HAVE A NUMBER OF, UM, CONNECTIONS AND METERS PER ZONE.
AND SO WE WERE ALREADY IN PROCESS TO, UH, UH, START THE PLANNING AND THE NOTICE FOR THE SOUTHWEST B WATER NOTICE OR WATER, UH, UH, BULL WATER NOTICE.
IN ADDITION TO THE SOUTHWEST, BE THE POWER AT LOSS CREEK WENT OUT DURING THAT TIMEFRAME.
WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL HYDRO PNEUMATIC SYSTEMS, WHICH DO NOT INVOLVE, UH, WATER TANKS AND WATER STORAGE.
THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY, THEY'RE A COMBINATION OF PRESSURE AND WATER.
WE PRESSURIZE THE SYSTEM, AND THAT IS HOW THE COMMUNITY IN THAT AREA FOR, FOR SOME OF THE HYDRO NOMADIC, UH, ZONES RECEIVED THEIR WATER WITH THE POWER OUTAGE.
UH, WE HAD TO TRY TO GET A GENERATOR OUT THERE, BUT WE HAD DEPLETED THE ZONE OF ANY WATER.
SO THAT WAS ALSO ON THE LIST TO HAVE A BOWL OF WATER NOTICE AS WELL.
SO THAT THOSE, THOSE OCCURRENCES, UH, TRANSPIRED INTO THE SOUTHWEST BE AND LOST CREEK BOIL WATER NOTICE ABOUT 11:00 AM ABOUT THE TIME THAT WAS HAPPENING, ACHIEVED A PEAK DEMAND.
UH, IF YOU, UM, THE, UH, THE DIANA DIURNAL MORNING PEAK DEMAND OF OVER 330 MILLION GALLONS ACHIEVED.
SO THAT, THAT WAS AN INDICATION THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS EXTREMELY HIGH IN WHETHER IT WAS LEAKS BEING, UM, GENERATED THROUGH PUBLIC OR PRIVATE, UH, PIPING THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL HAVE TO DIG THROUGH, UH, SOME OF OUR RECORDS AND, AND THE AFTER ACTION, BUT THAT IS AN INDICATOR THAT SOMETHING IN THE SYSTEM HAS GONE WRONG, UH, MEANING THAT THERE ARE LEAKS THAT WE CANNOT IDENTIFY AND GET TO, OR THE PRIVATE SIDE EXPERIENCE, A, UH, A LARGE AMOUNT OF WATER LOSS DURING THAT TIMEFRAME SHORTLY AFTER THAT, UH, PEAK EVENT AND THE, UH, UH, THE SOUTHWEST B OR WATER NOTICE, UM, ABOUT 2:00 PM, THAT IS WHEN OLRICK POWER, UH, WENT OUT.
AND AS MR. MARISOL'S, UH, MENTIONED THAT, UH, THAT IS, UM, AN EVENT THAT OCCURRED ABOUT 2:00 PM.
WE WERE NOT ABLE TO, UH, START THE PROCESS, AT LEAST THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PROCESS TO ABOUT FIVE 30.
SO WITH TRAVEL TIME, IT TOOK A LOOK TRADITIONS THAT WERE ATTENDING TO SOME OF THE LIFT STATION OUTAGES ABOUT AN HOUR AND 15 MINUTES TO ARRIVE.
THEY ASSESS THE SYSTEM WITH SOME OF THE, UH, SYSTEM OPERATORS AND STARTED TO RESTORE THE PLANT BACK, UH, WITHIN AN HOUR'S TIME.
THE FIRST, THE FIRST ELECTRICAL STARTUP THEN STARTS THE CHECKS AND BALANCES FOR ALL THE CHEMICAL FEED SYSTEMS AND ALL THE REACTORS THAT WE HAVE TO MIX THOSE CHEMICALS TO PRODUCE DRINKING WATER.
[01:40:01]
SO THAT TOOK SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE WE COULD GET THE FIRST LEVEL OF PRODUCTION THAT NIGHT.WE WERE ABLE TO GET, UM, ALL RICK BACK TO ABOUT, UH, THE SAME LEVEL OF PRODUCTION THAT THEY WERE PRIOR TO THE OUTAGE.
SO ABOUT 1:00 AM THAT MORNING, UM, WITH THE DEEP, UH, DEEP PRESSURE DEPRESSURIZATION OF THE STORAGE, UH, THAT TRIGGERED THE CITYWIDE BOIL WATER NOTICE, WE WERE ALREADY FACING A KIND OF A DIRE SITUATION WITH THE DEMAND PEAK AT 9:00 AM AND THE STORAGE DROPPING CONSERVE CONSIDERABLY IN THE VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
SO THAT KIND OF GAVE AN INDICATION THAT THERE WERE SOME LEAKS THAT WE COULD NOT IDENTIFY.
UM, AND, AND I'LL KIND OF BECOME A LITTLE MORE CLEAR IN THE, UH, LEAK, DEMAND GRAPH THAT WAS SHOWN IN, IN BRIEFLY, UM, THE CITYWIDE BOIL WATER NOTICE WAS ISSUED THAT EVENING, AND THAT KIND OF STARTED THE PROCESS OF HOW TO RECOVER THE SYSTEM, UH, FROM SOME OF THE CENTRAL ZONES TO THE OUTER OUTSKIRTS OF THE SYSTEM.
UH, C LET'S GO AHEAD AND, UH, GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO THIS HERE IS SYSTEM RECOVERY.
THERE'S MANY FACTORS THAT PLAY INTO HOW TO RECOVER A SYSTEM ONCE YOU HAVE THE PRESSURIZED.
IT, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO ENSURE IS THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH ADEQUATE PRESSURE, NOT ONLY FOR FIREFLY PROTECTION, BUT ALSO FOR SAFETY REASONS AND ADEQUATE FLOW TO OUR CUSTOMERS TO SUSTAIN IT.
WE DID HAVE TO, UM, UH, WORK WITH SOME OF THE CRITICAL CUSTOMERS OR HOSPITALS IN THE CENTRAL ZONE, AND EVENTUALLY OUR SOUTH AND NORTH STONES TO TRY TO GET THEM WATER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE BY, UM, TRANSFERRING SOME OF THESE, UH, PIPELINES TO THEM MORE DIRECTLY.
AND SO WHEN BY DOING SO, WE WERE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THE CENTRAL ZONE AND SOME OF THE CRITICAL, UH, CUSTOMERS THAT WERE IN THE CENTRAL ZONE.
AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST AREAS THAT WAS LIFTED FROM THE BOILED WATER.
WE HAD MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS WITH TCEQ IN WHICH THEY APPROVED THIS TYPE OF PLAN TO KIND OF RESEND THE BOWL OF WATER IN PRESSURE ZONE, UM, STAGES WITH CENTRAL ZONE BEING THE FIRST, THAT WAS THE FIRST ONE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ESTABLISH THEN NORTH, SOUTH AND NORTHWEST DAY, WHERE THE NEXT ONES, UH, TO BE REESTABLISHED, THEN FINALLY THE REMAINDER OF THE ZONES WERE ABLE TO LIFT THE ENTIRE CITY OF CITY WIDE BORE WATER.
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALSO HAD TO DO WAS ENSURE THAT WE TOOK BACTERIOLOGICAL AND CORRINE, RESIDUAL, UH, TESTS THROUGHOUT TO ENSURE THAT THE WATER WAS SAFE TO DRINK, BUT THAT WAS THOSE ALL CAME CLEAR, WHICH ALLOWED US TO, UM, PHASE THIS RAPIDLY IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME FROM THE CENTRAL ZONE TO THE CITYWIDE, UH, OTHERWISE WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO AWAIT, UH, FOR ALL OF THE, THE, UH, TEST TO COME BACK.
BUT THIS WAS OUR WAY TO ADAPT HOW TO GET THE SYSTEM BACK TO RECOVERY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALSO MADE A POINT WAS WE KEPT, UH, COMMUNICATING WHAT SAFETY OR SAFE LEVELS OF OUR STORAGE LOOK LIKE.
AND SO WE WERE TRYING TO TARGET AND ACHIEVE AT LEAST A HUNDRED MILLION GALLONS OF STORAGE THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND SOME AREAS, UM, DEFINITELY ACHIEVED THAT SOONER THAN OTHERS.
ON, ON THE, UH, FINAL NOTE THERE, THE EMERGENCY WATER RESTRICTIONS WERE LIFTED ON THE 24TH, SUBSEQUENT THE BOIL WATER NOTICE BEING LIFTED.
UM, I ALSO WANT TO, I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE EXPERIENCED, UH, OBVIOUSLY WITH THE DATA BEING, UH, RELYING ON TANK LEVELS, UM, IF, IF YOU GO BACK ONE SLIDE, PLEASE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO POINT OUT IS THAT WHEN WE REACH THE BOTTOM OF, UM, THE STORAGE LEVELS, WHICH WAS COINCIDENTALLY ABOUT THE SAME TIME WE WERE ABLE TO RECOVER, UM, UH,
[01:45:01]
ALL RIC WATER TREATMENT PLANT TO FULL PRODUCTION PRIOR TO THE OUTAGE IS THAT ONCE A TANK GOES OUT OF WATER, THE THEN THE PIPELINE BECOMES THE NEXT VOLUME TO WORK WITH.AND SO I MENTIONED THAT THERE'S ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF VOLUME, UH, ABOVE GROUND AS THERE IS BELOW GROUND.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WILL GO THROUGH IN THIS AFTER ACTION IS IDENTIFY HOW MUCH WATER WE DID LOSE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAD TO REPLENISH THE PIPELINES, UH, BEFORE YOU COULD REPLENISH THE TANKS.
AND SO THE REASON WHY YOU SEE SUCH A GRADUAL CLIMB IS BECAUSE WE WERE REFILLING THE PIPELINES BEFORE YOU COULD FILL THE TANKS THEMSELVES.
UM, I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE PRELIMINARY INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE GATHERED HERE.
THIS REPRESENTS THE, THE TIMELINE, THE EVENT SEQUENCES, UH, AS WELL AS A COMPARISON OF SOME OF THE LEAK AND LEAK DEMANDS THAT WE SAW THROUGHOUT THIS, THIS, UH, EVENT.
UM, THE BAR CHART ON THE BOTTOM REPRESENTS LEAKED DEMANDS THAT INCLUDE NOT ONLY MAINS, BUT ALSO SERVICES AND OTHER TYPES OF LEAKS THAT ARE MAJOR.
UM, THE FIRST INDICATOR THAT WE HAD, A, UM, SOME SURFACE OF, UH, MAJOR MAINS, PROBABLY DIDN'T SURFACE ITSELF UNTIL ABOUT THE 16TH.
UH, THEN ON THE 17TH, UH, THERE WAS A DROP IN THE NUMBER OF MAIN BREAKS.
UM, ON THE 18TH, WE HAD AN UPTICK OF ABOUT 17 MAIN BREAKS, UH, THE 19TH AT 30, AND THEN 23, 26, 12, AND SO FORTH NOW, JUST BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THEY SURFACE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT'S WHEN THEY, UH, ACTUALLY, UH, WHEN THE ACTUAL MAIN LEAKED, BECAUSE, UH, THE CONDITIONS DIDN'T, UM, MATERIALIZE WHERE YOU COULD SEE SOME OF THESE MAIN BREAKS THEY COULD HAVE INITIATED DURING THE 17TH, UH, OR AT LEAST A PORTION OF THOSE MAY HAVE INITIATED DURING THE 17TH.
THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE AS WE KIND OF LOOK TO SOME OF THE LESSONS LEARNED, AND IMPROVEMENTS IS TRYING TO INVEST IN NOT ONLY AMI, BUT ALSO SOME OF THE SMART GRID TOOLS THAT HELP US IDENTIFY LEAKS THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING PRESSURE MANAGEMENT, AS WELL AS LEAK DETECTION FOR THE FUTURE.
UM, I THINK THAT WILL HELP US ALSO DRIVE IMPROVEMENTS IN UNDERSTANDING WHERE AREAS OF TOWN MAY BE EXPERIENCING MORE LEAKS THAN OTHERS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, WE ALSO HAVE IDENTIFIED DURING THIS ANALYSIS IS THAT ABOUT 90% OF THESE LEAKS WERE RELATED TO CAST IRON PIPES.
THEY WERE THE MOST BRITTLE DURING THIS TIMEFRAME, AND IT WAS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT OTHER UTILITIES EXPERIENCED AS WELL.
SO THAT IS A, AN AREA OF IMPROVEMENT THAT WE WILL BE LOOKING AT TO ENSURE THAT HOW DO WE, UM, WORK THROUGH AN EVENT LIKE THIS WITH SOME OF THE PIPELINE MATERIALS THAT WE HAVE.
AND SO AS WE DIVE INTO SOME OF THAT INFORMATION AND FIND THE FAILURE MODES, UH, WE'LL LOOK TO SEE HOW WE CAN ENHANCE OUR, OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLANS AS WELL.
UH, WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO COMMUNICATIONS.
SO RANDY JENKINS, PLEASE, IF YOU COULD HAVE ASSISTANT DIRECTORATE JENKINS TO, UH, BECOME A PARTICIPANT, YOU DIRECT THEM AS OURS.
UM, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE CHAIR, UM, AS MENTIONED AND NOTED, I AM RANDY JENKINS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN WATER, AND I'LL BE PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS TODAY.
SO NOW THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CORNADO HAS BEEN ABLE TO ACCLIMATE YOU TO THE SYSTEMATIC OVERVIEW OF THIS WINTER WEATHER EVENT.
I WANTED TO OVERLAY AND SHED SOME LIGHT ON WHAT OCCURRED AS WE MANEUVER THROUGH THIS EVENT AND HOW WE ADJUSTED OUR MESSAGING THROUGHOUT.
AND SO, UM, WE'VE REMAINED, UH, KEEPING THE SYSTEMATIC MAP IN FRONT OF YOU SO THAT YOU CAN KIND OF HAVE AN IDEA AS WE WALK THROUGH THE DAYS, UM, THROUGHOUT THIS EVENT TO STARTING, UM, WITH OUR COMMUNICATIONS, UH, REALLY BEGAN BEFORE THE EVENT, UH,
[01:50:01]
INITIATED.SO EVEN BEFORE THE WINTER WEATHER HIT US ON, UM, FEBRUARY 9TH, WE STARTED PUSHING COMMUNICATIONS ON COLD WEATHER, PREPAREDNESS, YOU KNOW, PROTECTING PLANTS, PIPES, AND PETS.
WE ALSO ISSUED, UM, TIPS ON OUR WEBSITE AND WE ALSO ISSUED A PRESS RELEASE FORMALIZING THAT NOTIFICATION TO THE MEDIA, WHICH THE MEDIA DID PICK UP AND PUBLICLY RUN STORIES ABOUT COLD WEATHER PREPARATIONS MOVING INTO THE 12TH.
