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WELL, LET'S CALL[CALL TO ORDER – July 13th , 2021 at 3:00pm]
THIS MEETING TO ORDER.HOW ARE Y'ALL TODAY? HAPPY TO THANK YOU.
UM, I, HOW DO I EMBRACE THE PEOPLE? WAIT A SECOND.
ALL I SAW ON MY SCREEN WAS HONEY, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT I WANT TO SEE WHO ELSE IS HERE.
THERE'S PERRY AND ROBERT, LOTS OF PEOPLE AND SARAH AND BILL.
LET'S CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER THEN.
AND, UM, LET ME MAKE SURE I'M NOT MISSING SOMETHING HERE.
CAN WE HAVE ANY, UM, CITIZEN COMMUNICATION TODAY? NO.
[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
THEN LET'S MOVE ON TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MEETING MINUTES.HAVE PEOPLE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE MINUTES? JAY NELSON SENT THEM OUT YESTERDAY? I BELIEVE.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? ALL RIGHT, HONEY.
IT'S HANEY, RIGHT? YOU'RE MUTED.
I JUST DON'T WANT TO SAY YOUR NAME WRONG OVER AND OVER AGAIN DURING THIS MEETING.
ANY OPPOSED? I SEE THE PARRY HAS, UM, A TRIANGLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT AND HIS SQUARE, WHICH I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.
DO WE STILL HAVE A QUORUM WITH HIM IN THAT EMERGENCY STATE? OH, HE'S BACK.
AND THERE WAS A TRIANGLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT IN IT WHERE YOUR FACE, WHAT USED TO BE.
[2.a. Water Supply Outlook]
MOVE ON TO OUR PRESENTATIONS.UM, WE'VE GOT FIVE TODAY, UM, AND EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED ATTACHMENTS FOR THIS.
SO LET'S START WITH THE WATERS UNLESS WE NEEDED TO CHANGE THE ORDER OF THE GENDER.
ARE WE KEEPING IT THE SAME AS WE, AS, AS PRESENTED? PERFECT.
LET'S START WITH THE WATER SUPPLY OUTLOOK.
HI, EVERYONE CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME.
I'LL TRY TO TALK A LITTLE LOUDER.
YOU CAN GO AHEAD TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UH, SO COMBINED STORAGE INCREASED.
UM, AND AS OF TODAY, WE ARE AT 84% FULL, UH, WITH 1.6 MILLION ACRE FEET, WHICH IS PRETTY GOOD.
OH, CAN YOU HEAR ME THE LAST FEW MONTHS? UH, WE RECEIVED INFLOWS OF OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND ACRE FEET, UM, WHICH IS A LOT MORE THAN THE AVERAGE, UH, FROM THE PERIOD OF RECORD OH EIGHT TO 2015.
UM, BUT BESIDES THE LAST TWO MONTHS INFO'S HAVE BEEN PRETTY LOW, BUT IT'S GOOD THAT WE GOT THAT A HUNDRED THOUSAND ACRE FEET.
NEXT SLIDE, AND LOOKING AT THE LCRA LAKE LEVELS FORECASTS, UH, WE CAN SEE THE DIFFERENT TRIGGER POINTS FOR OUR THREE STAGE DROUGHT RESTRICTIONS.
UH, WE WILL BE CONTINUING TO TRACK INFLOWS AND COMBINED STORAGE TO DETERMINE IF WE NEED TO ENTER THOSE RESTRICTIONS IN THE FALL.
UM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, ANY QUESTIONS FOLKS? I HAD A QUESTION.
UM, ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, CAN YOU JUST REMIND ME, UH, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF 2008 TO 2015? WHY THAT'S THE PERIOD OF RECORD WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR AN AVERAGE I'LL JUMP IN, UH, THAT, UH, 2008 THROUGH 2015 OR, UH, SOME DATES THAT WE'LL USE TO REFERENCE THE LAST, UH, DROUGHT THAT WE EXPERIENCED HERE WITHIN THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER BASIN, WHEREAS 1942 TO PRESENT, UM, IS THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF RECORD IN THE BASIN.
SO JAY, THIS IS ROBERT, JUST A COMMENT.
IT'S INTERESTING THAT WITH ALL THE RAIN THAT WE'VE HAD, THERE HASN'T BEEN A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF RUNOFF INTO THE RESERVOIRS.
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AN INTERESTING OUTCOME LOOKING AT THIS, THIS GRAPH.WELL, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHAT CONTINUES TO BE THOUGHTS OR, YOU KNOW, ABOUT THE RAINFALL RUNOFF RELATIONSHIP THAT WE'RE USED TO SEEING IN THE HIGHLAND LAKES AND IF IT'S CHANGING OVER TIME AND WHAT THAT, WHAT THAT MEANS.
UM, I'VE, I'VE SEEN ACCOUNTS BOTH WAYS THAT THERE IS THAT THERE IS A CHANGING RELATIONSHIP AND THAT OVERALL IT'S STILL THE SAME.
SO I THINK IF WE NEED MORE DATA, BUT IT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT I'VE NOTICED AS WELL.
AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE REGIONAL WATER PLANNING GROUP TOO.
ANY MORE COMMENTS ON THIS ONE? IF NOT, WE'LL KEEP MOVING ON.
[2.b. Water Forward 2018 Implementation Progress]
AGENDA ITEM TWO B, WHICH IS WATERFORD 2018 IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS, BUT I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT ONE THING ON THE AGENDA AND MAYBE WE CAN CHANGE THIS FOR NEXT TIME.AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S CONFUSING TO FOLKS.
SO TWO B AND TWO E I THINK WILL BE KIND OF EVERGREEN TOPICS.
SO WHAT ARE FOR 2018 IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS? THAT IS THE, OUR CURRENT PLAN THAT WE ARE UNDER THE WATERFORD PLAN.
UM, E IS WATERFORD UPDATE BRIEFING.
I THINK WE SHOULD SAY WATERFORD 20, 23 OR SOMETHING, BUT JUST, JUST TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THOSE TWO, I GOT A QUESTION ABOUT HOW THEY WERE DIFFERENT, UM, FOR FOLKS JUST, UH, FOR THE, THE ODD PERSON WHO LIKES TO GO AND LOOK AT ARE THESE AGENDAS AND THINK ABOUT THE TOPIC.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE CLEAR TO FOLKS THAT THERE, THAT THERE ONE IS THE CURRENT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS THE UPDATE, WHICH WE ARE REFERRING TO AT THIS POINT AS WATERFALL AT 2023.
AND WE'LL WORK TO MAKE THAT CLEAR IN FUTURE AGENDAS.
I THINK WE TALK ABOUT IT THAT WAY WHEN WE PLAN THE AGENDA, IT JUST DIDN'T COME OUT THAT WAY, WHICH IS FINE.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE, YOU KNOW, SINCE PEOPLE MAY BE WATCHING OR WONDERING WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS, ABSOLUTELY.
I, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO THIS ITEM IS TO DISCUSS THE IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS OF WATER FOR 2018.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, UPDATED OUR QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT TO COVER THE PERIOD OF APRIL, MAY, JUNE, 2021.
WE ARE SEEKING TO UPDATE THIS REPORT FOR EACH ONE OF THESE TASK FORCE MEETINGS WHILE THAT DOESN'T EXACTLY ALIGN WITH THE QUARTERLY TIMESTAMP.
UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO TRY TO USE THIS FORMAT, UH, FOR EACH OF THE TASK FORCE MEETINGS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE KIND OF CONSISTENCY IN HOW WE'RE PRESENTING THE INFORMATION OVER.