WHEN WE STARTED TO BEGIN TO SEE THE FREEZING WEATHER AND THE SLEEP AND THE WIND PICK UP AND AS POWDER POWER OUTAGES INCREASED, UH, WE CONTINUED OUR, UH, UH, FROZEN PIPE MESSAGING.
AND THEN AS, UM, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, CORNADO INDICATED WE DID HAVE A SEWAGE OVERFLOW THAT INITIATED ON THAT DAY.
AND SO WE, UM, DID PROVIDE PUBLIC NOTICE OF THAT SANITARY SEWER OVERFLOW, AND THEN MOVING INTO, UM, FEBRUARY 13TH AND 14TH, WE CONTINUED OUR PIPE PROTECTION MESSAGING AND HOW TO LOCATE YOUR, UM, WATER SHUT OFF VALVE FOR PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS, SO THAT THEY KNEW IF THEY EXPERIENCED A LEAK OR A BREAK WHERE THEY COULD CUT WATER SERVICE SO THAT THEIR HOMES WERE NOT FURTHER DAMAGED, MOVING INTO FEBRUARY 15TH, AS CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO WORSEN.
YOU KNOW, WE, UM, ALSO HAD TO ENGAGE OUR LONGHORN DAM OPERATIONS AS BRUCKNER MISSOURI'S MENTIONED.
AND SO, UH, WE HAD TO PUSH MESSAGING OUT TO OUR KEY STAKEHOLDERS REGARDING THOSE OPERATIONS.
WE ALSO THEN TURNED OUR ATTENTION TO ASKING THE PUBLIC AS WE STARTED TO SEE WATER USE SPIKE, UM, TO, UM, YOU KNOW, CONSERVE AND AVOID THE USE OF LARGE APPLIANCES IN THEIR HOMES.
AND THEN MOVING INTO THE 16TH, UM, AS, AS COMMUNITY AROUND US AND NEIGHBORING UTILITIES, UH, BEGAN TO ISSUE THEIR OWN BORE WATER NOTICES.
WE, UM, YOU KNOW, DID A LOT OF HEAVY LIFTING AND EFFORT AROUND TAMPING RUMORS DOWN SO THAT, UM, OUR UTILITY CUSTOMERS WERE AWARE THAT WE HAD NOT YET ISSUED A BOIL WATER NOTICE.
UM, AND WE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE THOSE FROZEN PIPE INSTRUCTIONS AND THAT AT THIS TIME AUSTIN WATER HAD ADEQUATE WATER TO SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS.
SO MOVING INTO THE HEART OF THE EVENT, UM, AND TO THE 17TH, UM, YOU KNOW, WHICH, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CORNADO INDICATED, THAT'S WHEN WE SAW THE PRESSURES DROPPED BELOW MINIMUM LEVEL AND ISSUED OUR BOWL WATER NOTICE FOR THE SOUTHWEST AREA IN LOST CREEK COMMUNITY.
UM, WE ISSUED MANDATORY WATER CONSERVATION NOTICES AND PUSHED OUT MESSAGING IN THAT WAY.
WE ALSO HELD OUR FIRST OF SEVERAL VIRTUAL NEWS CONFERENCES AND, UM, BY 8:30 PM THAT EVENING ON THE 17TH, WE HAD ISSUED OUR PRESS RELEASE AND PUBLIC NOTICE, UM, REGARDING THE CITY WHILE Y WE'LL NOTICE, UM, AND, AND I'LL GET INTO, AND SOME OF MY LATER SLIDES EXACTLY HOW WE COMMUNICATED SOME OF THAT CITYWIDE AND OTHER EFFORTS IN MORE DETAIL IN A MOMENT, UM, ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR, OUR WATER TREATMENT PLANTS STILL AT THAT TIME WHERE WE'RE OPERATING IN SOMEWHAT STABLE MODE.
UM, AND SO WE WERE PUSHING OUT THAT INFORMATION, BUT STILL ENCOURAGING OUR CUSTOMERS TO BLOW THE WATER, UM, INCLUDING MESSAGES AND OTHER LANGUAGES, SUCH AS SPANISH, VIETNAMESE, CHINESE AND ARABIC.
UM, AND THEN AGAIN, HELD ANOTHER VIRTUAL NEWS CONFERENCE AND, UM, CONTINUED OUR CONSERVATION MESSAGING.
UM, IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF FEBRUARY 19TH, WE BEGAN TO PRODUCE OUR, UM, DAILY OPERATIONS UPDATE THAT CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THE EVENT WHERE WE WOULD UPDATE OUR WEBSITE AND ALL OF OUR OUTLETS TWICE A DAY, SO THAT WE COULD CONTINUE TO KEEP THE PUBLIC ABREAST OF WHAT WAS GOING ON.
UM, WITH AUSTIN WATER AND THEIR UTILITY SERVICE, WE HELD ANOTHER VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE AND, UM, DID INDICATE AT THAT TIME WE WERE STARTING TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR SYSTEM, AND WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT, UM, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO PULL THROUGH THIS TOWARDS THE END OF THE WEEKEND.
UM, BY SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH, UM, WE CONTINUE TO CALL FOR CONSERVATION.
AND, UM, FOR THOSE THAT WERE STARTING TO RECEIVE WATER BACK IN THEIR HOMES AND ARE IN THE OUTER AREAS OF OUR SERVICE AREA, WE DID PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FLUSHING PIPES, AS INDIVIDUALS CAME BACK INTO SERVICE.
UM, AND AT THAT SAME TIME AND DAY, WE DID ISSUE OUR EMERGENCY WATER USE RESTRICTIONS, AS WE WERE HEARING CONCERNS IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT, UM, CAR WASHES, STARTING TO OPEN UP AS, UM, OUR TEMPERATURES STARTED TO CLIMB.
AND, AND WE, I BELIEVE ON THAT DAY, HAD OUR FIRST SUNNY DAY, UM, MOVING INTO SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST.
UM, WE, UH, STARTED TO PROMOTE OUR WATER DISTRIBUTION SITES, UM, THAT WERE SET UP FOR PUBLIC THAT WERE SO EXPERIENCING WATER OUTAGES DUE TO THEIR OWN PRIVATE SIDE PLUMBING BREAKS.
AND, UM, CONTINUED TO PUSH OUT
[01:55:01]
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR, UM, WATER AND FLUSHING PIPE, AND ALSO REMINDERS TO KEEP WATER BOILING.CAUSE AT THAT TIME WE HAD STILL NOT LIFTED FULLY CITYWIDE.
UM, AN ADDITIONAL ITEM TO NOTE, WE ALSO PARTICIPATED WITH SOME OF YOU, UM, OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ON, UH, BRIAN PORTHAUL DID JOIN SOME OF YOU IN SOME OF YOUR FACEBOOK LIVE EVENTS SO THAT WE COULD DIRECTLY COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS, UM, ON THE FLY AS THE EVENT UNFOLDED.
SO, UM, MONDAY NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO AS, UM, MONDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 22ND, WE WERE ABLE TO PARTIALLY LIFT OUR BOIL WATER NOTICE FOR THE CENTRAL PRESSURE ZONE AND AS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR COORDINATOR, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS THE LOWEST LEVEL OF OUR PRESSURE ZONE IN NEAREST TO OUR LARGEST TREATMENT PLANTS THAT WERE ABLE TO HAVE WATER RESTORED FIRST AND AS WE MOVED WATER THROUGHOUT THE OUTER EDGES OF OUR SYSTEM, UM, AND THEN WE LAUNCHED ON THAT SAME DAY AT INTERACTIVE MAP, KNOWING THAT WE NEEDED TO GIVE THE PUBLIC SOME DIRECT INSIGHT INTO EXACTLY WHAT PRESSURE ZONE THEY RESIDED IN.
UM, WE LAUNCHED THAT THAT DAY.
WE DID HAVE A FEW OUTAGES ON THAT MAP AS, UM, THE WEBSITE WAS FLOODED.
WE HAD OVER 1.2 MILLION HITS ON THAT MAP, WHICH WAS GREAT.
THAT MEANS THAT IT WAS WORKING AND PEOPLE WERE UTILIZING IT.
BUT, UM, WE CERTAINLY KNOW THAT THAT IS SOMETHING TO LOOK BETTER, BEEF UP OUR INFRASTRUCTURE ON OUR WEBSITE TO SUPPORT THAT EFFORT.
WE ALSO STARTED TO, UM, HEAR RUMORS, UM, AND, AND GET INFORMATION ABOUT SCAMS THAT WERE OCCURRING ABOUT REPAIRS TO WATER SYSTEM AND ON THE PRIVATE SIDE.
AND SO WE PUSHED OUT SOME SCAM ALERT MESSAGING TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CUSTOMERS KNEW WHEN AND HOW OFTEN WATER WOULD BE COMMUNICATING THEM.
AND WHEN IT WAS A LEGITIMATE, UM, OUTREACH FOR THEM TO RESPOND TO BY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD, THE BOWL WATER NOTICE WAS LIFTED FOR ALL CUSTOMERS AND, UM, THE MANDATORY WATER USE RESTRICTIONS, EXCUSE ME, REMAINED IN PLACE.
AND SO WE ISSUED THE PRESS RELEASE AND ISSUED NOTIFICATION THROUGH OUR ONE CENTRAL TEXAS MESSAGING, WHICH IS ALSO REFERRED TO AS REVERSE NINE 11 AS WELL AS OUR, MY ATX WATER PORTAL, UM, UTILIZE WISING THE TEXT MESSAGE AND EMAIL ALERT SYSTEM.
AND AGAIN, WE'LL GET INTO THAT IN A FEW MINUTES ABOUT HOW THAT EXACTLY WORKS.
UM, AND SO AS WE PULLED OUT OF THE BOWL OF WATER, NOTICE, WE MAINTAIN THE MANDATORY WATER USE RESTRICTIONS THROUGH THE 24TH.
AND, UM, AGAIN BEGAN TO PROMOTE EMERGENCY REPAIR RESOURCES FOR OUR RESIDENTS AND BEGAN MESSAGING FOR OUR APARTMENT AND CONDO RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT THE AUSTIN AREA.
AND SO, UM, A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF OUR COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES AND STRATEGIES, YOU KNOW, AS I MENTIONED AT THE ONSET OF THIS EVENT, WE BEGAN SOCIAL CHANNELS MONITORING AND RESPONSES THROUGHOUT STARTING ON FEBRUARY 9TH, AS WE WERE BEGINNING TO HEAR REPORTS OF THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES.
UM, AND SO WE, WE THEN CERTAINLY MOVED FORWARD INTO MEDIA COORDINATION.
WE ISSUED 10 NEWS RELEASES DURING THIS ENTIRE EVENT, STARTING WITH PREPAREDNESS MESSAGING AND IN COLD WEATHER TIPS, UM, ISSUED ON FEBRUARY 10TH.
UM, WE PROVIDED, UM, UH, MEDIA REPRESENTATION AND SAVING CONSTANT CONTACT WITH MEDIA ANSWERING QUESTIONS AND SCHEDULING INTERVIEWS THROUGHOUT.
WE ALSO HELD A SERIES OF VIRTUAL NEWS CONFERENCES, UM, AND AUSTIN WATER PARTICIPATED IN FOUR OF THOSE.
UM, AND THEN, AND THEN AS I, AS I HIGHLIGHTED OUR ONE CENTRAL TEXAS AND CUSTOMER PORTAL PORTAL NOTIFICATIONS, JUST TO GIVE A HIGHLIGHT OF EXACTLY HOW MANY NOTIFICATIONS WENT OUT USING BOTH OF THOSE SYSTEMS. SO THROUGH THE, MY ATX WATER PORTAL, YOU KNOW, AND I, I BELIEVE, UM, DIRECTOR MAZARRA WAS MENTIONED IN HIS, UM, BRIEFING SAYING THAT THIS IS OUR PILOT PORTAL AND A PART OF OUR PILOT PROJECT THAT WE'RE LAUNCHING.
AND SO WE NEVER INTENT, WE NEVER THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD NEED TO UTILIZE IT IN THIS WAY, BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY GLAD THAT WE HAD IT.
WE WERE ABLE TO SEND APPROXIMATELY 175,000 TEXT MESSAGE, TEXT MESSAGES AT A TIME.
UM, AND WE DID THAT THREE TIMES OVER.
SO JUST NORTH OF 550, 2000 TEXT MESSAGES WERE SENT THROUGH THAT PORTAL.
WE DUPLICATED THAT EFFORT, UM, VIA EMAIL AS WELL.
AND SO, UM, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED HEARING AND LEARNING OF OUTAGES AND OUR BOIL WATER NOTICE IN THE SOUTHWEST AREA, WE INITIATED THAT PORTAL MESSAGE.
AND THEN, UM, SECONDLY, WHEN WE ISSUED THE CITY-WIDE BOWL NOTICE, AND THEN WHEN THOSE BOWL NOTICE THE CITYWIDE BOWL NOTICE WAS LIFTED.
AND SO ONE OF THE ISSUES, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS BROUGHT UP IN AN EARLIER DISCUSSION, UM, THAT WE EXPERIENCED WITH OUR PORTAL AND OUR ALREADY DIGGING INTO WHAT WE CAN DO TO PREVENT THIS IN THE FUTURE.
BUT ONE OF THE ISSUES WAS THE TIME LAG
[02:00:01]
THAT IT TOOK.ONCE WE GEARED UP THE PORTAL TO SEND OUT THAT NOTIFICATION, THAT IT TOOK MANY HOURS TO GET THOSE TEXT MESSAGES SENT OUT THROUGH THAT PORTAL.
AND SO WE'VE ALREADY CONTACTED THE VENDOR AND THE VENDOR INDICATED THAT WE WERE NOT THE ONLY UTILITY UTILIZING THEIR SYSTEM HERE IN TEXAS, THAT EXPERIENCED THAT DELAY IN CHUGGING THROUGH THOSE TEXT MESSAGES TO GET THEM OUT CITYWIDE.
AND SO THERE WAS A TIME GAP BETWEEN THE TIME IN WHICH WE ISSUED THE CITYWIDE BOWL, A WATER NOTICE, UM, TO THE TIME THAT MAYBE THAT LAST CUSTOMER ON THE LIST OF, YOU KNOW, THE 175,000 RECEIVED THAT LAST TEXT MESSAGE.
SO WE ARE AWARE OF THAT TIMELINE WHEN WE WERE ALREADY DIGGING INTO THAT ACTIVITY AND HOW WE CAN, UM, BEEF THAT SYSTEM UP ON THE ONE CENTRAL TEXAS SIDE AUSTIN WATER.