WE WOULD LIKE FEEDBACK ON WHETHER THAT'S THE MOST USEFUL OR HELPFUL AND MEANINGFUL WAY TO PRESENT THIS INFORMATION.
UM, IT'S A LOT OF INFORMATION ON ONE SLIDE, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE THINK IT'S A FAIRLY GOOD FORMAT, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS MEANINGFUL TO YOU.
UM, I CAN GO AHEAD AND RUN THROUGH JUST SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS HERE IN TERMS OF QUARTER THREE PROGRESS.
SO IN WATERFORD 2023, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A SEPARATE ITEM TO COVER THIS TOPIC.
SO I'LL STAY FAIRLY HIGH LEVEL, BUT IN OUR LAST QUARTER WE PRESENTED THE DRAFT WATER FORD PLAN UPDATE SCOPE TO THE TASK FORCE.
WE BEGAN TARGETED CONSULTANT PROCUREMENT FOR SPECIFIC TASKS, INCLUDING GERD, CLIMATE, AND HYDROLOGY ANALYSIS.
AND THEN WE CONTINUED PRE-PLANNING AND TECHNICAL WORK TO SUPPORT THE PLAN UPDATE.
UM, THIS INCLUDES, UH, PLANNING IN TERMS OF THE SCOPE DEVELOPMENT, UH, FOR THE PLAN AS WELL AS, UM, UH, TECHNICAL WORK THAT, UM, INCLUDES UPDATES TO OUR DESEGREGATED DEMAND MODEL.
AND THAT ALIGNS WITH UPDATES TO THAT DEMAND FORECASTING THAT WE PERFORM INTERNAL AGENTS AS PART OF OUR KIND OF DAY TO DAY BUSINESS FOR PROTECTING OUR CORE COLORADO RIVER SUPPLIES.
THE KEY ITEM HERE IS THAT, UM, UH, WE REVIEWED AND WE PROVIDED AND PUT INTO THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, UH, 20, 22 STATE WATER PLAN.
UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, AUSTIN WATER IS AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN THE REGIONAL WATER PLANNING PROCESS.
AND WE WERE EXCITED TO HEAR THAT TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD HAS ADOPTED, UH, THAT 20, 22 STATE WATER PLAN.
WE CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE REGIONAL WATER PLANNING PROCESS AS THAT MOAT, UH, FORWARD IT THROUGH CONSULTANTS SELECTION AND INTO FUTURE PHASES OF THE PLANNING PROCESS.
I'LL ASK YOU A QUESTION ABOUT THE REGIONAL WATER PLAN REAL QUICK.
UM, CAUSE I NEED TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THIS MYSELF BECAUSE MY ORGANIZATION ALSO SUBMITTED COMMENTS ON THIS, BUT, UH, DID YOU GET RESPONSE TO COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? HAVE Y'ALL GONE BACK AND CHECKED THEM OR ARE YOUR, OR MAYBE YOU COULD SHARE AUSTIN'S COMMENTS WITH THE TASK FORCE AFTER THE MEETING? SURE.
I THINK IT'S JUST INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THE STATE AGENCY
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IS RESPONDING TO THE COMMENTS THAT ARE SUBMITTED.AND I KNOW A LOT OF DIFFERENT FOLKS FROM ALL STRIPES SUBMITTED COMMENTS ON THE STATE WATER PLAN.
UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS SO FAR? OKAY.
I LIKE, UM, JUST TO COMMENT, I LIKE THE F THE FORMAT.
UM, SO I HAVE MY ENDORSEMENT ON THIS, THIS APPROACH.
I APPRECIATE THE FEEDBACK FOR SURE.
UM, ON THE CONSERVATION FRONT, OUR, MY APX WATER, UH, TEAM, UH, ARE MY ATX WATER TEAM, UM, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE CALLING OUR ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT HAS PERFORMED PRE-INSTALL FIELD SURVEYS AND WE'VE GOT CONTINUED METER INSTALLATIONS OF APPROXIMATELY 2200 ADDITIONAL METERS DURING THIS QUARTER.
THAT BRINGS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF METERS INSTALLED TO AROUND, UH, 7,550 METERS.
AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PERFORM THOSE INSTALLS MOVING FORWARD.
HOWEVER, CUSTOMER PORTAL IS ALSO LIVE AND WE'RE AT APPROXIMATELY A 50% ADOPTION RATE FOR CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED THEIR NEW METERS.
SO AFTER THE NEW METER IS INSTALLED, ABOUT 50% OF CUSTOMERS ARE TAKING US UP ON JOINING THAT CUSTOMER PORTAL THUS FAR, WE ACTUALLY, WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO, BUT, UM, WE ANTICIPATE THAT THAT PROJECT WILL BE COMPLETED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS.
UM, LIKE WITH MY FYI TWENTY-FIVE, UM, UH, IN THE LAST QUARTER, OUR ONSITE WATER REUSE SYSTEMS TEAM, WHICH FEEDS COUNCIL AUTHORIZATION FOR THE PILOT INCENTIVE PROGRAM, WHICH MANY OF Y'ALL ARE ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH AND THEY CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT THE COUNCIL, ADOPTED ONSITE WATER REUSE SYSTEM ORDINANCE FOR VOLUNTARY ONSITE WATER REUSE SYSTEM APPLICATIONS.
AND IN THE FUTURE, UM, THAT TEAM WILL BE WORKING ON PERFORMING STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH TO EDUCATE THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY ON THAT ORDINANCE, AS WELL AS THE PILOT INCENTIVE PROGRAM AND REACHING OUT TO DEVELOPERS TO MAKE THEM AWARE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, UH, ON THE CENTRALIZED AND DECENTRALIZED RECLAIM FRONT.
AND AGAIN, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DECENTRALIZED RECLAIM WHERE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE BASICALLY SMALL WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS, A LITTLE BIT LARGER THAN AN ONSITE APPLICATION, THAT'S REALLY SERVING A NEIGHBORHOOD OR, YOU KNOW, A PORTION OF OUR COMMUNITY AUSTIN WATER IS CONTINUING TO WORK TO IMPLEMENT OUR 2013 COMPLETING THE CORE PLAN TO CREATE A RECLAIM LOOP THROUGH DOWNTOWN AND EAST AUSTIN.
AND WE ARE ALSO CONTINUING TO UPDATE THE CENTRALIZED RECLAIM MASTER PLAN.
UM, OUR FOLKS ARE CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THESE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, PERFORM DEVELOPMENT REVIEW AND, AND, UM, ARE CONTINUING TO UPDATE THAT RECLAIM MASTER PLAN.
WE HOPE THAT, UM, WITHIN THIS FISCAL YEAR, BY THE EARLY, UH, PORTION OF FY 22, WE'RE ABLE TO COMPLETE, UM, THAT CENTRALIZED WEEKLY MASTER PLAN AND OUR FOLKS IN OUR INNOVATIVE WATER STRATEGIES GROUP ARE ALSO WORKING ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF DECENTRALIZED RECLAIMED PLANNING PRODUCTS TO SUPPORT HER IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECENTRALIZED WEEKLY STRATEGY.
I'VE GOT A QUICK QUESTION ON THE ONSITE WATER REUSE INCENTIVES, UM, HAVE Y'ALL GOTTEN ANY, UM, UPTAKE ON THOSE INCENTIVES YET, OR ARE YOU STILL IN THE, UH, KIND OF MARKETING STAGE? I BELIEVE THAT WE'RE STILL IN THE MARKETING STAGE.
UM, AND I DON'T THINK THAT WE'VE GOTTEN MANY TAKERS YET.
THAT'S GOING TO BE A PART OF OUR OUTREACH, UH, TO TRY AND GET SOME TAKERS FOR THAT INCENTIVE PROGRAM.
IN TERMS OF DROUGHT SUPPLIES ON THE ASR PILOT AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PROGRESS, UH, PROJECT, UM, QUARTER THREE PROGRESS INCLUDED TEAM CHARTERING, DATA GATHERING AND INITIAL TECHNICAL AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLANNING WORK.
UM, WE ARE PLANNING IN THIS NEXT QUARTER TO CONTINUE WORK ON ASR STORAGE ZONE AND INTEGRATION POINT ANALYSIS, UM, INTEGRATION POINT IN TERMS OF HOW THIS PROJECT WOULD INTEGRATE INTO OUR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM.
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE WORKING TO, UM, COMPLETE OUR EQUITY AND AFFORDABILITY RESEARCH EFFORT.
THIS IS THE INITIAL RESEARCH THAT WE'LL BE UTILIZING TO DEVELOP OUR EQUITY AND AFFORDABILITY ROADMAP, AND WE'LL BE CONTINUING TO DEVELOP OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION PLAN, WHICH WILL ALSO BE INFORMED BY OUR EQUITY AND AFFORDABILITY ROADMAP.
UH, A LOT OF WORK IS HAPPENING THERE, UM, AND, UH, IT'S PRETTY EXCITING PROJECT AND I'LL BE EXCITED TO WHEN THEY'RE READY TO SHARE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT PROJECT AS IT PROGRESSES.
UM, UM, I'LL PAUSE RIGHT HERE.
DOES HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE INFORMATION IN THE REPORT? OKAY.
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NOPE, NO QUESTIONS.I WOULD JUST SAY, UM, AROUND THIS PARTICULAR REPORT, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE VALUE WE THINK THIS HAS, UM, WE SHARE THIS REPORT ON A QUARTERLY BASIS WITH THE AUSTIN WATER OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
SO A WALK, WHICH IS A COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL MEMBERS.
SO FOR THOSE TASK FORCE MEMBERS THAT DO HAVE REGULAR ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUR, UM, THE COUNCIL OFFICE THAT, UH, APPOINTED YOU, I THINK THIS IS A REALLY GOOD FORMAT AND IT SHOULD HELP KIND OF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF KEEP SOME COMMON COMMUNICATION ABOUT PROGRESS.
SO WE'RE ALWAYS OPEN FOR SUGGESTIONS ABOUT FORMAT CHANGES.
UM, SO IF YOU HEAR ANYTHING, LET US KNOW.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO HELP, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CONTINUE THE MESSAGE ON KIND OF WHERE WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS, ET CETERA.
SO JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT PLUG.
AND SO FOLKS LIKE, SO, SO WHEN WE GO IN AND TALK TO, OR LIKE THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE APPOINTED US AS COMMITTEE, THEN WE, YOU KNOW, HAVE THIS HANDY SHEET THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHERE THINGS ARE AND THAT'S VERY, VERY HELPFUL.
UH, ANY MORE ITEMS ON ANY MORE COMMENTS ON THAT ITEM TO BE? OKAY.
SO I SEE THAT CHARLENE'S HERE NOW.
CHARLENE, DO YOU WANT TO TAKE OVER CHAIRING THE MEETING OR YOU THINK YOU'RE MUTED IN ERROR? SORRY ABOUT THAT.
UM, YEAH, I'M, I'M HAPPY TO JENNIFER.
THANKS FOR GETTING IT STARTED.
[2.c. Water Conservation Program Overview]
WE'RE MOVING ON TO TUSI WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM OVERVIEW.WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO PICK THAT ACTUALLY, WE HAVE A PRESENTER FOR THIS ITEM NOW, KEVIN,
HE'S THE NEW DIVISION MANAGER FOR OUR WATER CONSERVATION DIVISION.
AND I THINK KEVIN CRITTENDON MAY ALSO WANT TO SHARE A FEW WORDS IN INTRODUCING KEVIN COOGEE.
SO REALLY I WON'T TAKE A LOT OF TIME.
I KNOW A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, MR. CLOGGY, WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE KEVIN JOIN US.
GOSH, KEVIN, I'LL PROBABLY GET THIS WRONG, BUT, UM, A LIFETIME AGO IT'S DURING THE PANDEMIC, BUT CERTAINLY FOR FOUR MONTHS NOW, KEVIN, MY PRETTY CLOSE.
UM, ANYWAY, KEVIN JOINS US FROM THE WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD.
HE SPENT 20 YEARS THERE, UM, AS THE, UM, IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ROLES IN WATER CONSERVATION, WATER PLANNING.
UM, SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE HIM JOIN OUR TEAM AS LEADER FOR OUR WATER CONSERVATION DIVISION.
UM, AND JUST, UH, GLAD TO NOW HAVE THE, KIND OF HAVE THIS FORMAL OPPORTUNITY FOR HIM TO PRESENT THAT HE'S HAD A FEW MONTHS HERE TO KIND OF GET ACQUAINTED WITH OUR WATER CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES.
AND HE'S REALLY JUST GOING TO KIND OF TALK YOU THROUGH KIND OF, UM, OUR WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM AND HIS INITIAL, UM, UH, INSIGHTS INTO THAT.
SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO KEVIN.
THANK YOU, KEVIN, THAT NOON TASK TASKFORCE MEMBERS AS, AS BOTH KEVIN AND MERISSA MENTIONED KEVIN
I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY TO TELL YOU ABOUT WHAT THE DIVISION IS WORKING ON.
THE NEXT SLIDE, BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE PRESENTATION.
JUST REALLY QUICKLY TALK ABOUT THE DIVISION OF THE REVIEW.
TALK ABOUT WHAT CONSERVATION PROGRAMS WE ARE CURRENTLY UNDERTAKING THE ACTIVITIES OF THOSE PROGRAMS, AND THEN LOOKING FORWARD.
THE CONSERVATION DIVISION IS MADE UP OF ABOUT 20 STAFF MEMBERS IN THREE TEAMS. THE FIRST TEAM, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM, A MY WORK WITH CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE OUTREACH AND THE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS OR THE REBATE PROGRAMS. THE RESEARCH AND PLANNING TEAM IS A SMALL TEAM MADE UP OF JUST A COUPLE OF STAFF MEMBERS.
THEY TAKE THE DATA FROM THE VARIOUS PROGRAMS, ANALYZE IT, AND THEN SUBMIT IT IN REQUIRED REPORTS TO THE STATE OR TO LCRA.
AND THE THIRD TEAM THAT WE HAVE IN FORCEMENT COMPLIANCE TEAM MADE UP OF ABOUT EIGHT STAFF MEMBERS.
AND THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT DO THE WATERING AND WATER WASTE PATROLS AROUND THE CITY.
AND, UH, THEY MONITOR THE THREE COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS THAT I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A MOMENT, JUST A QUICK NOTE.
UM, MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW THIS, BUT THERE ARE OTHER STAFF MEMBERS IN AUSTIN WATER THAT ARE PURSUING CONSERVATION RELATED PROGRAMS. AS MAURICE I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE AMI IMPLEMENTATION
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AND THE WATER LOSS MITIGATION EFFORTS ARE BEING UNDERTAKEN BY THE OPERATIONS GROUP.THE, UM, THE RECLAIMED WATER IS BEING UNDERTAKEN BY THE ENGINEERING GROUP AND THE ONSITE WATER REUSE SYSTEMS HAS BEEN UNDERTAKEN BY THE UTILITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES ITSELF.