WE, YOU KNOW, WE WORKED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HUSAM TO SEND ALERTS THROUGH THE REVERSE NINE 11 SYSTEM, APPROXIMATELY 1.2 MILLION CONTACTS ARE IN THAT DATABASE.
AND THAT CONSISTS OF PHONE NUMBERS, EMAIL ADDRESSES, AND CELL PHONE NUMBERS FOR TEXT MESSAGE.
AND SO, UM, THAT THAT MESSAGE SEEMS SYSTEM WAS UTILIZED IN THE SAME MANNER, UM, AT THE ONSET OF THE CITY CITYWIDE BOIL WATER NOTICE, AND AT THE CONCLUSION OF THAT EVENT, WHEN IT WAS RESCINDED.
AND SO, AS I MENTIONED THROUGHOUT THE TIMELINE, WE, UM, ONCE WE STOOD UP THE OPERATIONAL UPDATES, UM, INCLUDING THE INTERACTIVE MAP, WE WERE UPDATING THAT, UM, MULTIPLE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
AND THEN WE KEPT A ROBUST FAQ'S AND LANGUAGE TRANSLATION DOCUMENTS, UM, SO THAT THE PUBLIC COULD ACCESS THOSE.
AND WE CONTINUE TO REFINE AND BUILD ON THOSE FAQ THROUGHOUT EVENT, AS ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, PROP CROPPED UP FROM COUNCIL OFFICES, AS WELL AS, UM, QUESTIONS THAT CAME IN THROUGH, UM, PUBLIC MEANS.
AND SO LASTLY, UM, I'LL HIGHLIGHT OUR ONLINE FORMS. SO, UM, ORIGINALLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN, UH, WHEN A HOMEOWNER OR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES AN OUTAGE OR, UM, ANY KIND OF PROBLEM WITH THEIR UTILITY SERVICE, WE ENCOURAGE THEM TO CONTACT OUR, UM, CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE, OUR DISPATCH LINE, WHICH ULTIMATELY I KIND OF LIKED TO REFER TO IT AS OUR NINE ONE, ONE FOR, FOR UTILITIES.
UM, AND WITH THE HIGH NUMBER OF CALLS THAT WERE COMING IN THAT SYSTEM FAILED ON SEVERAL TIMES THROUGHOUT THIS EVENT.
AND SO WE STOOD UP THE ONLINE FORUM TO GIVE PEOPLE A DIRECT LINK, TO COMMUNICATE WITH US WITH WHAT THEY WERE EXPERIENCED EXPERIENCING.
AND THEN WE SET UP, UM, THROUGH NOT ONLY AUSTIN WATER VOLUNTEERS, BUT A SERIES OF VOLUNTEERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, CITY OF AUSTIN ORGANIZATION TO CONDUCT OUTBOUND CALLS, UM, AND FOLLOW UP ON THOSE ONLINE FORMS THAT WERE SUBMITTED.
AND SO THROUGH THROUGHOUT THAT EVENT, UM, WE CONDUCTED OVER 2000 OUTBOUND CALLS, UM, FROM THESE VOLUNTEERS IN ADDITION TO, UM, WHAT WAS PROVIDED THROUGH OUR DISPATCH, UM, PHONE LINE.
SO, UM, THIS, THIS IS A, SO THIS IS A GREAT, UM, UM, OVERVIEW REALLY APPRECIATE THIS, AND WE APPRECIATE THE LEVEL OF DETAIL THAT YOU ALL JUST WENT IN FOR US.
I WENT INTO FOR US, WE'RE GOING TO PAUSE NOW AND TAKE SOME QUESTIONS WE HAVE UNTIL, OH, WE COULD PUSH IT TO, TO THREE 25 OR THREE 30, UM, AT THE MOST TO TAKE QUESTIONS BEFORE WE TURN TO THE LAST PART, WHICH IS THE FINANCIAL RELIEF PLAN AND THE SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY RECOVERY.
SO I'M GOING TO ASK THAT EACH OF YOU ONLY ASK ONE QUESTION AND ONE FOLLOW-UP AND PLEASE BE BRIEF SO THAT WE GIVE EVERYONE AS MUCH OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS AS WE CAN.
AND WE KNOW, OF COURSE THIS IS NOT THE LAST OPPORTUNITY.
SO WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
UM, I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST TO FOLLOW THOSE RULES, CAUSE I KNOW I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS, BUT EVERYBODY DOES.
UM, SO THE SYSTEM OVERVIEW MAP THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO SHARE IN THESE SLIDES WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL FOR EXPLAINING WHY A DISTRICT LIKE MINE AND POSSIBLY A COUNCIL NUMBER TELES DISTRICTS WERE EARLY, OFFLINE, AND LAST TO RESUME PRESSURIZATION.
UM, SO I HAVE A HARD TIME BREATHING CAUSE MY INJURIES I'M DEALING WITH.
UM, BUT ALSO YOUR MAP SAYS THE BOIL WATER NOTICE WAS ISSUED MORE THAN 12 HOURS AFTER MY FIRST CONSTITUENTS WERE OFFLINE.
AND SO A LOT OF THEM HAD BEEN WITHOUT POWER OR WATER FOR A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE GETTING A BOIL WATER NOTICE.
UM, WHY WASN'T THERE EARLIER COMMUNICATION FOR THOSE WHO CAME OFFLINE VERY EARLY AND REALLY DIDN'T HAVE EVEN ANY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS, WATER SUPPLIED TO THEM FOR DRINKING OR FOR PLUMBING UNTIL SUNDAY.
SO CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THOSE FIRST 12 HOURS AND WHERE THE LACK OF COMMUNICATION WAS ON WHY WE WERE FIRST OFF AND LAST ON? I CAN START.
[02:05:01]
SO AS, UH, RICK COMMUNICATED, WHEN WE WERE EXPERIENCING, UH, THE START OF THE EVENT, UH, THERE WAS SOME, UM, UM, SOME UNKNOWNS WERE THE TANKS REALLY EMPTYING, UH, WAS IT, UH, INSTRUMENTATION ISSUES? UH, HOW, HOW BAD WAS THE AREA? UH, WE HAD ALSO THOUGHT IN, IN THAT FIRST NIGHT THAT THERE MIGHT BE A BAD, MAIN BREAK SOUTHWEST THAT WE WERE GOING TO REPAIR AND THE SYSTEM WOULD BE RESTORED.AND SO THERE WAS A LOT OF JUST, UH, JUST, UM, UNKNOWNS, UH, BEFORE WE WOULD, UH, BE IN A POSITION TO ISSUE THE BOIL WATER NOTICE.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS, UH, IT WAS, UH, UH, TRULY, UH, THE SYSTEM HAD DEPLETED TO THE POINT OF A BOIL WATER NOTICE.
AND THEN THERE'S SOME LOGISTICS OF BOIL WATER, NOTICE OF WRITING UP THE NOTICE AND EXACTLY WHAT EXTENT IT WOULD APPLY TO WHICH AREAS, HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE THE GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDS OF THAT? UM, I THINK SOME OTHER ISSUES WE ARE WRESTLING WITH IS, UM, WELL, LAST TIME, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULD BLOW WATER, NOTICE IT, IT CREATED A BIT OF A RUN ON WATER, IS THAT, IS THAT THE SYSTEM, UH, WOULD, UH, WOULD VERY RAPIDLY, UH, START SEEING DEMAND INCREASES AS PEOPLE WERE FILLING BATHTUBS AND, AND OTHERS.
WE WERE TRYING TO KIND OF PREPARE FOR THAT.
UH, SO I THINK IT WAS A SEQUENCE OF EVENTS OF, OF KIND OF JUST THE FOG OF WAR, UH, TRYING TO ASCERTAIN WHAT WAS TRULY HAPPENING AS WELL AS PREPARING FOR WRITING THE EVENT, ISSUING IT, AND, UH, HAVING A SUPPORT FOR THE CUSTOMERS AS THEY WERE EXPERIENCING A BOIL WATER NOTICE.
AND SO THEN CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND ONCE IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT PARTS OF SOUTHWEST AUSTIN WERE COMPLETELY OFFLINE, THERE, THERE SHOULD BE A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO SIMILAR TO THE ENERGY OUTAGE MAP TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT IS IT ON THE RADAR? YOU HAVE A LEAK MAP WITH AUSTIN WATER THAT IS VERY GOOD ABOUT INFORMATION THAT WHAT'S BEEN REPORTED.
WHERE IS IT IN THE SYSTEM? HAS IT BEEN INVESTIGATED? HAS IT BEEN REPAIRED? WHAT'S THE DEAL.
BUT WHEN IT CAME TO WATER OUTAGE AT FIRST, IT WAS STAGNANT GRAPHICS.
AND THEN IT BECAME AN ART GIS THING THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SHARE WITH PEOPLE.
BUT THE PRESSURIZATION, THE SYSTEM OVERVIEW SLIDE YOU SHARED TODAY WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY HELPFUL TWO WEEKS AGO FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD WAS ON THAT SCALE.
AND THEREFORE WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE BECAUSE WE'RE VERY RESILIENT IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN.
WE CAN TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES.
WE BUILT TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES.
WE JUST NEED TO KNOW HOW TO PLAN.
AND A LOT OF MY CONSTITUENTS FELT LIKE THEY WERE, THEY WERE LEFT QUITE HONESTLY IN THE DARK.
AND BY THE TIME THAT BOIL WATER NOTICE CAME OUT, PEOPLE WERE ALMOST SMILING.
THEY SAID, WHAT WATER, WHAT BOILING LIKE WE ARE, WE ARE HOURS BEHIND THAT SITUATION.
SO THAT SYSTEM OVERVIEW MAP WITH THE PRESSURIZATION IS REALLY SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL TWO WEEKS AGO FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, YOUR, YOUR CRITICISMS ARE, UH, RIGHT ON, UH, EXACTLY.
I THINK THAT'S THE THINGS WE'VE GOT TO GET BETTER AT AND MAKE, UH, INTERACTIVE MAPS AND OTHER TOOLS, A REGULAR EVERYDAY BUSINESS THAT WE HAVE, AND WE'RE NOT TRYING TO CREATE IT OR INVENT IT IN THE EMERGENCY.
WE NEED TO HAVE THEM RUNNING EVERY DAY.
AND AS IT HAS, UH, WE EXPERIENCED, UH, DIFFERENT EVENTS.
THEY'RE JUST AUTOMATICALLY UPDATED, UH, THAT, THAT IS A GAP THAT WE HAD AND WE HAD TO INVENT SOME OF IT ON THE FLY AND THERE WERE LAGS.
AND, AND, UH, AND THAT'S, I THINK PART OF THE AFTER ACTION IS, IS GETTING, GETTING BETTER THERE AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY CAN SCALE UP AS, UH, AS, AS, UH, RANDY INDICATED, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE DID GET OUR INTERACTIVE MAP, IT WAS VERY POPULAR AT 1.5 MILLION HITS IN, IN, IN A DAY.
AND SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THOSE SYSTEMS ARE ALSO SCALABLE.
I'VE GOT ONE LAST FOLLOW-UP AND THEN CHAIR, I PROMISE I'LL BE DONE, UM, UNLESS THERE'S EXTRA TIME AT THE END, BUT YOU HAD MENTIONED, UM, BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE PROTECTION FOR THE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND WORKING WITH TCEQ.
WERE ANY OF THOSE ACTIONS, UM, MEANING THAT OTHER PARTS OF TOWN WERE GOING TO BE DELAYED? IS, IS THAT PLAYING INTO THE DELAY WITH SOME OF SOME OF MY DISTRICT GETTING WATER BACK ON I'LL ANSWER THAT, UH, NO, WHAT IT DID IS PRIORITIZE THOSE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURES WITHIN A, UH, PRESSURE ZONE.
SO, UH, OBVIOUSLY THE, THE FIRST ONES, THE FIRST ZONE THAT HAD PRESSURE WAS CENTRAL.
AND SO WHAT WE DID IS REDIRECTED AND MADE SURE THEY STAYED WITH WATER.
AND SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE DID TO TRY TO ALTER HOW TO FILL THE TANKS.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE EXPERIENCING IS IF WE DIDN'T REDIRECT THEM TO THE TANKS, WHICH IN THE DIAGRAM, YOU KNOW, YOU MOVE THE WATER TO THE NEXT LEVEL TANKS.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO IS REDIRECT THEM TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF TANKS.
[02:10:01]
MOVE WATER EVEN FURTHER OUT IN THE FURTHER REACHES VERSUS LOSING THEM, UH, THROUGH SOME, UH, LEAKS THAT WE JUST HADN'T IDENTIFIED YET.SO IT, IT ACTUALLY SERVED AS A DUAL PURPOSE.
I APPRECIATE THAT CLARIFICATION.
I WILL, I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, BUT I WILL LET OTHERS HAVE A CHANCE.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.
WE HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THIS PART COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR, AND THEN THE MAYOR AFTER COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR.
HAVE A, I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
UM, LET ME, UM, WELL OF COURSE YOU WANT TO DO IT ON THE, UM, DO YOU WANT US TO FOCUS ON THE TIMELINE FIRST OR I HAVE PLANT QUESTIONS? WELL, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER IS FINE, BUT REMEMBER ONE QUESTION WITH ONE FOLLOW-UP.
I UNDERSTAND THAT I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT I WAS GOING TO, I JUST WANTED TO GET A SENSE IF WE WANTED US TO STAY ON THE TIMELINE TYPE QUESTIONS, OR IF IT MATTERED, WE COVERED SO FAR IT'S UP TO YOU.
SO WHAT, I'M S I'VE A LOT OF QUESTIONS I POSTED MANY ON THE, ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
UM, I WANT TO, FOR NOW THOUGH, DIG DOWN INTO KIND OF UNDERSTANDING HOW WE SEEMINGLY HAD A CRISIS IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.
YOU KNOW, WE WERE, WE WERE BEING TOLD ONE DAY THAT WE HAD NO CONCERNS ABOUT THE WATER SYSTEM WHATSOEVER TO BOIL WATER.
UM, SO I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT, WHAT DID AUSTIN WATER KNOW? AND WHEN DID THEY KNOW IT WITH RESPECT TO THE LOSS OF WATER PRESSURE? SO LET ME START OFF WITH, UM, THE TIMELINE, WHAT AUSTIN WATER EXPERIENCED, UH, WHERE THERE WAS SOME CONCERNS ABOUT WATER LOSS WAS DURING THE, THE NIGHT OF THE FIFTH, THE 16TH, WHICH IS WHEN THE SOUTHWEST BE FIRST EXPERIENCE A WATER OUTAGE, UH, WITHIN 12 HOURS, UH, THE DEMAND DID NOT DECREASE.
IT ACTUALLY EXCEEDED IN EVERY ZONE, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY BY A FACTOR OF TWO AND A HALF.
SO NORMALLY DURING THIS TIMEFRAME, UH, THE, THE AVERAGE WATER USE THROUGHOUT THE CITY IS ABOUT 120 MILLION GALLONS A DAY THAT EXCEEDED EVEN SOME OF OUR SUMMERTIME PEAKS, UH, WELL OVER 250 SUSTAINED.
AND SO THAT IS WHEN WE STARTED SEEING THAT WE COULD NOT EVEN WITH OUR PRODUCTION PLANTS, WE COULD NOT SUSTAIN THAT LEVEL.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE COULD NOT SEE OR IDENTIFY ANY LEAKS THAT WERE, UH, IN THE SYSTEM THAT WE COULD GO SHUT OFF.
UH, THE AMOUNT OF LEAKS THAT TAPERED OFF ON THE 17TH, UH, WERE, UH, LOWER THAN WHAT WE HAD EXPERIENCED THE DAY BEFORE THAT WE WERE ALREADY ADDRESSING.
AND THEN WE HAD ANOTHER SPIKE AS THE WEATHER STARTED TO CLEAR UP AS FAR AS ROAD CONDITIONS AFTER THE 17TH.
SO WE DO HAVE SOME VOIDS AND WHAT INFORMATION WE WOULD, WE COULD COLLECT DURING THAT TIMEFRAME, BUT THE TANKS WERE THE INDICATOR THAT KIND OF FELL OFF ON LEVEL IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
ONCE WE ALSO HAD, UH, NO ADDITIONAL, UH, PUMPING FOR A SHORT BRIEF TIME.
SO THEN IF WE KNEW IT ON THE 16TH, THAT THERE WERE POTENTIAL SUPPLY ISSUES, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE DIDN'T START WITH THE CONSERVATION MESSAGING UNTIL THIS THURSDAY.
WHY WAS THERE SUCH A LONG DELAY IN THAT MESSAGING? IF THE PUBLIC COULD HAVE HELPED WITH CONSERVATION MESSAGES FOR THE STORAGE COUNCIL MEMBER, I'LL ANSWER THAT IN PART HERE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR, OUR EMERGENCY CONSERVATION IS REALLY FOCUSED ON OUTDOOR WATER, UH, THAT, UH, THAT, UH, IRRIGATION, UH, COOLING, UH, UM, POWER WASHING AND THAT, UH, THE WATER USE THAT, UH, WE WERE, UH, INCURRING, UH, DURING THE FIRST PART OF THIS WAS, UH, WAS INDOOR WATER, TOILET FLUSHING, WASHING THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
UH, SO IT DIDN'T STRIKE US EARLY ON IN THE EVENT THAT WE WOULD ISSUE A CONSERVATION MANDATE GETTING, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THAT, YOU KNOW, THE SYSTEM WAS, UH, WAS BEHAVING UP UNTIL TUESDAY NIGHT AND, UH, AND, UH, INTO IT.
I THINK WE, AGAIN, WE WERE STRUGGLING THE LAST TIME WE ISSUED CONSERVATION MANDATORY CONSERVATION WATER USE SWORD, BUT IT HAD THE OPPOSITE EFFECT.
AND THAT WAS DURING THE 2018 BOIL WATER NOTICE WHEN WE STARTED TO ISSUE CONSERVATION MESSAGES, IT HAD THE OPPOSITE EFFECT THAT IT WENT, IT WENT REALLY HIGH.
I MEAN, THE MAYOR MIGHT REMEMBER THAT WHEN WE WERE APPEALING TO HIM TO, TO, TO GET ON THE, ON THE, ON THE MEDIA AND, AND PLEASE ENCOURAGE NO
[02:15:01]
CONCERT OR TO, TO TRULY TAKE CONSERVATION SERIOUSLY.SO WE WERE ANXIOUS ABOUT ISSUING SOME, UH, CONSERVATION AND CREATING A PANIC ON WATER.
UM, AND I MEAN, I MEAN, I THINK YOU COULD LOOK BACK AND SAY, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS THE WRONG MOVE OR THE RIGHT MOVE.
UM, IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE WILL WANT TO TALK THROUGH SOME MORE, UM, UH, I, I MEAN, I THINK EVEN, YOU KNOW, FROM CONSERVATION, UH, IN THE, IN THE EARLY PART OF THE, OF THE EVENT AND THROUGH THE FIRST FEW DAYS, WE WERE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO DRIP, THEIR FAUCETS, THAT, THAT THAT'S A TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUE.
THE UTILITY HAS, UH, ENCOURAGED TO KEEP, UH, FROM HAVING A PRIVATE PIPE BURST.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE LESSONS OF AN EXTENDED, YOU KNOW, FIVE PLUS DAY COLD PERIOD, IS WE CAN'T DO THAT.
UM, OR WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO IT DIFFERENTLY.
OR, UM, I MEAN, ONE OF THE OTHER DATA POINTS WE'RE LOOKING AT IS HOW MUCH WATER FLOW DOWN OUR WASTEWATER PLANTS AND THE INDICATION IS THERE WAS A LOT OF WATER FLOWING INTO OUR WASTEWATER PLANTS, WHICH SHOWS THAT, THAT I THINK THE DRIPPING WAS CREATING A LOT OF WATER DEMAND AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN A TOUGH SPOT, YOU KNOW, D DID I WANT TO ISSUE A CONSERVATION CALL AND SAY, DON'T DRIP, YOUR WATER, KNOWING THAT THAT MIGHT LEAD TO ALL KINDS OF BURST PIPES? UM, IT WAS, IT WAS, THERE WAS JUST NOT A LOT OF GOOD CHOICES AND, UM, THAT SOME OF THE DYNAMIC THAT WAS GOING ON.
THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN WALTER, DO YOU HAVE JUST ONE MORE SHORT QUESTION? SO, YEAH, I WOULD LIKE, UM, I WOULD LIKE DIRECTOR MAZARRA WAS TO ANSWER MY QUESTION ABOUT HOW WE KIND OF GOT INTO A CRISIS IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE AND HIS EXPLANATION FOR THAT.
WELL, I THINK RICK HIT ON IT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GO BACK TO THE GRASS, UH, WHEN WITH THE START OF THE EVENT AND THE FREEZING ON, UH, ON FRIDAY, UH, AND INTO SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY, AND EVEN THE DAY TUESDAY, UH, THE FIRST FOUR OR FIVE DAYS OF THAT, WE DID NOT SEE A SIGN THAT THE WATER DEMAND, UH, OR, OR, UM, OR, UH, STORAGE WAS GOING TO DEPLETE THE WAY IT DID REALLY FROM THE EVENING A SATURDAY NIGHT, YOU KNOW, ROUGHLY AT 10, I MAY NOT HAVE THE EXACT TIME RIGHT.
UH, INTO, UH, WEDNESDAY MORNING AND WEDNESDAY DAY IS WHEN, WHEN, WHEN THE STORAGE TOTALLY DEPLETED.
UM, I MEAN, IT WAS ROUGHLY A 12 HOUR PERIOD THAT WE WENT FROM STORAGE BEING, UM, MOSTLY OKAY TO EMPTY.
AND, UH, AND, UH, I MEAN, RICK COULD PROBABLY ELABORATE A LITTLE MORE SPECIFICALLY ON THAT.
HE'S MORE FAMILIAR WITH SOME OF THE GRAPHS, BUT, UH, IT HAPPENED VERY, VERY RAPIDLY.
IT WAS A, I DON'T KNOW, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'LL WANT TO UNDERSTAND IS, IS WHY THE SYSTEM, UH, ULTIMATELY, UH, DETERIORATED SO RAPIDLY AND IN ROUGHLY A 12 TO A 24 HOUR PERIOD.
SO, MAYOR, DID YOU WANT TO GO NEXT? THERE YOU'RE MUTED.
I REMEMBER RECALL THAT, THAT AT THE TIME, THE ORDER DEPLETED SO QUICKLY, YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE THAT IT WAS NECESSARILY TRUE.
UH, AND, AND, AND HAD IT PHYSICALLY CHECKED, UH, BECAUSE IT WAS BEING DEPLETED SO RAPIDLY.
THE QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU THAT I LIKE TO ASK TO DO A MEDIA REPORTS ABOUT OH, RIGHT.
UH, AND, AND WE WERE READY TO TURN IT ON, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE PEOPLE OUT AT THE PLANT THAT, THAT KNEW HOW TO DO THAT.
UH, CAN YOU, CAN YOU SPEAK TO, TO THOSE MEDIA REPORTS AND IS THAT TRUE? AND, AND TELL US ABOUT THAT.
I'LL START IT HAVE RICK, UH, ADD IN, BUT WE, WE DID ISSUE A MORE DETAILED SUMMARY OF OUR RESPONSE TO THE, TO THE, UH, LOSS OF POWER AT ORRICK.
AND SO YOU, EACH COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD HAVE GOTTEN A MORE DETAILED SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE STEPS, UH, THAT OCCURRED WITH THE LOSS OF POWER AND THEN THE RESPONSE.
UM, SO A COUPLE OF THINGS, UH, WE DID HAVE, OUR ELECTRICIANS WERE IN THE FIELD RESPONDING TO LIFT STATIONS.
AND SO THERE WAS SOME NEED TO CALL THEM BACK AND BRING THEM TO ALRICH TO, UH, CHECK THE INTERNAL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS. AND, UH, AND I MEAN, IF YOU MANIPULATE THE SWITCH GEAR, UH, AND, UH, AND DO THE OTHER KINDS OF CHECKS WHEN WE LOSE POWER.
SO, SO THAT WAS A, UH, NOT HAVING ELECTRICIANS AT THE PLANT, UH, OUT IN THE FIELD, UH, ATTENDING TO THE POWER LOSSES AT THE LIFT STATIONS.
AND AS I INDICATED IN MY INTRODUCTION, WHEN WE EXPERIENCED A, A TOTAL POWER LOSS, THEY HAD A LARGE PLANT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH A SERIES OF STARTUP AGAIN WITH THE PLANT.
AND, UH, AND, AND RICK, UH, I THINK YOU'RE PROBABLY BETTER TO, UH, TO ARTICULATE WHAT THAT REQUIRES ON A STARTUP OF A PLANT AFTER A POWER LOSS.
I'LL ADD TO, UM, JUST AS YOU DESCRIBED AS OUR LIFT
[02:20:01]
STATION, UM, ACTIVITIES REROUTED, OUR ELECTRICIANS, WE HAVE, WE HAD SHELTERED IN PLACE, ALL OUR MECHANICS AND OPERATORS, AND WE MAY HAVE HAD EVEN, UH, INSTRUMENTATION STAFF ON SITE, UH, WORKING THROUGH, UH, OPERATING THE PLANT, BUT AS A SIGNIFICANT POWER OUTAGE LIKE THIS, EVERYTHING KIND OF GOES DARK.AND YOU HAVE NOT ONLY, UH, JUST A MINIMAL FLOOD LIGHTING, BUT ALSO YOU START LOOKING TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY EQUIPMENT THAT HAS FAILED BECAUSE IT'S A SURGE ON THE SYSTEM.
SO IT'S A SURGE SURGEON, THE PLANT THAT YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THINGS DON'T RUPTURE, UH, THAT, UH, THEY, ONCE THEY GET RE-ENERGIZED, THEY GO THROUGH A SYSTEMATIC CHECKS THAT NOT ONLY ARE YOU LOOKING AT PUMPING SYSTEMS, BUT CHEMICAL SYSTEMS, YOU HAVE A LOT OF SAFETY, CHEMICAL FEED SYSTEMS THAT YOU HAVE TO ENSURE ARE ADEQUATELY OPERATING.
SO IT'S A JOINT EFFORT BETWEEN THE ELECTRICIAN STAFF, MAINTENANCE, INSTRUMENTATION MECHANICS.
AND SO WE HAD, UH, JUST ABOUT ALL THE DISCIPLINES THERE, EXCEPT THE, UH, THE ELECTRICIANS, WHICH WERE IN ROUTE, AND IT TOOK ABOUT AN HOUR AND 15 TO GET THERE AND THEN HAVE TO GO THROUGH AND SUIT UP, UH, WITH THEIR PROTECTIVE GEAR TO, TO, UH, UM, TURN ON OR SWITCH THE POWER CONTROLS TO THE AVAILABLE POWER.
AND SO AT THE TIME THAT, UH, THEY WERE DOING THAT, THE SECOND FEED ALSO CAME UP, UH, FROM AUSTIN ENERGY.
SO SIMULTANEOUSLY WE WERE ABLE TO PRODUCE, UH, SOMEWHERE AROUND FIVE 30, OUR FIRST, UH, PRODUCTION OF WATER THAT, UH, SAFELY WILL GO INTO THE PUBLIC.
UM, SO WE HAD STAFF, BUT NOT THE RIGHT DISCIPLINE ON ONSITE.
THANK YOU, MAYOR, DID YOU HAVE A FOLLOWUP MAYOR OR, OKAY.
WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON NOW TO OUR NEXT AREA.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT PEOPLE HAVE A LOT MORE QUESTIONS AND I APPRECIATE THAT, BUT WE NEED TO MOVE ON AT THIS POINT TO THE FINANCIAL RELIEF PLAN FOR CUSTOMERS.
SO, UM, IF YOU ALL WANT TO MOVE TO THAT A COUNCIL MEMBER, I WILL, IF WE HAVE SOME TIME, UH, WE WILL RETURN TO YOU THINK WE NEED TO MOVE ON TO THE BILL RELIEF RIGHT NOW.
YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THAT IT'S ON COUNCIL'S AGENDA TOMORROW.
SO THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THE BILL RELIEF, I THINK, BUT I'M SORRY.
I WAS SUGGESTING THAT THE BILL RELIEF FOR AUSTIN ENERGY AND FOR AUSTIN WATER IS ALSO ON COUNCIL'S AGENDA TOMORROW.
SO THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT IT.
BUT WE HAVE QUITE A BIT OF INFORMATION.
THAT'S GOING TO BE SHARED WITH US NOW ABOUT BAIL RELIEF.
SO WE'LL GO TO THAT AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK IF WE HAVE TIME.
SO IF YOU ALL WANT TO, UM, TURN TO THAT AND MAKE YOU PRESENTATION THERE, JOSEPH GONZALES, OUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER WILL, WILL PROVIDE THE OVERVIEW GOOD AFTERNOON.
UH, SO, UH, AGAIN, MY NAME IS JOCELYN GONZALEZ, UH, AUSTIN WATER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OVER FINANCIAL SERVICES, AND I'LL BE PROVIDING A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF OUR PROPOSED FINANCIAL RELIEF EFFORTS IN RESPONSE TO THE FEBRUARY WINTER STORM.