A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON, WE DON'T HAVE ALL OF THESE THINGS IN OUR VOLUME.
NEXT SLIDE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS CAN REALLY BE BROKEN UP INTO FOUR MAIN AREAS, CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE, INCENTIVES, WATER ENFORCEMENT, AND PROGRAM COMPLIANCE.
NEXT SLIDE CUSTOMER SYSTEMS IS REALLY THE BEDROCK OF ANY CONSERVATION PROGRAM ACROSS THE STATE, ACROSS THE NATION.
AND WE WANTED TO HELP US TONIGHT SAVE WATER AND WE CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT.
SO TO THAT END, IT'S AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF EVERYTHING THAT WE DO.
TAKE QUESTIONS AND CALLS, EMAILS.
WE PROVIDE SOME MATERIALS SUCH AS CURATORS OR SHOWER HEADS.
WE UNDERTAKE IRRIGATION AUDITS FOR HIGH WATER USE CUSTOMERS.
AND IN COOPERATION WITH THE CITY'S HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT, WE CONTRIBUTE TO THE GO REPAIR PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES FUNDING FOR LOW-INCOME CUSTOMERS FOR PLUMBING REPAIR.
NEXT SLIDE, THE SECOND TYPE OF PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE INCLUDES INCENTIVES OR REBATES OR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS OR RESIDENTIAL REBATES CAN REALLY BE BROKEN UP INTO TWO AREAS, ONES THAT SAVE WATER OUTDOORS, WHETHER THAT'S THROUGH LANDSCAPING OR POOLS.
AND THEN A SECOND GROUP IS JUST MORE OF A GRAB BAG OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, BUT ALSO INCLUDE ALTERNATIVE SUPPLIES FOR LANDSCAPES, SUCH AS RAINWATER, HARVESTING, AND GRAY WATER REUSE IN OUR LAUNDRY TO LANDSCAPE PROGRAM.
THERE IS A PILOT PROGRAM THAT WAS JUST COMPLETED IN JUNE WITH HOME WATER USE MONITORING DEVICE.
MOST PEOPLE KNOW THEM AS FLUMES DEVICES, WHICH IS OFTEN USED, AND THAT WAS JUST RECENTLY WRAPPED UP IN JUNE.
SO WE'LL BE ANALYZING WHAT THE SAVINGS WERE AND WHAT'S THE INTEREST WAS AND HOW PEOPLE FELT ABOUT THESE DEVICES AND PUTTING THAT INTO A REPORT, EXPLAIN, OKAY, OUR COMMERCIAL INCENTIVES ARE SIMILAR, REALLY BROKEN UP INTO OUTDOOR WATER USE AND THEN INDOOR OR KIND OF WHOLE OFFICE WATER USE THAT LAST BULLET.
THERE IS INCENTIVE PROGRAM THAT RESA MENTIONED EARLIER REGARDING REGARDING ONSITE WATER REUSE, UTILITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, REALLY TAKING CARE OF THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THAT, BUT WE'RE INVOLVED IN OFFERING THE MONEY.
THE THIRD CATEGORY FOR WATER PROGRAMS THAT I MENTIONED IS THE WATERING AND WATERWAYS TO ENFORCEMENT.
AS YOU ALL KNOW, LANDSCAPE WATERING RESTRICTIONS WELL FOR ONE DAY OF AUTOMATED IRRIGATION PER WEEK, AND THEN A SECOND DAY FOR AN WATER OR HOSE WATERING.
RATHER NOW THAT WAS, I BELIEVE FIRST INSTITUTED BACK IN 2012 DURING THE BIG DROUGHT AND BECAME YEAR ROUND BACK IN 2016, WHICH FIVE YEARS AGO.
SO A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE MOVED INTO AUSTIN IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND THAT MEMORY OF DROUGHT, YOU KNOW, IT IS REASONABLE TO EXPECT THAT THAT'S FADED OVER TIME.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT CONSERVATION STAFF ARE ABLE TO GET OUT THERE AND REMIND CUSTOMERS WHEN THEIR DESIGNATED WATER AND DATE IS STAFF PATROL AND VEHICLES IN THE EARLY MORNING AT NIGHT, MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
AND OCCASIONALLY ON WEEKENDS, IF WE GET A CALL ABOUT SOMETHING THAT WE NEEDED TO CHECK OUT, EXPLAIN, AND THE FINAL OF THE FOUR DIFFERENT AREAS OF CONSERVATION PROGRAMS ARE WHAT I DESCRIBED AS PROGRAM COMPLIANCE MONITORING IN AUSTIN.
WE HAVE THREE CONSERVATION RELATED COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS WHICH REQUIRE ENTITIES TO ADJUST THEIR SYSTEMS TO SAVE WATER.
THE FIRST ONE IS CARWASH EFFICIENCY PROGRAM IN WHICH ANNUALLY COMMERCIAL CAR WASHES ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE AN INSPECTION CONDUCTED BY A LICENSED PLUMBER.
AND THAT NEEDS TO BE TURNED INTO THE CONSERVATION DIVISION ANNUALLY.
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SECOND ONE IS COMMERCIAL IRRIGATION.THESE ARE FOR COMMERCIAL ENTITIES AND MULTIFAMILY ENTITIES.
THEY NEED TO HAVE THEIR IRRIGATION SYSTEM ASSESSED EVERY OTHER YEAR AND TURN THAT INTO THE CONSERVATION DIVISION.
AND THEN FINALLY COOLING TOWER EFFICIENCY PROGRAM IS REALLY THE MOST RECENT ONE THAT WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL BACK IN DECEMBER OF 2020 IN WHICH COOLING TOWERS WHICH WERE CONSTRUCTED OR, OR HAD BEEN REPLACED AFTER 2008 NEED TO HAVE AN ANNUAL INSPECTION.
AND THAT MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE WATER CONSERVATION DIVISION.
WELL, WE HAVE FOUR TYPES OF, UH, CONSERVATION PROGRAMS. I MENTIONED, UM, ENFORCEMENT CUSTOMER OUTREACH INCENTIVES, AND FINALLY THOSE COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS. AND I WANTED TO SPEND A FEW MOMENTS TALKING ABOUT HOW WE'VE BEEN DOING OVER THE LAST YEAR, AND I'M NOT GOING TO CLIFFHANGER SINCE THE SLIDES ARE ALREADY UP.
SO THE SUMMARY IS THERE RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING IN SUMMARY, YOU KNOW, OUTREACH ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN REALLY CHALLENGING, NOT JUST FOR THE CONSERVATION PROGRAM, BUT IT'S BEEN CHALLENGING FOR EVERYONE IS LAST YEAR WITH SCHOOLS BEING ONLINE AND OTHER EVENTS BEING CANCELED, INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. I MENTIONED THAT THOSE REBATE PROGRAMS, I WOULD SAY ARE HOLDING STEADY.
SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN DECLINING FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS AND WE'VE BEEN KEEPING AN EYE ON THOSE ALSO.
AND THEN FINALLY, IN SUMMARY, WHAT ARE THE RECENT ACTIVITIES THAT SAY THOSE MANDATORY PROGRAMS, SUCH AS CARWASH AS COOLING TOWERS, COMMERCIAL IRRIGATION, CONTINUE TO REQUIRE MONITORING AND TO BE EFFECTIVE.
SO NEXT SLIDE, JUST SOME SNAPSHOTS ON THESE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND HOW THEY'RE BEING UTILIZED.