NOW WE RECOGNIZE THE HARDSHIPS AND STRESS IN OUR CUSTOMERS AND OUR COMMUNITY, UH, EXPERIENCED AS A RESULT OF THE STORMS. AND OUR GOAL IS TO AVOID ADDING ANY ADDITIONAL STRESS.
MORE CUSTOMERS ARE WORRIED ABOUT A POTENTIAL HIGH BILLS AS A RESULT OF DRIPPING FAUCETS AND BURST PIPES.
SO TO THAT END, WE'LL BE SEEKING COUNCIL APPROVAL TOMORROW FOR VARIOUS BELIEF INITIATIVES TO HELP MITIGATE HIGH BILLS RESULTING FROM THE WINTER STORM EVENT.
FIRST, WE ARE RECOMMENDING TEMPORARY RESIDENTIAL RATE RELIEF THAT WOULD REDUCE VOLUMETRIC RATES FOR TIERS THREE THROUGH FIVE, UH, TWO, 1 CENT PER THOUSAND GALLONS, AND ALSO REDUCE THE, FOR THOSE SAME TIER THREE THROUGH FIVE, THE TIER TWO RATE OF $3 AND 55 CENTS.
NOW THE PROPOSED RATE REDUCTIONS WOULD ESSENTIALLY CAP RESIDENTIAL BILLS AT 6,000 GALLON CONSUMPTION.
IN ADDITION, WE'RE PROPOSING THAT AUSTIN WATER BE GRANTED AUTHORITY TO APPLY BILL ADJUSTMENT CREDITS TO A RETAIL CUSTOMER WHO, WHOSE WATER CONSUMPTION WASN'T IMPACTED BY THE WINTER STORM EVENT.
WHILE THE CITY CODE CURRENTLY ALLOWS US IN WATER TO APPLY LEAK ADJUSTMENTS AND HIGH BILL ADJUSTMENTS TO RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS, IT DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR SIMILAR ADJUSTMENTS FOR MULTI-FAMILY OR COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS.
IN ADDITION, THOSE POLICY, THOSE ADJUSTMENT POLICIES REQUIRE CUSTOMERS TO FORMALLY SUBMIT BILL ADJUSTMENT REQUESTS WITH SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION.
[02:25:01]
CAN WE EVEN WITH A NORMAL VOLUME OF SAY, 200, UM, LEAK ADJUSTMENT REQUESTS PER MONTH, IT CAN TAKE UP TO TWO BILLING CYCLES TO, TO PROCESS THOSE ADJUSTMENTS, UM, AND, AND FULLY CREDIT BACK CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS.SO CONSEQUENTLY WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT THAT BILL ADJUSTMENTS BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE MULTIFAMILY AND COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS, AND ALSO THAT THE REQUIREMENTS BE WEIGHED, UH, FOR CUSTOMERS IMPACTED BY THE FEBRUARY WINTER STORMS. AND WE'RE ALSO PROPOSING THAT AUSTIN WATER BE GRANTED AUTHORITY TO MODIFY THE WASTEWATER AVERAGING METHODOLOGY, UH, TO, UM, TO USE ESTIMATED CONSUMPTION FOR THE THIRD MONTH OF THE WINTER AVERAGING PERIOD TO ENSURE OUR CUSTOMERS ARE NOT UNFAIRLY PENALIZED, UH, FOR HIGH CONSUMPTION THAT MIGHT'VE BEEN CAUSED BY THE WINTER STORMS. AND THEN FINALLY, IN ADDITION TO THE WAIVER OF LATE FEES, THE COUNCIL APPROVED LAST WEEK, UH, AUSTIN WATERS PROPOSING THAT ALL EMERGENCY CUTOFF AND CUT ON THESE THE WAY FOR CUSTOMERS IMPACTED, UH, BY THE WINTER STORMS. UM, LET'S SEE.
NOW WE NORMALLY WORK VERY HARD TO AVOID THE USE OF ESTIMATED READS, UH, PARTICULARLY DURING MONTHS WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF CONSUMPTION, UH, BECAUSE DURING THOSE MONTHS YOU RISK PUSHING RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS INTO THE HIGHER TIERS OF, OF OUR, UM, INCLINING CONSERVATION BASED RATE STRUCTURE WHEN YOU ULTIMATELY GET CATCH-UP READS.
UM, BUT BECAUSE WE WERE UNABLE TO OBTAIN CUSTOMER READS, UH, FOR THOSE BILL CYCLES THAT WERE SCHEDULED TO READ DURING THE WINTER STORM FROM FEBRUARY 15TH, THROUGH FEBRUARY 19TH, DUE TO THE DANGEROUS ROAD CONDITIONS AND, AND FROZEN METER BOXES, UM, WE BEGAN USING ESTIMATED READS FOR THOSE CUSTOMERS THAT ARE BASED ON EACH CUSTOMER'S HISTORICAL USAGE PATTERNS FOR, FOR THOSE BILL CYCLES.
NOW, WE WERE ABLE TO RESUME RATING MATERS LAST WEEK ON FEBRUARY 22ND.
HOWEVER, WE ARE CONTINUING TO BILL BASED ON ESTIMATED READS TO ENSURE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR CUSTOMERS RECEIVE BILLS BASED ON THEIR NORMAL EXPECTED, UH, CONSUMPTION LEVELS WHILE WE WORK TO IMPLEMENT OUR PROPOSED HIGH BILL MITIGATION INITIATIVES.
NOW, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE'RE, WE'RE PROPOSING A TEMPORARY RATE REDUCTION, WHICH WOULD BE EFFECTIVE, UH, FROM MARCH 19TH THROUGH APRIL 26, UM, TO REDUCE THE VOLUME METRIC RATES AND, AND SHARED FIXED FEES FOR THE TOP THREE RESIDENTIAL TIERS.
NOW THAT MARK'S 19 DATE COINCIDES WITH THE NEXT SCHEDULED, UH, READ DATE FOR BILL CYCLE 13, WHICH WAS, UH, THE FIRST BILL CYCLE THAT WAS BUILT USING ESTIMATED READS.
AND THEN THE TEMPORARY RATES WOULD BE IN EFFECT UNTIL WE, UM, GET ALL THE WAY BACK AROUND TO, TO BILL CYCLE 12, WHICH WAS THE LAST BILL CYCLE BUILD WITH, WITH ACTUAL READS.
YOU KNOW, SO CONSEQUENTLY THE KITSAP CON CONSUMPTION, UM, THAT'S BASED ON ACTUAL METER READS WILL ALL BE PUSHED INTO THAT NEXT BILLING CYCLE IN MARCH AND APRIL, UM, WHEN THE TEMPORARY RATES ARE AFFECTS.
SO ANY HIGH RESIDENTIAL CONSUMPTION ABOUT 6,000 GALLONS WOULD END UP BEING BILLED AT 1 CENT PER THOUSAND GALLONS.
NOW, THE HOPE IS THAT THAT THESE RATE ADJUSTMENTS WOULD VIRTUALLY ELIMINATE, UM, RESIDENTIAL HIGH BILL REQUESTS THAT WOULD LIKELY HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED BY OUR CUSTOMERS.
UM, HAD THEY RECEIVED BILLS FOR ACTUAL CONSUMPTION, UH, DURING THAT PERIOD, AND SINCE ALMOST 90% OF OUR 247,000 CUSTOMERS ARE RESIDENTIAL, ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO REDUCE THE VOLUME OF RESIDENTIAL LEAK ADJUSTMENT REQUESTS WOULD ALLOW US TO SHIFT OUR RESOURCES, UH, TO REVIEW, YOU KNOW, MULTIFAMILY AND COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS, UM, TO IDENTIFY ANY UNUSUALLY HIGH, UH, CONSUMPTION LEVELS AMONG THOSE CUSTOMERS.
AND THEN PROACTIVELY APPLY LEAK ADJUSTMENTS TO THEIR ACCOUNTS WHEN WE RESUME, UH, BILLING BASED ON ACTUAL CONSUMPTION.
AND THEN AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, YOU KNOW, THE USE OF ESTIMATED READS FOR THE CURRENT BILLING CYCLE WILL ALSO ALLOW US, UH, TO REPLACE A POTENTIALLY HIGH CONSUMPTION LEVELS, UM, WITH NORMAL EXPECTED LEVELS OF CONSUMPTION FOR THE FINAL MONTH OF THE WASTEWATER AVERAGING PERIOD TO MITIGATE THE IMPACT OF, OF HIGH CONSUMPTION DURING THE WINTER STORM ON THE WASTEWATER AVERAGING CALCULATIONS, UM, THAT ARE DUE TO TAKE EFFECT APRIL 1ST FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.
NOW, HOWEVER, WHILE WE ARE, UH, WHILE WE WILL BE REVIEWING ACTUAL, UH, RE DATA TO IDENTIFY AGAIN, POTENTIAL LINK ADJUSTMENTS, WE'LL ALSO BE REVIEWING YOUR WASTEWATER AVERAGING CALCULATIONS TO IDENTIFY, UH, CUSTOMER COUNTS WHOSE WATER AVERAGING CALCULATION MIGHT BE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY THE USE OF ESTIMATED READS, AND THEN WOULD ADJUST THOSE ACCOUNTS, UH, ACCORDINGLY.
SO THIS CHART SHOWS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO FROM, FROM A RESIDENTIAL RATE PERSPECTIVE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF DROPPING THE, UM,
[02:30:01]
THE, THE TIERED FIXED FEE AND THE VOLUME METRIC RATES FOR TIERS THREE THROUGH FIVE, ONCE AGAIN, TO ESSENTIALLY CAP, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, CUSTOMERS, RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS BUILD AT 6,000 GALLONS, UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT UNDER OUR NORMAL RATE STRUCTURE CUSTOMERS WITH LEAKS THAT PUSH THEM INTO TIERS FOUR AND FIVE, IT WOULD BE BUILT AT SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER RATES AS A RESULT OF OUR DECLINING CONSERVATION RATE CONSERVATION BASED RATE STRUCTURE WITHOUT THE PROPOSED RATE CHANGES.SO LOWERING THESE RATES WILL ALLOW US TO AVOID HIGH BILLS GOING OUT FOR OUR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS.
AND, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, IN HOPES OF ALMOST ENTIRELY ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR ANY KIND OF LEAKER OR HIGH BILL ADJUSTMENT, UH, AMONGST OUR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS.
UM, AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE WILL SHOW, UH, THE, THE, THE BILL IMPACTS, IF WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, THE, THE BILL IMPACT, UH, FOR, YOU KNOW, A SAMPLE CUSTOMER, UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE, UH, THE PROPOSED RATE CHANGES, UH, BEGINNING OF BLOCK THREE, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE BILL FOR A CUSTOMER USING, UH, 6,000 GALLONS OR LESS WOULD BE UNCHANGED AT 37 OH TWO FOR A NON-CUSTOMER ASSISTANT OR CAP CUSTOMER, UH, CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
UM, AND, AND IT WOULD BE UNCHANGED AT $17 AND 36 CENTS FOR CUSTOMERS WHO ARE ENROLLED IN REQUESTABLE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
UM, BUT CUSTOMERS WITH HIGH CONSUMPTION CAUSED BY THE WINTER STORM WOULD SEE A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE BILL UNDER THE TEMPORARY RATES AS COMPARED TO, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR CURRENT, UM, INCLINING CONSERVATION BASE RATE STRUCTURE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, A NON-CASH CUSTOMER WITH, UM, ELITE THAT PUSHES CONSUMPTION TO 40,000 GALLONS, THEY WOULD NORMALLY RECEIVE A BILL FOR $510 AND 22 CENTS WHILE A CAP CUSTOMER, WHEN IT WOULD SEE A CORRESPONDING BILL, UM, UH, $436 AND 85 CENTS.
BUT UNDER THE PROPOSED RATES, THOSE BILLS WOULD BE REDUCED BY OVER 90% TO $44 AND 16 CENTS AND $19 AND 40 CENTS RESPECTIVELY.
UM, SO YOU CAN SEE THE, UH, THE IMPACT OF THE PROPOSED TEMPORARY RATE STRUCTURE AS WE TRY AND PUSH, UH, YOU KNOW, ALL OF OUR RESIDENTIAL CONSUMPTION, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL HIGH BILLS INTO THOSE LOWER TIER STRUCTURES.
UM, AND THEN, UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO I'M WITH, UH, QUICKLY HIGHLIGHTING, UM, TWO OTHER RELEASE EFFORTS THAT ARE BEING FUNDED IN PART BY AUSTIN WATER.
UM, AUSTIN WATER HAS COMMITTED A MILLION DOLLARS IN FUNDING FOR THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENTS, EMERGENCY HOME REPAIR INITIATIVE, UH, TO HELP, UH, WITH, YOU KNOW, CUSTOMERS WHO ARE IN NEED OF PLUMBING, REPAIRS CAUSED BY THE WINTER STORM, UH, IN ADDITION, AND A SEPARATE AGENDA ITEM ON TOMORROW'S COUNCIL AGENDA, WE'LL PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL 5 MILLION EACH FROM AUSTIN WATER AND AUSTIN ENERGY FOR RESIDENTIAL UTILITY BILL PAYMENT ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE PLUS ONE PROGRAM.
NOW, WHILE DEMAND FOR THE PLUS ONE PRO PAYMENT ASSISTANCE FUNDING HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC, UH, THIS ASSISTANCE ISN'T LIMITED TO CUSTOMERS IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC.
AND THAT CONCLUDES, UH, MY OVERVIEW OF THE BILL RELIEF EFFORTS.
THEY MIGHT BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
SO LET'S, UH, IF WE COULD TAKE THE SLIDES DOWN AND THEN, UM, UH, LET'S SEE, UH, UM, VICE CHAIR FONTUS IF YOU WANT TO GO FIRST.
UM, SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, WELL, TWO THINGS, UM, I JUST WANT TO MAKE CLEAR, I UNDERSTAND WE'RE ASKING AUSTIN, WATER'S ASKING FOR COUNCIL TO, UH, WAVE THE AUTHORITY OR TO INCLUDE IN THE AUTHORITY INDIVIDUALS WHO LIVE IN APARTMENTS.
AND AS WE KNOW, WE'VE HAD SEVERAL APARTMENT COMPLEXES WHO'VE BEEN WITHOUT WATER AND STILL TODAY, SOME ARE WITHOUT WATER OR HAVE VERY LITTLE WATER TO BEING FROM, FROM THEIR FAUCETS.
UM, AND SO THEY, THEY INDIVIDUALS WHO LIVE IN APARTMENTS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE, THESE PROGRAMS THAT YOU LISTED OUT HERE.
AND IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND WE REMEMBER FAMILY CUSTOMERS ARE OUR MASTER METER IN, AND SO THEY'RE NOT INDIVIDUALLY METERED.
UM, SO, SO THE BILL WOULD GO TO, UH, THE COMPLEX OR MANAGEMENT COMPANY.
UM, BUT, UM, OUR PLAN IS TO EXPAND THE LINK ADJUSTMENT PRO UH, PROGRAM TO INCLUDE THOSE MULTI-FAMILY ACCOUNTS.
AND IN COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS, WHO WOULD HAVE EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT LEAKS OR USAGE AS A RESULT OF THE WINTER STORM EVENT, IS THERE ANY CONSIDERATION, HAS AUSTIN WATER CONSIDERED ADDITIONAL RELIEF PROGRAMS OR ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO LIVE IN MULTI-FAMILY UNITS? UM, YOU KNOW, JUST LOOKING AT HOW THE SITUATION HAS ROLLED OUT AND HOW THE IMPACT DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT THAT MANY HAVE RECEIVED, YOU KNOW, HAVE Y'ALL CONSIDERED ADDING
[02:35:01]
AN, A FUND SPECIFICALLY FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT RESIDE? UM, WELL, WE RECENTLY BACK IN DECEMBER, UM, GOT COUNCIL APPROVAL FOR A PROGRAM TO ACTUALLY PROVIDE CREDITS TO, UM, TO CUSTOMERS OF, UH, OF AUSTIN ENERGY WHO RESIDE IN MULTI-FAMILY UNITS.UM, BECAUSE AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, BECAUSE THEIR MASTER METER, YOU KNOW, WE, WE THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT IN AN INDIVIDUAL CUSTOMER.
AND SO HISTORICALLY WE HAVEN'T HAD THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE, UM, W WE DON'T BUILD THOSE CUSTOMERS DIRECTLY.
AND SO WE HAVEN'T HAD THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE ANY KIND OF, UH, CUSTOMER SYSTEMS PROGRAM SUPPORT, UH, FOR, FOR THOSE CUSTOMERS, BECAUSE TECHNICALLY THEY, WEREN'T A DIRECT AUSTIN WATER CUSTOMER, BUT WE'RE WORKING TO ROLL OUT A PROGRAM THAT, UH, IS SCHEDULED TO TAKE EFFECT NEXT MONTH, UM, THAT WOULD PROVIDE, UM, CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM CUSTOMERS IN MULTIFAMILY DWELLINGS, $17 A MONTH CREDIT ON THEIR ELECTRIC BILL, THEIR OVERALL UTILITY BILL, UM, BECAUSE THAT WAS A SEGMENT OF OUR CUSTOMERS THAT WE COULDN'T REACH HISTORICALLY THROUGH THE CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
IT MIGHT BE WORTH CONSIDERING SOMETHING ADDITIONAL, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE FACT THAT MANY OF US HAVE NOW ACQUIRED OUR OWN LISTS OF APARTMENT COMPLEXES THAT HAVE BEEN WITHOUT WATER.
SO WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD SENSE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED.
SO PERHAPS THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE TO, TO COLLABORATE AND FIGURE OUT A WAY WE CAN BRING MORE IMMEDIATE RELIEF, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, TO OUR NEIGHBORS IN NEED.
CERTAINLY WE CAN, WE CAN CERTAINLY BRAINSTORM AND LOOK AT OTHER POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES TO PROVIDE RELIEF TO THOSE CUSTOMERS.
DO WE HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, ANYBODY THAT HASN'T ASKED A QUESTION? OKAY.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CASARA AND THEN WE GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, JUST A CLARIFYING QUESTION TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THE EARLIER SLIDE, WHEN YOU WERE SAYING YOU WERE GOING TO USE ESTIMATED READS FOR THAT MONTH.
DOES THAT MEAN THAT JUST GENERALLY, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND YOUR, YOUR, THE SLIDE THAT HAS THE, THE DOLLAR FIGURES AND THE PREVIOUS SLIDE THAT YOU HAD MENTIONED, SO THAT WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE SAYING WE'RE GOING TO USE ESTIMATED READS FOR THAT MONTH, DOES THAT JUST GENERALLY MEAN THAT FOR THE PERIOD THAT FOLKS WERE IN THE DISASTER, WE'RE GOING TO BE BILLING THEM MORE OR LESS ON THEIR USAGE IN PRIOR YEARS AS OPPOSED TO THEIR USAGE THIS YEAR? UH, THAT'S CORRECT.
UH, THE, THE BUILDING SYSTEM HAS AN ESTIMATED, UM, YOU KNOW, CONSUMPTION ALGORITHM THAT LOOKS AT, YOU KNOW, HIS HISTORICAL CONSUMPTION LOOKS AT PRIOR MONTH CONSUMPTION.
UM, SO THE DEFAULT IS TO DEFAULT TO, UH, THE SAME PERIOD IN OTHER WORDS, FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR, AND, AND, UH, WOULD GENERATE AN ESTIMATE EITHER BASED ON FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR OR FOR CUSTOMERS WHO HAVEN'T HAD THAT LONG OF AN ACCOUNT HISTORY, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PRIOR MONTH.
AND WE'RE FINDING THAT, UM, GENERALLY SPEAKING PRIOR MONTH IS PROBABLY THE BEST ESTIMATE OF, OF, UM, CURRENT MONTH CONSUMPTION.
UM, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING TO MODIFY THE BILLING SYSTEM, I THINK, TO, TO, TO USE THE PREFERENCE OF THE PRIOR MONTH.
BUT, BUT THAT'S CORRECT THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, UNTIL THE PROPOSED RATES, YOU KNOW, ARE IMPLEMENTED, WE WOULD BE SENDING OUT BILLS BASED ON ESTIMATED CONSUMPTION, UNLESS WE IDENTIFY, YOU KNOW, CUSTOMERS WHO HAD, YOU KNOW, SOME KIND OF UNUSUAL ACTIVITY IN TERMS OF, OF THE, THE MONTH THAT'S BEING USED TO DEGENERATE THAT ESTIMATED CONSUMPTION.
SO JUST GENERALLY FOLKS SHOULD EXPECT THAT FOR THE TIME OF THE DISASTER, THEY'RE GOING TO BE BILLED MORE OR LESS THE SAME AMOUNT AS THE PRIOR MONTH BEFORE THE DISASTER.
I HAD A PRIOR YEAR, LAST YEAR, PRIOR YEAR CONSUMPTION FROM LAST FEBRUARY OR PRIOR MONTH BEING JANUARY CONSUMPTION.
AND THEN FOR THE, THE LEAK ISSUE IS MORE ON A MOVE FORWARD BASIS THAT IF, IF THAT LEAK PERSISTS, UM, INTO THE NEXT BILL, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON IS ADDRESSING THE, THE RATES FOR THE POTENTIAL LEAK THAT THAT IS STILL UNADDRESSED, RIGHT.
SO, SO, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'LL TAKE US A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO IMPLEMENT, UH, A RATE CHANGE, YOU KNOW, WE NEEDED A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO RAMP THAT UP.
AND SO THE ESTIMATED THE USE OF ESTIMATED READS WILL BIAS THAT, THAT TIME TO AVOID ANY HIGH BILLS GOING OUT BASED ON ACTUAL CONSUMPTION.
UM, BUT IT ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, WELL WILL ALLOW US TO, AGAIN, PUSH THAT CONSUMPTION INTO THAT BILLING PERIOD, UM, WHICH IS SOMETHING LIKE I SAID, GENERALLY, WE HAVE AVOID TRYING TO DO.
UM, BUT BECAUSE WE WOULD BE DROPPING THE RATES, IT WOULD BE THERE, THEIR BENEFIT, UH, TO, TO DO THAT.
[02:40:01]
US, YOU KNOW, BIAS A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO DO SOME MORE EXPANSIVE, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE ACCOUNT REVIEW, TO PROACTIVELY IDENTIFY ACCOUNTS THAT HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS IN TERMS OF CONSUMPTION AND, AND MAKE, UH, THOSE, THOSE ADJUSTMENTS.UM, AND, UH, AND JUST WANT TO BEFORE, UH, PASSING THE BATON HERE, JUST THANK YOU ALL FOR, FOR THE WORK THAT I THINK HAS REALLY ACCELERATED HERE LATELY TO CREATE THAT CENTRALIZED WEBSITE AND LIST OF MULTIFAMILY WITHOUT WATER GOT CONFIRMATION FROM OUR CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, THAT, UH, TODAY WILL REALLY BE AT A PLACE WHERE IT, BETWEEN THE VOLUNTEER EFFORTS IN THE CITY EFFORTS, BE GETTING WATER ON TO ALL OF THOSE APARTMENTS THAT WE INVALIDATED THAT DON'T HAVE WATER.
AND I REALLY, UH, APPRECIATE THAT BETWEEN THE CITY'S EFFORT AND THE VOLUNTEER EFFORT, MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS WATER DELIVERY OR A HYDRANT OR A TOTE AT EACH OF THOSE PROPERTIES.
UM, UH, AND SO I, I, I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATE THAT, UH, AS WE STILL DEAL WITH THE ONES THAT ARE PERSISTENT.
WHERE WERE WE TALKING MORE ABOUT THE RECOVERY? SORRY.
IT'S A GOOD, IT'S A GOOD A PRECURSOR TO THAT BEFORE WE TURN TO THAT, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE QUESTION.
AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER ABOUT THE BILLS, RIGHT? GO AHEAD.
I'M NOT TRYING TO GO BACK TO THE OTHER ONE.
SO DID I SEE THAT THE ESTIMATE RIGHT NOW WAS THAT THE, UM, THE NEW RATE STRUCTURE WOULD END ON APRIL 26TH? IS THAT A HARD DATE, OR IS THAT SOMETHING WE CAN REASSESS AS, SINCE WE KNOW THAT SOME OF THE APARTMENTS WERE HAVING A HARD TIME REALLY WORKING THROUGH THAT WITH THE JUST LACK OF PLUMBING, SUPPLIES AND AVAILABILITY, RIGHT.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, UM, I GUESS THAT'S ANOTHER BENEFIT OF, OF TRYING TO PUSH THE HIGH LEVELS OF CONSUMPTION INTO, INTO THE NEXT BILLING PERIOD.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT, UM, FINDING A PLUMBER RIGHT NOW IS, IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
UM, AND, AND GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, THE LEAK ADJUSTMENT POLICY AND NOT THE HIGH BILL ADJUSTMENT POLICY THAT THAT'S CURRENTLY WRITTEN INTO CITY CODE, UM, ALLOWS FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKING ADJUSTMENTS FOR TWO BILLING CYCLES.
UM, WE, WE, WE COULD EXPAND, BUT WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT WE'RE HEADING INTO TO THE IRRIGATION SEASON.
SO WE WANTED TO TRY AND PUSH ALL OF THE CONSUMPTION AGAIN AND TO ONE BILLING CYCLE, BUT WE FEEL LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DISCRETION THAT, THAT RECOMMENDS ARE AS AN AUSTIN WATER WOULD BE GIVEN IN TERMS OF APPLYING, UM, APPLYING BILL ADJUSTMENTS FOR CUSTOMERS THAT WERE IMPACTED BY THE STORM EVENT WOULD ACTUALLY EXTEND BEYOND THE DATES THAT THOSE, THOSE RATES ARE IN EFFECT.
AND SO THEN WE COULD MAYBE RETURN TO, YOU KNOW, A MORE NORMAL, UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF, UM, BECAUSE I WASN'T ABLE TO GET IT FIXED, UH, YOU KNOW, IMMEDIATELY MY, MY HIGH LEVELS OF CONSUMPTION WENT INTO IN APRIL THAT WE COULD STILL ADDRESS THAT WITH, UH, THE AUTHORITY THAT WOULD BE GRANTED TO APPLY LEAK ADJUSTMENTS, UM, EVEN BEYOND THE DATES THAT, UH, THE, THE TEMPORARY RATE REDUCTION WOULD BE IN EFFECT.
SO, IN YOUR EXAMPLE, YOU GAVE US THE BILLING FOR SOMEBODY WHO HAD A LEAK VERSUS A NORMAL CUSTOMER.
HOW DOES THIS IMPACT PEOPLE WHO HAD NO WATER SUPPLY FOR A WEEK, BECAUSE IF THEY HAVE TO PAY THE SAME WATER SUPPLY AS THEY DID LAST MONTH, BUT THEY DIDN'T USE A MONTH, IS THAT HALF A MATERIAL IMPACT ON THEIR BILL? SO TWO THINGS THAT MIGHT BE CAPTURED IN, IN THE TRUE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE, WHEN WE GET THE NORMAL READ, UM, AND, AND IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY WERE BILLED, UM, SAY FOR, FOR 5,000 GALLONS, BUT BECAUSE OF, OF PLUMBING ISSUES, THEY WERE OUT OF WATER FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
AND THE ACTUAL RATE IS LESS THAN THAT.
UM, I BELIEVE IT WOULD TRIGGER A REBILL THAT WOULD TRUE UP AND, AND ESSENTIALLY CREDIT FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, ANY CONSUMPTION THAT WAS BUILT IN EXCESS OF THE ACTUAL.
SO THAT COMMENT JUST HELPED ME UNDERSTAND SOMETHING.
I JUST WANT TO REPEAT IT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M UNDERSTANDING IT.
SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE SAYING FOR THIS PERIOD, WE'RE DOING ESTIMATES, BUT WE'RE GOING TO READ IT NEXT MONTH, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO TRUE IT UP NEXT MONTH.
AND THE REASON TO PUT THE BILLING SET UP LIKE IT IS NEXT MONTH IS THAT YOUR LEAK MAY SHOW UP NEXT MONTH BECAUSE YOU'RE BEING READ THEN, BUT WE'RE GOING TO FORGIVE THAT LEAK AT THAT POINT WHEN IT'S RED, IS THAT THE LOGIC HERE, RIGHT? WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE UNDERSTAND THAT MANY OF OUR CUSTOMERS, UH, YOU KNOW, ARE GOING TO BE IMPACTED BY HIGHER LEVELS OF CONSUMPTION.
AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO, AGAIN, PUSH ALL OF THAT CONSUMPTION INTO THE PERIOD, UH, WHERE A BILL WOULD ESSENTIALLY BE CAPPED AT 6,000 GALLON LEVEL.