THESE BAR CHARTS, THESE, THESE BARS RATHER SHOW DIFFERENT FISCAL YEARS.
AND HOW MANY OF THESE APPLICATIONS WE'VE RECEIVED FOR THESE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS TO NOTE THAT FISCAL YEAR 21, THE BROWN BAR ON THE RIGHT THERE, THAT'S A YEAR TO DATE.
SO WE STILL HAVE TWO AND A HALF MONTHS OF WHAT ARE TYPICALLY HOT AND DRY TIMES OF THE YEAR.
SO THOSE COUNTS MAY STILL GO UP, UM, FOR THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, THE PROGRAMS MOST APPLIED TO, UH, CERTAINLY ON THAT FAR LEFT, YOU SAW THE HOME WATER USE MONITORING DEVICE THAT WAS A PILOT AND JUST ENDED, BUT GOING A LITTLE FURTHER OVER TO THE RIGHT IRRIGATION ITEMS ARE STILL VERY POPULAR.
I EXPECT THAT BAR WILL PROBABLY BE UP TO 200 AUDITS BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
AND THEN RAINWATER HARVEST TEAM IS STILL A VERY POPULAR PROGRAM.
SOME OF THE LESS REUSE PROGRAMS INCLUDE IRRIGATION UPGRADES AND WATER-WISE LANDSCAPING.
HEY KEVIN, DO YOU KNOW, DO YOU KNOW WHY IN FYI 18, THERE WAS SO MANY MORE, ALMOST THREE TIMES AS MANY RAINWATER HARVESTING.
I DO NOT KNOW OFFHAND WHY THERE IS SUCH A SPIKE.
WHERE, WHERE ARE YOU DUDE? YOU WEREN'T THERE YET.
JUST, JUST CURIOUS IF THERE WAS LIKE MAYBE MORE ACTIVE, UH, ADVERTISEMENT OF THE PROGRAM OR IT'S JUST INTERESTING.
DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA ON MUTE? YEAH, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THE SPECIFIC ANSWER THAT THAT WAS TECHNICALLY BEFORE MY TIME IN THIS ROLE.
I MEAN, WE KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, RAINWATER HARVESTING RAIN BARREL PROGRAM IS A POPULAR PROGRAM.
MY GUESS IS IT MAY HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF REPRESENTATION OF PENT UP DEMAND AND INTEREST.
UM, BUT WE CERTAINLY DO SOME, A LITTLE MORE RESEARCH AND MAYBE OTHERS THAT ARE AROUND THEM MAY HAVE A, UH, A LITTLE BIT BETTER PERSPECTIVE ON, ON WHY WE SAW SUCH A HIGH INTEREST BACK IN 2018.
AND AT SOME POINT WE SWITCHED FROM SIMPLY GIVING OUT RAIN BARRELS TO HAVING A REBATE PROGRAM.
UM, WE'LL CERTAINLY INVESTIGATE, BUT THAT MAY HAVE BEEN WHERE WE SWITCHED FROM GIVING OUT THE RAIN BARRELS 350 RAIN BARRELS TO JUST DOING THE REBATES.
COMMERCIAL INCENTIVES, UM, CLEARLY COMMERCIAL INCENTIVES WERE NOT, UH, VERY WELL UTILIZED FOR THE LAST FISCAL YEAR.
I BELIEVE ACTUALLY, SINCE THIS
[00:30:01]
CHART WAS CREATED, WE'VE HAD THREE APPLICATIONS CAME IN, COME IN RATHER, BUT YOU SEE IT, THERE'S NOT BEEN A LOT OF INTEREST IN COMMERCIAL INCENTIVES OR THE LAST YEAR, THE SPIKE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF 54 IS REALLY KIND OF AN ANOMALY IS, UM, CASE WHERE AUSTIN ISD HAD BOND MONEY, UM, LIKE IMAGINE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MOCK BOND MONEY.AND THEY PARTNERED WITH SOME OF OUR PROGRAMS TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR FACILITIES.
SO CHALLENGES STILL TO WORK ON FOR COMMERCIAL INCENTIVES.
UM, DO YOU ALL HAVE A STAFF PERSON THAT SPECIFICALLY WORKS ON COMMERCIAL, LIKE MAKING CONNECTIONS WITH COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS AND OR, WELL, HOW DO YOU ALL APPROACH THAT? MAYBE THAT'S A BETTER QUESTION.
WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF STAFF MEMBERS, SOME OF THEM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THEM KIND OF DEALS MORE WITH THAT, THE COOLING TOWER ASPECTS, UM, MARK JORDAN, IT'S REALLY BEEN KIND OF BUGGING IN WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN THE PAST TO TRY AND TO GET THOSE, UM, PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT THOSE OPENINGS, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL HAVE TO DEVELOP.
UM, MARK JORDAN WON'T BE NECESSARILY AROUND FOREVER, BUT, UM, SO I HAVE TO WORK ON THOSE.
I GUESS IT'S ALMOST LIKE THE CURRENT, THE NEW COMMERCIAL, UM, THE, UH, COOLING TOWER REQUIREMENTS MIGHT ACTUALLY BE AN END ROADS AND TO TALKING WITH MORE COMMERCIAL FACILITIES ABOUT THEIR, UM, YOU KNOW, ABOUT THESE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCENTIVES AND, AND OTHER THINGS TOO.
AS THINGS OPEN UP MORE ORGANIZATIONS GET TOGETHER, UM, PARTIAL PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, MORE RESTAURANTS RECOVER, UM, THAT THEY'RE OPEN.
THERE WOULD BE MORE INTEREST IN COMMITTING TO SOME OF THESE WATER SAVING ACTIVITIES.
I'D MENTIONED THAT WE HAVE STAFF PATROLLING AROUND IN CARS OR WATERING ON THE WRONG DAY OR WATER WASTE TEAM LEAKS.
WHAT HAVE YOU? THE BLUE BARS ILLUSTRATE THE NUMBER OF WITNESS VIOLATIONS THAT OUR FOLKS WRITE UP.
THESE ARE WHEN THEY'RE DRIVING AROUND IN THE CARS AND THEY SEE WAR SPRINKLERS GOING OFF AT THE WRONG TIME.
YOU KNOW, THEY WRITE THAT UP AND SEND FOLKS A WARNING, THE ORANGE BARS OR 3, 1, 1 CALLS PEOPLE CALLING IN SAYING THEY SEE IRRIGATION ON THE WRONG DAY OR WATER LEAKS.
WHAT HAVE YOU THERE'S THAT? TROUGHED STARTING IN OCTOBER IN THE WINTER AND THEN PICKING UP, BACK UP IN THE SUMMER.
OF COURSE, FEBRUARY, YOU KNOW, ALL BETS WERE OFF THAT SPIKE AND WINTER STORM YURI WITH ALL KINDS OF CALLS COMING IN REGARDING NOT SPRINKLERS NECESSARILY AT THAT TIME, BUT POTENTIAL WEEKS AS WELL AS POSSIBLY IN SOME CASES, CARWASH IS OPERATING WHEN THEY WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE YOU NEXT SLIDE.
AND THEN FINALLY, A PROGRAM COMPLIANCE, MONITORING COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS I'VE MENTIONED BEFORE THE COMMERCIAL IRRIGATION CARWASH COOLING TOWER EFFICIENCIES.
THOSE ARE GENERALLY WELL COMPLIED WITH, IN TERMS OF THE COMMERCIAL IRRIGATION ASSESSMENTS.
95% OF THE ENTITIES ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THEIR REPORTS, THE CARWASH AS AN 86% COMPLIANCE RATE IN CRAWLING TOWER'S 79% COMPLIANCE RATE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN MAGICALLY.
IT DOES TAKE A LOT OF FOLLOW-UP FROM STAFF TO GET THOSE REPORTS IN YOU SLIDE.
DO YOU WANT ME TO SWITCH GEARS A LITTLE BIT HERE IN THE SCANNER? IT'S OVERLAPS A BIT WITH WHAT MERISSA DISCUSSED JUST A BIT AGO REGARDING WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IN TERMS OF WATER FORWARD.
YOU'VE SEEN THIS, THIS CRAFT BEFORE SHOWING THE DIFFERENT DEMAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN THE WATER PORT 28 PLAN.
PRIMARILY WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE D THREE D SEVEN T3, LET ME SAY COMMERCIAL INSTITUTION, INSTITUTIONAL INDUSTRIAL ORDINANCES, UH, THESE SEVEN IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY INCENTIVES AND
[00:35:01]
THE RAINWATER HARVESTING DOWN IN D NINE.NEXT SLIDE, AND BUILD ON THAT A LITTLE BIT SINCE THE 2018 FORD PLAN WE'VE INCREASED THE REBATE AMOUNTS FOR THE RESIDENTIAL MULTI-FAMILY INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. WE ADDED A FEW NEW PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THE GRAY WATER REUSE PROGRAM OR FULL CARTRIDGE FILTER AT HOME WATER, USE MONITORING DEVICE, COMMERCIAL INSTITUTIONAL.
AGAIN, WE'VE INCREASED THE INCENTIVE AMOUNTS AND EXPANDED SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS A BIT.
AND THEN IN TERMS OF ORDINANCES, AS I MENTIONED, THOSE, THE COOLING TOWER PROGRAM WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL BACK IN DECEMBER OF 2020.
FINALLY, LOOKING FORWARD, WE CONTINUE TO REVIEW THE PROGRAMS AND THE SAVINGS AS YOU SAW.
WE HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO REGULARLY LOOK AT THOSE PROGRAMS TO SEE WHICH ONES ARE CREATING SAVINGS, WHICH ONES ARE BEING APPLIED FOR AND CONSIDER, YOU KNOW, IF WE NEED TO BE SHIFTING OR ADDING NEW PROGRAMS, AMI COORDINATION, AS WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, THE AUTOMATIC AUTOMATED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE, THE, MY ATX WATER IS BEING INSTALLED.
SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO PLUG IN WITH THAT IMPLEMENTATION AS IT'S BEING DEVELOPED AND SEEING HOW WE CAN USE THAT DATA OR CONSERVATION PROGRAMS COMING FORWARD, ONSITE WATER REUSE SYSTEMS, WE'RE INVOLVED WITH THE UTILITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES STAFF IN TERMS OF OFFERING INCENTIVES AND OUTREACH AND IMPROVE THE IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY INCENTIVES IN LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION, ORDINANCES.
THAT'S REALLY SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING ON OR THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR, WE'RE TALKING TO STAKEHOLDERS TAKING THE VARIOUS COMMISSIONS TASK FORCE OF COURSE, ABOUT HOW TO CRAFT AN ORDINANCE IN PARTICULAR AND MIX LAST LANE.
IN CLOSING THE CONSERVATION DIVISION, AS I MENTIONED, HAS A WIDE RANGE WIDE RANGE OF DIFFERENT TOOLS, WHETHER THAT'S JUST CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE, INCENTIVES, ENFORCEMENT, OR COMPLIANCE WITH THESE WATER EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS. SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT THESE TOOLS AND LOOKING WHAT CAN BE DONE TO GET AUSTIN TO A NEW LEVEL OF WATER EFFICIENCY.
AND WITH THAT, THAT'S IT, UH, BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, I'M SURE THERE'S QUESTIONS, UM, THAT PEOPLE HAVE.
COULD I JUST START BY ASKING IF, IF YOU ALL COULD REMIND US OF HOW OUR GALLONS PER DAY, UM, IS ACTUALLY TRENDING AGAINST WHAT HAD BEEN PROJECTED FROM 2018 IN OUR PLAN, OR ARE WE DOING WELL AGAINST IT OR ARE WE FALLING BEHIND? WELL, LAST YEAR IT WAS, UM, TWO YEARS AGO IT HAD GONE DOWN TO ONE 20 AND THAT WAS A BIG, A VERY CELEBRATED MOMENT.
THAT WAS, THAT WAS A GREAT, UM, GREAT ACHIEVEMENT.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY THE FOLLOWING YEAR, LAST YEAR, IT WAS A DRIER YEAR AND BUMPED BACK UP TO 1 27.
UM, AND I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT IT'LL END UP BEING THIS YEAR, BARRING THE, THE WINTER STORM.
I'M NOT SURE WHEN A STORM URI WOULD AFFECT THAT WILL HAVE ON OUR GPCD.
UM, BUT I COULD IMAGINE IT WOULD AGAIN BE A LOWER GPC JUST TO GET ALL THE RAIN WE'VE HAD, UH, RECENTLY, UM, THE CALL, UH, FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023 IS ONE 19.
SO WE NEED TO BE TRENDING DOWN TOWARDS THAT WAY FOR OUR TOTAL GPC LABOR.
WHO HAS QUESTIONS FOR KEVIN? I DO JUMP ON IN BILL.
UM, I READ AN ARTICLE THE OTHER DAY THAT OUR LAST WATER WATER DEPARTMENT AS REVERTED TO A 12 YEAR HIGH BASED ON THE APRIL CONSERVATION REPORT, THAT THE CITY TURNS INTO THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD.
I DON'T KNOW THAT I WANT TO GET INTO THIS IN DEPTH TODAY, BUT I THINK IN THE FUTURE, WE SHOULD HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHY THAT LAST WATER NUMBER IS COMING UP.
AND THAT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF THE WINTER STORM.
[00:40:01]
UH, LOST WATER WILL REALLY BE HIGH THIS YEAR.SO, UH, WHATEVER WE'RE DOING, I THINK WE NEED TO TIGHTEN THINGS UP A BIT.
SO, UH, IN THE FUTURE, ONE OF OUR FUTURE MEETINGS, I'D LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT THAT.
SECONDLY, I WOULD THINK THAT WHEN THE SMART METER SYSTEM GETS IMPLEMENTED, AT LEAST PARTIALLY THAT THE DAYS OF DRIVING AROUND IN CARS, CHECKING FOR PEOPLE'S SPRINKLERS BEING ON OR OVER THAT YOU OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO PROGRAM THOSE METERS, TO SEND EMAILS TO PEOPLE'S HOUSES, OR GET A REPORT THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE WATERING AT THE WRONG TIME, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
SO IT MAY SAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME ANYWAYS.
YEAH, JENNIFER, BUT I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, KEVIN DESCRIBED HOW THE PROGRAMS ARE ORGANIZED.
WE HAD ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT THIS, I THINK IN A SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING, BUT THE WATER LOSS PROGRAM IS, IS A ANOTHER PROGRAM WITHIN THE CITY CENTER, OPERATIONS, WATER LOSS, AND AMI.
UM, ALTHOUGH I WOULD ASSUME AND PRESUME THAT THEY'RE ALL WORKING HAND IN HAND TOGETHER, BUT I DO THINK LIKE THAT ARTICLE AND JUST THE 12 YEARS OF WATER LOSS AUDITS AND STUFF, THAT THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD ASPIRE TO HAVING A FUTURE AGENDA AND LOOK AT IT IN THE CONTEXT OF WHAT ROLE DOES, UM, ADDRESSING WATER LOSS, PLAY IN THE WATER FORD, UH, WHAT ARE OUR GOALS AND HOW ARE WE MOVING TOWARDS GETTING THERE? UM, SO I GUESS THAT'S REALLY ALL ON THAT.