[02:45:01]
SO, SO THAT'S THE HOPE, UM, THAT WE'LL DO IT IN TERMS OF LOGISTICS, AS I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IT IS, THEY'RE BASICALLY SAYING WE'RE USING AN ESTIMATE FOR THIS MONTH BILL BY NEXT MONTH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE REEDS AND WE'RE GOING TO TRIM THEM UP ACROSS YOUR ESTIMATE AND WHAT WE READ, WHAT WE READ AT THAT POINT, AND THE VALUE OF THE REDUCTION AT THAT POINT IS BECAUSE THAT'S, WHEN WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO TRUE IT UP FOR EACH OF THE CUSTOMERS, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR MORE THAN 6,000 GALLONS.IF YOU HAD A LEAK, YOU'RE ONLY GOING TO CHARGE A PENNY, A PER THOUSAND GALLONS.
ONCE YOU GET ABOVE A BLOCK TWO OR THREE, FOUR AND FIVE.
SO I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL MESSAGING AS WE, AS WE ROLL THIS OUT, THAT WE CAN EXPLAIN TO OUR CONSTITUENTS, UM, BECAUSE IT'S NOT IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS WHY IN THE NEXT PERIOD YOU'D HAVE THE REDUCTION AND HOW THAT HELPS THEM IF THEIR LEAK IS RESOLVED, BUT IT HAS TO DO WITH WHEN YOU'RE READING THE METERS AND HOW YOU'RE USING THOSE METERS OVER TIME.
UM, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE MOST APPROPRIATE MESSAGING IS, BUT IT WASN'T COMPLETELY TO ME HOW THAT WAS DOING IT.
SO I IMAGINE IF WE'RE TRYING TO EXPLAIN IT TO OUR CONSTITUENTS, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF YOU HAD SOME CLEAR MESSAGING AND SOME EXAMPLES I THINK ARE REALLY HELPFUL, UM, TO HAVE THAT'S A GOOD RECOMMENDATION.
AND WE ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT THAT, THAT MESSAGING WORKING, UM, YOU KNOW, ALSO WITH AUSTIN ENERGY AND WHERE THEY'RE TRYING TO GET INFORMATION INTO, INTO BILL AND STARTS, UM, AND, AND, UH, LOOKING TO, TO PROVIDE THAT MESSAGING, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT.
UM, THE, THE, THE NEXT BILLING CYCLE WOULD BE BASED ON AN ACTUAL READ THAT IS INTENDED TO TRUE UP CONSUMPTION.
UM, BUT, UM, ALSO WILL PROVIDE US, I THINK THE ADDITIONAL BENEFIT OF, YOU KNOW, I THINK GIVING PEOPLE TIME TO, UH, TO, UM, TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, REPAIRED, BUT ALSO GIVES US TIME TO HAVE SOME DETAILED REVIEW.
AND WE'RE STILL GETTING THE METER READS.
WE'RE JUST NOT BILLING BASED ON IT.
SO IN THE INTERIM, WE'LL BE REVIEWING THOSE RATES AS THEY COME IN AND, AND TO TRY AND PROACTIVELY IDENTIFY CUSTOMERS WHO WERE IMPACTED AND MAKE ANY OTHER ADJUSTMENTS THAT WOULD BE NECESSARY BASED ON, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUAL CUSTOMERS, UH, ACTUAL LEVELS OF CONSUMPTION.
CAN I JUST ASK WHEN YOU EXPLAIN IT, CAN YOU MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EXAMPLES OF, IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE WATER, IF YOU WERE A NORMAL CUSTOMER, AND IF YOU HAD A LEAK, PLEASE, THANK YOU.
SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO NOW IS JUST TAKE AN ASK DIRECT MASSAGE.
IF YOU ALL CAN DO THIS, IF YOU COULD JUST TAKE FIVE MINUTES FOR THE LAST PIECE.
SO I WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE RECOVERY EFFORTS, BUT THEN I'D LIKE TO LEAVE ANOTHER FIVE MINUTES FOR ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.
I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER TOBA HAD A QUESTION AND OTHERS MAY HAVE A QUESTION.
SO DO YOU THINK YOU COULD DO THAT? COULD YOU JUST TAKE ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AND GIVE US THAT LAST ITEM RANDY'S GOING TO DO THAT, AND RANDY DO IT IN FIVE MINUTES.
AND TO THAT NOTE, THERE'S ONLY ONE SLIDE.
SO I SHOULD BE ABLE TO FLY THROUGH THAT, TO GIVE Y'ALL AMPLE TIME TO ASK YOUR QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, AS SOON AS OFTEN WATER SYSTEM BEGAN TO REBOUND FROM THE SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENT, WE REROUTED OUR INCIDENT COMMAND FOCUSED TO TURN IMMEDIATELY TO THOSE THAT WERE SUFFERING FROM PRIVATE, PRIVATE SIDE FAILURES THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS OUR MISSION DESCRIBES, WE PROVIDE WATER SERVICES SO THAT ALL COMMUNITY NEEDS FOR WATER ARE MET AND AUSTIN WATER AND ITS EMPLOYEES ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S WATER FLOWING FROM EVERY TAP AT EVERY RESIDENT IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT SAID THIS COMMUNITY RECOVERY REQUIRED US TO SHIFT WHAT IS OUR TRADITIONAL FOCUS AND OUR TRADITIONAL BOUNDARIES AROUND PROVIDING WATER SERVICE THAT, THAT, UM, STOPS, UM, EXPLICITLY AT THE METER, BUT KNOWING THAT SO MANY AUSTINITES AND OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND OUR NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS AND FAMILY WERE SUFFERING, UM, DEPLOYED RESOURCES AND PUT, UM, ITEMS AND PLACE TO RENDER AID.
SO ONE OF THE MOST DIRE THINGS THAT I'LL START OUT WITH, UM, AND PREVAILING ISSUES THAT WE CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH THROUGHOUT STANDING UP THIS COMMUNITY RECOVERY EFFORT WAS, UM, THE LACK OF PLUMBING MATERIALS AVAILABLE, YOU KNOW, AS THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS, UM, FLOODED THE MARKET WITH NEEDED PARTS AND, AND REPAIR PIECES, UM, THAT BECAME, UH, A DIRE NEED OF OUR UTILITY TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE COMPONENTS TO REPAIR.
BECAUSE AS I MENTIONED, UM, WE WERE, WE WERE, UM, ASSISTING IN AREAS AND STANDING UP ITEMS ON HYDRANTS THAT WE'D NEVER HAD TO DEPLOY AT THAT LEVEL BEFORE.
AND SO THAT BECAME, UH, A STICKING POINT, BUT WE WORKED THROUGH THAT AND I'M HAPPY TO REPORT OUT, UM, WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
AND SO WE REALLY DEVELOPED THROUGH OUR INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE, A FIVE PRONG APPROACH, UM, TO THIS COMMUNITY RECOVERY
[02:50:01]
EFFORT.AND SO THAT CONSISTED, CONSISTS OF, UM, PLUMBING, REPAIR COORDINATION.
AND I'LL SPEAK, SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO EACH OF THESE ITEMS, PUBLIC WATER STATIONS, OAK WATER, HAULING DISTRIBUTION, A FIXED LOCATION TANK IN THE CENTER OF TOWN, AND ALSO, UM, WATER TOAST, WHICH IS IN ESSENCE AT 275 GALLON WATER TANK AND, AND SETTING THOSE OUT AND, UM, DISTRIBUTION POINTS THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO, UM, TO KIND OF, UM, GIVE SOME MORE INSIGHT WHEN THIS, UM, EFFORT FIRST BECAME, UM, KIND OF EMINENT, UH, WE PULLED AUSTIN WATER STAFF THAT HAVE PLUMBING LICENSE, IRRIGATION LINES.
I SENSE IN THOSE THAT ARE EXPERTS KIND OF IN DEALING WITH PRIVATE SIDE INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOW THEY CONNECT TO OUR METERS, WE PULLED THEM FROM THE FIELD AND ASKED THEM TO MAKE OUTBOUND CALLS TO, UM, COMMUNITY, UM, APARTMENT COMPLEXES, MAINTENANCE STAFF, SO THAT WE COULD HAVE A ROBUST AND DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT EXACTLY WAS FAILING ON A PRIVATE SIDE, YOU KNOW, WAS THIS INTERNAL TO THE BUILDING, WAS THIS, UM, UH, PIPING THAT WAS UNDERNEATH, UH, PARKING SPACES, ET CETERA.
AND SO, UM, WE STOOD THAT OUT AND AS WE CONTINUE TO LEARN MORE, WE DEPLOYED THOSE SAME STAFF TO MEET WITH THOSE APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE, UM, AN EXAMPLE, I WOULD PROVIDE THAT AS THERE WAS ONE APARTMENT COMPLEX THAT WAS OUT OF WATER, THEY HAD A PLUMBER ONSITE THAT WAS STRUGGLING TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS AND, UM, WAS TRYING TO WORK THROUGH THE WEE HOURS OF THE NIGHT AND INTO THE DARK.
AND SO WE, UM, UH, ROUTED AUSTIN WATER STAFF WHO HAD CONSTRUCTION LIGHTS, UM, THAT WE USUALLY USE WHEN WE'RE DOING OVERNIGHT CONSTRUCTION EFFORTS ON WATER LINES AND WATER MAINS IN OUR SYSTEM.
UM, SO THAT WAY THAT, THAT PLUMBER COULD CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THE NIGHTTIME HOURS.
WE ALSO HAD AUSTIN WATER STAFF AND STAFF, ALSTON, WATER STAFF, FAMILY MEMBERS, UM, PROVIDING WATER ON TOP OF WHAT WAS ALREADY BEING PROVIDED THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO, YOU KNOW, ELEVATE, UM, WHAT A SIGNIFICANT LIFT AND EFFORT THIS TOOK FROM AUSTIN WATER STAFF.
AND SO THE OTHER ITEM, YOU KNOW, MAKING THESE OUTBOUND CALLS, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT STARTED OUT W UH, WITH ABOUT FIVE INDIVIDUALS, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT FIRST ONSET OF ABOUT 20 APARTMENT COMPLEXES, UM, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANTLY GREW AS WE CONTINUE TO GET AND HEAR FROM, YOU KNOW, YOUR OFFICES AND YOUR CONSTITUENTS, THAT WE'RE REPORTING OUTAGES AS WELL AS OTHER AVENUES AND SURVEY POINTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND SO WE, UM, HAVE STOOD UP ADDITIONAL, UM, AUSTIN WATER VOLUNTEERS, AS WELL AS OTHER CITY STAFF THAT ARE MAKING THESE OUTBOUND CALLS TO HELP US VALIDATE THESE WATER OUTAGE CONCERNS.
AND SO TO DATE, I WANT TO REPORT OUT ON OUR PUBLIC WATER STATIONS.
WE HAVE 51, UM, PUBLIC WATER STATIONS IN PLACE THROUGHOUT THE CITY DAY, UM, WITH, UH, THAT NUMBER RISING TO PROBABLY 55 BY THE END OF THE AFTERNOON, MAYBE RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND, UH, JUST AN UPDATE THERE THAT IS THE ACTUAL CONNECTIONS TO THE HYDRANT.
SO THESE ARE OUR HYDRANT ASSEMBLIES WITH THE SPICKET THAT ALLOW SOMEONE TO PLACE A BUCKET OR A BOTTLE, WHATEVER THEY MIGHT HAVE TO FILL UP, UM, TO SUPPLY THEIR WATER NEEDS.
AND THEN BULK WATER HAULING DISTRIBUTION.
WE HAVE 14 SITES THAT ARE, ARE GROWING, THAT ARE ON A ROUTE, UM, THAT ARE RECEIVING BOAT, WATER, BULK WATER DISTRIBUTION THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
THESE ARE LARGE, UM, TRUCKS, UM, DELIVERING POTABLE WATER, UM, THROUGHOUT THESE APARTMENT COMPLEX.
AND THEN WE HAVE A FIXED LOCATION TANK, UM, THAT IS PICTURED ON THIS SLIDE, UM, THAT IS, UH, AT ACC NORTHRIDGE CAMPUS.
AND SO THAT IS SUPPLYING WATER THAT ANYONE THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, WHETHER RESIDENTIAL OR IN AN APARTMENT COMPLEX MULTIFAMILY SETUP CAN UTILIZE AND, UM, RECEIVE THAT WATER THAT IS NEEDED FOR THEIR HOMES.
AND THEN, UM, WATER TOTES, AS I MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, THE KIND OF THE 275 GALLON TANKS, UM, THOSE ARE ALSO SITUATED THROUGHOUT OUR SERVICE AREA AT DIFFERENT APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND COMMUNITIES, UM, SO THAT THEY CAN, AND THOSE ARE ALSO ON ROUTES TO BE REFILLED BY OUR BULK WATER TANKER TRUCKS, UM, AS THOSE GO EMPTY.
AND SO, UM, WE, UM, PARTNERED WITH AUSTIN NEEDS WATER, UM, AND OTHER NONPROFITS THROUGHOUT THE OREGON, THROUGHOUT THE CITY TO, UM, GET THOSE TOTES DISTRIBUTED.
AND SO RIGHT NOW, WHAT I, WHAT I CAN PROVIDE THE UPDATE ON, AND THIS WILL CONCLUDE MY PRESENTATION.
SO WE CAN WANT TO YOUR QUESTIONS IS THAT, UM, NEARLY 350 COMPLEXES ARE CONFIRMED TO NOW HAVE WATER RESTORED, WHICH WE ARE HAPPY TO REPORT THAT NUMBER.
UM, THERE ARE 83 FILLED VERIFICATIONS GOING ON THROUGHOUT TODAY.
WE'RE OUT TODAY THIS AFTERNOON, THAT WILL BE VERIFIED BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS AND EARLY MORNING TOMORROW, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN LISTED AS NON-VALIDATED ON OUR MAP, THAT'S OUT OUTWARD FACING TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, AND BY UNVALIDATED, I REALLY WANT TO CLARIFY AND INDICATE THAT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE HAVE NOT CONTACTED A LOT OF THESE COMPLEXES.
UM, WE'VE CONTACTED THEM BY PHONE AND THE PHONE NUMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN PROVIDED, BUT WE HAVE NOT HAD A RETURNED PHONE CALL.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE WAYS IN WHICH
[02:55:01]
WE'RE, UM, DEPLOYING, UM, AUSTIN CODE AND PUBLIC WORKS STAFF, AS WELL AS AUSTIN WATER STAFF TO, UM, VISIT THOSE SITES IN PERSON TO EITHER AFFIRM THAT THEY WERE BACK IN WATER SERVICE OR STILL WITHOUT, SO THAT WE CAN, UM, IMMEDIATELY DEPLOY A WATER RESOURCE TO THEM.AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE SITUATION CONTINUES TO CHANGE RAPIDLY.
WE'RE HAPPY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAD SEVERAL DECLINE, OUR HYDRANT USE THAT OUR HYDRANT USE ACROSS THE CITY BECAUSE THEY WERE ALREADY RESTORED.