UM, AND THEN MY OTHER COMMENT IS KEVIN, THANK YOU A LOT FOR THIS, FOR THIS, UM, OVERVIEW.
UM, IN MY MIND, THE WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM HAS A BIG ROLE TO PLAY IN A LOT OF THESE KINDS OF BP SAVINGS THAT WE HAVE LAID OUT IN THE PLAN.
SO, UM, I HOPE TO, YOU KNOW, KEEP THE DIALOGUE UP AND HEAR A LOT FROM Y'ALL IN THE FUTURE AND HEAR HOW THIS LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION ORDINANCE AND THAT YOUR CATION EFFICIENCY AND SYMPTOMS ARE ROLLING OUT.
THOSE ARE SOME LIKE REALLY BIG SAVINGS TYPE ITEMS. I SEE THAT THEY'RE NOT REALLY, YOU KNOW, SLATED FOR SAVINGS UNTIL 2040.
UM, AND IT'S MORE LIKE THESE OTHER AMI AND UTILITY WATER LOSS ARE THE BIG ONES, WHICH ARE NOT DIRECTLY YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AGAIN.
UM, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S DEFINITELY STUFF IN THERE, BUT, UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD TO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THERE'S GOING TO BE ON THE, ON THE QUARTERLY UPDATES THAT MARISSA IS PROVIDING UPDATES ON THERE, BUT, UM, HOWEVER, THE TASK FORCE CAN SUPPORT YOU AS YOU DEVELOP YOUR LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM AND, UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO DO SO.
I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN MOVING THAT FORWARD BEFORE 2040.
I MEAN, I THINK IT WOULD BE A REALLY GREAT IDEA.
AND THEN I JUST HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION, I'M SORRY FOR MY THREE QUESTIONS HERE, BUT, UM, UM, THIS IS FROM A WHILE AGO, SO MAYBE THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
UM, BUT THIS IS HOW I REMEMBER IT, UM, THAT WE HAVE A PROGRAM IN AUSTIN THAT REQUIRES IT'S A STATE LAW.
UM, IT REQUIRES, UM, INSPECTIONS OF IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. UH, SO YOU OPEN IT, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A PLAN IT'S APPROVED YOU OPEN UP THE GROUND, YOU PUT THE LANES, YOU PUT THAT IRRITATION SYSTEM AND THEN THERE'S AN INSPECTION.
UM, THERE WAS AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM PUT IN ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY HOUSE.
UM, LAST WEEK THAT FROM START TO FINISH WAS BURIED AND UNDERGROUND AND LIKE LESS THAN SIX HOURS, UM, WHICH IS NOT THE PROCESS THAT I REMEMBER.
I DON'T KNOW IF THINGS HAVE CHANGED OR KIND OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, BECAUSE IF WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO USE THEM AND THAT'S, PEOPLE'S PREROGATIVE TO BE ABLE TO DO SO, BUT THEY ARE BIG WATER USERS, UM, AND THEY NEED TO BE EFFICIENT AND INSTALLED CORRECTLY AND OPERATED CORRECTLY.
UM, THIS ONE WAS ON A REALLY BIG SLOPE, HOMELESS SLOPING YARD.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO LOTS OF WATER RUNNING DOWN THE STREET ACROSS FROM MY HOUSE, BUT, UM, SO WHAT'S, HOW ARE WE, HOW DO THOSE GET HANDLED? YEAH, I MEAN, AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE A LOT OF, UH, TOOLS, UM, KIND OF ON THE BACKEND TO ADDRESS OR TO IMPROVE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, TO CATCH IRRIGATION SYSTEMS THAT ARE WASTING WATER THAT ARE EDS THAT ARE MIS POINTED, WHAT HAVE YOU.
BUT THE CHALLENGE IS ONCE THAT SYSTEM GOES IN THE GROUND, IT'S HARD TO CHANGE.
UM, YES, I MEAN, THERE IS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT NOT, UM, WE DON'T INSPECT THOSE.
I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WITH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, THEIR LEVEL OF INSPECTION IS THERE, BUT I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE US TO LOOK AT IN THE FUTURE ON HOW WE CAN POSSIBLY
[00:45:01]
GET PLUGGED IN.UM, I DON'T THINK WE WILL HAVE STAFF RESOURCES TO INSPECT EVERY SINGLE IRRIGATION SYSTEM THAT CAN USE THEM IN THE CITY.
UM, BUT PERHAPS A PORTION OF THEM.
UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE STAFF, OUR STAFF WHO DRIVE AROUND ARE LICENSED IRRIGATION INSPECTORS.
SO THAT, THAT MAY BE AN OPTION THAT WE CAN PLUG INTO MY RECOLLECTION IS AT THE TIME I THINK IT WAS SORRY.
I THINK I WAS SERVING ON AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WHEN THIS CAME AROUND.
UM, SO, BUT MY RECOLLECTION WAS THAT THE PLUMBING INSPECTORS WERE GETTING TRAINED TO DO THIS AND THAT IT WAS CITY WAS GOING TO ENFORCE THIS STATE LAW.
LIKE ALL CITIES DON'T HAVE TO ENFORCE IT, BUT THEY CAN'T, IT HAS TO BE, UM, INSPECTED AND IT HAS TO BE INSTALLED BY A LICENSED IRRIGATOR.
I'VE JUST FEEL LIKE IF THAT'S, I MEAN, THIS MAY JUST BE ONE THAT'S SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACKS.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S PEOPLE THAT COME IN AND THEY JUST FOLLOW THEM REAL QUICK.
IT WAS KIND OF AMAZING CAUSE IT ALREADY HUSTLER EVERYTHING ELSE HAS GONE, BUT MAYBE THEY HAD TO WAIT FOR INSPECTORS TO COME.
BUT, UM, ANYWAY, THAT'S JUST A THING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. AND I KNOW THAT, THAT WE HAVE DONE, UM, DIS-AGGREGATED DEMAND MODELS LOOKING AT THE CITY AND LOOKING HOW WE THINK WATER USE IS GOING TO CHANGE.
AND I CAN TELL YOU, ONE THING THAT I AM SEEING UNEQUIVOCALLY IS AN EAST AUSTIN, WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN NO IRRIGATION SYSTEMS PREVIOUSLY, THERE ARE A LOT GOING IN AND THEY'RE GOING IN AND I DON'T KNOW HOW EFFICIENT OR EFFECTIVE THEY ARE BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING IN REAL FAST AND THEY'RE GOING INTO LIKE A DAY OR LESS.
SO ANYWAY, IT'S JUST A, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS LIKE WE'RE, WE'RE BASING OUR FUTURE PROJECTIONS ON THESE AGGREGATE, THIS AREA DEMAND MODELS.
AND IF OUR WATER USE PATTERNS ARE CHANGING AND IF THE SYSTEMS AREN'T EFFICIENT WHEN WE'LL RUN INTO PROBLEMS, I GUESS JUST ON THAT POINT, JENNIFER, UM, A QUESTION FOR MARTY AND KEVIN IS IN, IN YOUR DEMAND ESTIMATES, ARE YOU ASSUMING THAT NEW SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES ALWAYS HAVE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AND THE SEGREGATED DEMAND MODEL? WE DON'T NECESSARILY ASSUME THAT NEW DEVELOPMENT, NEW SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, UM, ALWAYS HAS THE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. THE DDM IS BASED ON A WOLF THAT'S CALCULATED FROM HISTORICAL BILLING DATA.
SO THE PAST PLANNING PROCESSES TO SURGICAL BILLING DATA, THAT WAS HIS THING FROM LIKE 2010 TO 2015 WITH SOME GAPS IN BETWEEN, UM, BECAUSE OF BILLING, UH, DATA, UM, CHANGES.
SO THAT WOULD TAKE KIND OF THE SUM OF SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL USAGE AND, AND THERE WOULD BE AN IMPLICIT, UM, ANY IRRIGATION USE OR IRRIGATION SYSTEM EXISTENCE, UM, WOULD BE IMPLICIT WITHIN THAT TOTAL DEMAND WITHIN A DTI POLYGON.
SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS CAPTURE THE DEVELOPMENT TREND WITHIN THAT, UM, DTI POLYGON.
AND THEN THAT WOULD BE WHAT WE USE TO PROJECT FORWARD AS WE'RE, UM, PROJECTING THE DEMAND FOR NEW SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, BUT YOU BRING UP A GOOD POINT ABOUT HOW, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT TYPES CHANGE OVER TIME AND THE DEVELOPMENT TYPE OF WATER USE PATTERNS MAY CHANGE OVER TIME TOO.
IT'S A, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE CAN TRY TO STRUGGLE WITH AS WE GO THROUGH THIS NEXT, UH, PLANNING PROCESS.
UM, THIS IS HELPFUL AND I THINK JUST UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING THE KIND OF INTERIM REPORTS ON HOW WE'RE PROGRESSING AGAINST VARIOUS, UM, METRICS OR GOALS THAT ARE WITHIN THE PLAN ITSELF, WHETHER THAT'S SAVINGS FOR THE PROGRAMS YOU TALKED ABOUT TODAY, UM, OR THE WATER LOSS THAT JENNIFER AND BILL ASKED ABOUT, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
SO, UM, ALSO, UH, I'VE TAKEN NOTE THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE WE WE'D LIKE TO HAVE MORE DEEP DIVE INTO THE NON-REVENUE WATER QUESTION.
UM, AT SOME POINT, AND I WOULD SAY ALSO, MAYBE IN THE 2023 PLAN, MAYBE SOME CONSIDERATION OF INCENTIVES THAT KEEP IRRIGATION SYSTEMS FROM GOING IN.
I THINK THAT THAT HAD BEEN, IF I RECALL JENNIFER, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER THERE HAD BEEN SOME DISCUSSION IN THE TASK FORCE, UM, AS WE WERE DEVELOPING THE 2018 PLAN ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THERE SHOULD BE SOME INCENTIVES AROUND, UM, NOT JUST PAYING FOR, UH, SYSTEMS TO BE REPLACED OR IMPROVED ONCE THEY'RE IN, BUT MAYBE PREVENTING IRRIGATION FROM GOING IN TO START.
UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT YOU'RE OBSERVING MAY BE SOMETHING THAT THE TASKFORCE WANTS TO THINK ABOUT AS THE PLAN.
AND THAT MIGHT BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION ON THE LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION ORDINANCE.
I WAS GOING TO SAY THE SAME THING, KEVIN, I FEEL LIKE LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION, UM, THAT THE, THAT THERE'S SEVERAL BULLET POINTS UNDER THAT.
AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST WAYS TO TRANSFORM OUR LANDSCAPES IS TO, TO BUILD THEM DIFFERENT IN THE FIRST PLACE.
[00:50:01]
THEN TO GO BACK AND KIND OF CHANGE WHAT'S BEEN DONE TO MORE XERIC AND THERE'S A LOT OF, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT PURCHASES AND YOU CAN LOOK ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY AND SEE HOW FOLKS ARE WRAPPING THEIR ARMS AROUND THAT, BUT A REALLY GOOD PLACE TO START WITH THE NEW DEVELOPMENT, WHICH THERE'S A BUNCH IS LET'S NOT, LET'S NOT LET, IS IT POSSIBLE TO DEVELOP WITH NO IRRIGATION SYSTEMS OR VERY SMALL IRRIGATED AREAS? OR I MIGHT JUST ADD, IT'S NOT, I THINK IT'S WHEREVER REDEVELOPMENT HAPPENING BECAUSE UP IN ALLENDALE WHERE I LIVE, THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF NEW DEVELOPMENT REPLACING HOUSING STOCK THAT DID NOT HAVE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS BEFORE.I MEAN, I BET 90% OF THE NEW PLACES GOING IN OR ADDING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS THAT DIDN'T USE TO BE THERE, BUT YEAH.
AND SOME OF IT'S MULTIFAMILY TOO.
UM, THE TOWNHOMES AND THE THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO WE DON'T ALLOW TOWNHOMES IN ALLENDALE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. YOU GUYS ARE WHAT'S GOING ON.
UM, I GUESS WE'LL KEEP CHUGGING.
[2.d. Winter Storm Event- Communication and Response]
UM, ALL RIGHT.WINTER STORM EVENT, COMMUNICATION AND RESPONSE.
AND I GUESS THIS IS A MULTI-PART THIS HAS THE MINISERIES OF WINTER STORM EVENT UPDATES, RIGHT? THIS IS THE SECOND OR THIRD.
THIS IS OUR THIRD IN A THREE PART SERIES.
UM, AND WE'RE JOINED BY RANDY JENKINS, OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OVER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
WE'LL BE PROVIDING, UH, THIS, UH, COMMUNICATIONS OF VIEW.
AND, UM, THANK YOU TASKFORCE MEMBERS FOR HAVING ME THIS AFTERNOON.
AND, UM, I HOPE THAT, THAT YOU FIND THIS THREE-PART SERIES, UM, WOWING.
UH, SO, UH, I'LL JUMP RIGHT IN NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, FIRST THINGS FIRST, YOU PROBABLY GOT AN OVERVIEW IN YOUR OTHER SERIES AND BRIEFINGS, BUT I, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY WANTED TO START WITH THE SYSTEM WIDE MAP.
UM, THIS MAP PROVIDES, UM, KIND OF THE OUTLINE AND BOUNDARIES OF OUR SERVICE AREA AND SEGMENTED BY, UM, OUR PRESSURE ZONES.
THAT CERTAINLY BECAME A KEY PART OF THIS EMERGENCY EVENT.
AND SO ANOTHER SLIDE THAT KIND OF HIGHLIGHT THE OVERVIEW OF THE OVERALL TOTALITY OF THE EVENT IS THIS CHART THAT PROVIDES, UM, INSIGHT INTO OUR STORAGE
UM, THE BLUE HIGHLIGHTED SECTION IS WHAT WE'VE REFERRED TO AS OUR CRITICAL 48 HOUR PERIOD WHERE STORAGE LEVELS WERE DEPLETED AND OUR CUSTOMER USE AND LEAKS WERE AT AN ALL TIME HIGH.
AND SO AS AN OVERVIEW THIS AFTERNOON, I'M GONNA SPEAK TO OUR OVERALL WINTER PREPAREDNESS MESSAGING, OUR EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS, OUR CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS THAT WENT OUT DURING THIS EVENT, AND THEN FINALLY OUR COMMUNITY RECOVERY AND OUR OVERARCHING NEXT STEPS AND ACTIONS THAT WE'LL BE TAKING AS A UTILITY.
SO FIRST THINGS FIRST, STARTING WITH THE