SO THAT'S A GREAT, UM, MOVING TARGET, UM, TO REPORT OUT ON.
AND WITH THAT, UM, I'LL JUST SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THE SYSTEM OVERALL SEEMS TO BE STABILIZING AND WE'LL TURN IT OVER FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH IF WE COULD TAKE THE SLIDES DOWN.
SO, UH, WE HAVE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE STARTED ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATE.
SO IF, IF DIRECTOR MASSARA S AND HIS FOLKS CAN STAY FOR ANOTHER FIVE OR 10 MINUTES, I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT WE WON'T GO ANY LONGER THAN THAT.
UM, MAYBE WE CAN DO IT IN FIVE IF PEOPLE DON'T HAVE QUESTIONS.
I DID, DID WANT TO CIRCLE BACK AROUND FIRST OFF.
I WANT TO SAY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS, UH, WORKING WITH THE APARTMENTS.
WHAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CASAR HAD SAID.
I THINK THAT MANY OF US HERE HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH YOU GUYS AND WITH THE COMMUNITY ON THE APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND OTHER FACILITIES LIKE SENIOR FACILITIES AND FACILITIES TO TRY TO HELP THAT EFFORT.
SO WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE.
REMEMBER, I WOULD NOTE, AND RANDY MENTIONED IT, BUT I DO WANT TO THANK AUSTIN NEEDS WATER AND OTHER VOLUNTEER GROUPS HAVE BEEN WORKING TIRELESSLY AND, UH, AND, UH, AND I JUST ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, THEIR PASSION FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE.
I'M GONNA TURN TO COUNCIL MEMBER.
TOVA DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION JUST WANT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE TAKE A SHORT QUESTION.
I WAS SORRY TO HAVE TO CUT YOU OFF EARLIER, BUT WE'VE, WE'RE WRAPPING UP NOW.
SO IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION AND THEN WE'LL TURN TO A COUPLE OF OTHER WRAP UP THINGS, UM, YEAH, I HAVE SEVERAL TRY TO SUMMARIZE.
YES, I HAVE SEVERAL, BUT I'LL TRY TO SUMMARIZE THEM.
UM, LET ME JUST START WHERE YOU ENDED.
AND ALSO, I WOULD JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, THE AUSTIN FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION AND, UM, THE, UM, UPO WHO I THINK HAVE TOGETHER GROWN INTO AUSTIN NEEDS WATER AND THE OTHER COMMUNITY EFFORTS, BUT, BUT THEY WERE OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, THE DAY AFTER THE BOIL WATER NOTICE WITH BUCKETS THAT THEY GOT FROM, UM, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL OFFICES AND, AND FROM THEIR OWN, FROM THEIR OWN EFFORTS, AND TRULY STARTED, UH, STARTED THIS MODEL OF GETTING WATER ON SITE AT A TIME WHERE WE COULDN'T ACCESS BOTTLED WATER, EVEN FOR SOME OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE, UM, SOME OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS IN EVERY COUNCIL DISTRICT.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WORKING WITH THEM AND KIND OF ABSORBING AND MAKING THIS AN AUSTIN WATER UTILITY EFFORT AS WELL.
I THINK THIS IS REALLY A GOOD, GOOD, GOOD PLACE PLACE TO BE.
CAN YOU HELP? HOW MANY ARE, HOW MANY COMPLEXES ARE VERIFIED AS STILL OUT OF WATER? IS IT A MATCH WITH HOW MANY WITH THE NUMBER OF HYDRANTS? IT IS A MEDICALLY HAD SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, IN EVERY CASE, BUT THERE'S A, THERE'S AN EQUIVALENCY THERE BETWEEN THE COMPLEXES THAT ARE STILL WITHOUT WATER AND THE NUMBER THAT NOW HAVE ONSITE WATER OPTIONS FOR HOUSEHOLD USE.
UM, WHEN YOU KIND OF ADD UP THE NUMBER OF HYDRANTS THAT WE HAVE DEPLOYED, AND THEN, UM, THE APARTMENT COMPLEXES THAT ARE ON THE BULK WATER DISTRIBUTION, UM, ROUTING, AND THEN LASTLY, THE ONE ITEM THAT, UH, AUSTIN NEEDS WATER HAS, HAS PERFORMED A HEAVY LIFT ON, AND I DON'T HAVE AN EXACT EXACT COUNT, BUT THEY HAVE TAKEN TOTES AND GOTTEN THOSE OUT TO THOSE APARTMENT COMPLEXES.
SO I WOULD SAY THE OUTAGE IS, IS, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF DYNAMIC AND CHANGING AROUND THE HOUR AS THEY COME ON IN AND OUT.
BUT, UM, I WOULD SAY AROUND 80.
OKAY, THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE.
UM, AND THE BREWERIES, I KNOW THAT THEY WERE ALSO THANKED AT SEVERAL OF OUR MEETINGS, BUT BREWERIES REALLY CAME IN, CAME IN EARLY AND CONSISTENTLY TO HELP, TO HELP OUT, UM, DIRECTOR MASSARO IS BACK TO THE EARLIER PRESENTATION.
I THINK I AM FROM YOUR PRESENTATION, BUT IT'S COME UP A COUPLE OF TIMES IN THE PUBLIC, IN PUBLIC QUESTIONING ABOUT WHETHER, UM, THE OUTAGES AT LONGHORN, PAM AND OTHERS WERE ALL STORM-RELATED, AS I UNDERSTAND, THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY ON, ON THE HIGH PRIORITY CIRCUIT.
SO THOSE WERE NOT PART OF ANY PLANNED OUTAGES.
THOSE WERE OUT TO THE EXTENT THAT ANY OF THAT OLD RIG AND LONGHORN DAM HAD POWER OUTAGES, THOSE WERE RESULT OF STORM DAMAGE.
SO IS THAT AN ACCURATE UNDERSTANDING? I KNOW, I
[03:00:01]
KNOW THE ORRICK OUTAGE WAS FROM STORM DAMAGE.I, I DON'T KNOW THE OTHER FACILITIES, UH, LONGHORN DAM WE'D HAVE TO CHECK WITH AUSTIN ENERGY.
I THINK SOME OF THE SMALLER LIFT STATIONS THAT ARE IN NEIGHBORHOODS WERE PROBABLY SORT OF THE, UH, THE, UH, THE BLACKOUT PROCESS.
MAYBE WE CAN FLAG THAT FOR OUR CONVERSATION AT THIS POINT.
THANK YOU, RICK MAY KNOW RICK, DO YOU KNOW? SO TYPICALLY THOSE EVEN THE LIFT STATIONS ARE ON THE CRITICAL LOAD LIST.
AND SO THEY MAY ALSO HAVE BEEN RELATED TO STORM RELATED OUTAGES, BUT WE'LL CONFIRM THAT.
I WANT TO WRAP UP NOW BECAUSE DO YOU HAVE A SHORT QUESTION BECAUSE WE ALSO WANT TO GIVE US A FEW MINUTES TO, UH, OR WONDER ONE OR TWO MINUTES TO, UM, CITY MANAGER CROSS BEFORE WE CLOSE IN SIX MINUTES.
SO DO YOU HAVE A SHORT QUESTION, COUNCILMEMBER ALTAR? I THINK SO.
IT'S ON THE, UM, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS.
UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT WAS DONE.
I THOUGHT THAT THERE WERE LESSONS THAT WERE LEARNED FROM THE PRIOR WATER BOIL NOTICE ABOUT HAVING WATER AVAILABLE IN THOSE DISTRIBUTIONS.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE DONE AFTER THE, IN THE AFTER ACTION REPORT FROM THE PRIOR WATER BOIL NOTICE THAT HELPED IN THIS SITUATION? I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU MEAN WITH BOTTLED WATER.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE ASKING? YES.
I DON'T THINK WE IDENTIFIED CREATING A BOTTLE WATER WAREHOUSE.
UM, IF, IF THAT'S WHAT I HAD INDICATED IN MY INTRODUCTION, I I'M SAYING THAT WE, IN THE PRIOR BUTTER WHERE WATER FROM THE TURBIDITY EVENT, I THOUGHT THERE WAS AN AFTER ACTION REPORT THAT INCLUDED SOME RECOMMENDATIONS WITH RESPECT TO HOW WE IMPROVE WATER DISTRIBUTION IN THE EVENT OF A WATER BOIL NOTICE.
UH, I'LL HAVE TO REFAMILIARIZE MYSELF WITH SOME OF THAT.
SOME OF THAT, THERE WAS AN AFTER ACTION REPORT ON OUR ENGINEERING OR CHEMICAL FOR TURBIDITY, AND THEN THERE WAS AN OVERALL ONE FROM THE EOC.
AND, UH, I I'LL HAVE TO REVIEW THAT WITH THEM.
I, I DON'T RECALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS ON BOTTLED WATER DISTRIBUTION.
WE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH THAT LATER THEN.
SO, JUST IN CLOSING, I WANNA, UH, THANK YOU, UM, DIRECTOR, UH, AND YOUR TEAM, UH, FOR PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION FOR US TODAY.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE, WE ALL HAVE MANY MORE QUESTIONS, WHICH WE WILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITIES TO ASK.
I APPRECIATE YOU FLAGGED, UM, FIVE CLOSE, CLOSE TO 10, UH, AREAS FOR US TO BE TALKING ABOUT IN THE FUTURE THAT YOU WERE ALREADY THINKING OF IN TERMS OF NEXT STEPS AND IN ALL THE WAY FROM STORING WATER TO THE WATER FORWARD KINDS OF RECOMMENDATIONS TO, UM, THE EX OF WHAT IS OCCURRING IN ALDRIDGE FOR THE, WITH THE NEW CONSTRUCTION, THE SMART, UM, UH, EXAMINING THE POTENTIAL CODE CHANGES OR OTHER THINGS RELATED TO PRIVATE, UM, FAILURES OF PIPE STRUCTURES, LEAK DETECTION, PRESSURE MANAGEMENT.
THE FACT THAT THE CAST IRON PIPES WERE CAUSING BREAKAGE, UM, TEXT MESSAGE DELAYS, UM, AND, UH, LESSONS ABOUT DRIPPING DIFFERENTLY, ALL OF THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
AND I KNOW THERE'LL BE, THERE'LL BE OTHER ISSUES AS YOU ALL GO THROUGH AFTER ACTION REPORT.
SO APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS TO START TO IDENTIFY, UM, ISSUES, UM, THAT CAN BE EXAMINED IN WAYS IN WHICH WE MAY DO THINGS BETTER, SO THAT WE'RE MORE RESILIENT IN THE FUTURE.
SO AS WE CLOSE, I WANT TO ASK, UH, CITY MANAGER, HE HAS SOMETHING HE WOULD LIKE TO DO.
WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU CHAIR KITCHEN, AND, AND ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR HAVING SOCIAL ENGAGED DISCUSSION THIS AFTERNOON.
THIS IS AS YOU'VE NOTED THAT WE'LL BE HAVING OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS, A MONTH LOOKING AT THIS EVENT AND HOW WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PREPARED IN DIFFERENT WAYS IN THE FUTURE.
UH, I WANT TO THANK OUR CITY STAFF.
YOU KNOW, THEY WORKED HAVE BEEN WORKING TIRELESSLY THROUGHOUT THIS EVENT AND CONTINUE TO DO SO AS WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT ONLY STILL IN THE RESPONSE MODE, BUT THEN SHIFTING, UH, INTO RECOVERY.
AND THEN, UH, FINALLY, UH, LOOKING BACK AT WHAT WE CAN DO BETTER IN THE FUTURE.
I'LL JUST NOTE THAT WE TOOK THE RESOLUTION THAT YOU PASSED LAST THURSDAY, UH, VERY SERIOUSLY.
AND I KNOW THERE WAS SOME IMMEDIATE THINGS THAT, UH, WERE ASKED OF STAFF.
AND SO WE ARE PREPARED TO DO IT.
IF IT'S NOT IN YOUR INBOX ALREADY, IT WILL BE ARRIVING SHORTLY.
UH, WE DO, UH, INITIAL RESPONSE TO THAT.
SO HOPEFULLY THAT WILL START AGAIN, UH, FRAMING OUR CONVERSATION GOING FORWARD, BUT JUST MONDAY YOU HEADS UP TO LOOK FOR THAT.
UH, I KNOW THAT WE WERE ASKED TO COME UP WITH A RESPONSE BEFORE TOMORROW'S, UH, COUNCIL MEETING AND, AND WE'RE FULFILLING THAT PROMISE.
AND HERE THERE'S A, THERE'S A, AT LEAST AN EXECUTIVE
[03:05:01]
SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON IN REAL TIME.UH, I WILL NOTE THOUGH THAT SOME OF THE NUMBERS ARE EVEN BEEN UPDATED IN, IN THE DAY THAT YOU'VE BEEN CRAFTING THIS MEMO.
AND SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, YOU HEARD FROM, UM, MS. JENKINS, UH, ARE UPDATED THAT YOU GOT TODAY, UH, THAT MAY BE, HAVE CHANGED SINCE WE PUT THE MEMO TOGETHER.
SO JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU A HEADS UP ON THAT AND LOOK FORWARD TO OUR DISCUSSION TOMORROW AT COUNCIL AS WELL.
I JUST HAVE A QUICK REQUEST THAT WE ALSO LOOK INTO A SMALL MINORITIES AND OTHER BUSINESSES THAT ARE, THAT HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH THE CALLBACK, AND NOW THEY HAVE BUSTED PIPES AND, AND, AND NOW THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE FACING ALL KINDS OF REGULATIONS WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT CODE.
AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO THEM RIGHT ALSO.
UM, IT WAS GOOD, GOOD ISSUE TO POINT OUT.
OKAY, GUYS, I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR PARTICIPATING.
I KNOW IT CAN BE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE, IT'S REALLY NICE TO BE ABLE TO GET INTO ALL THE DETAIL THAT WE WANT TO, BUT I THINK WE COVERED QUITE A BIT IN THE LAST TWO HOURS AND WE'LL HAVE FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES.
AS I SAID BEFORE, WE'LL BE MEETING JOINTLY WITH, UM, AUSTIN AND ENERGY.
AT THE END OF THE MONTH, WE HAVE A WATER COMMITTEE MEETING WE'LL BE ADDING IN IN APRIL.
AND THEN OF COURSE WE APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TOBA IS BRINGING FORWARD WITH THE, UM, UH, COMMITTEE THAT SHE'S SIGNAL, THEN THE RESOLUTION THAT SHE'S WORKING ON.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND THANK YOU, UH, DIRECTOR MASCARAS AND YOUR TEAM.
AND WITH THAT, I GUESS I NEED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING.
UM, WE WERE DURING THE WATER OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING.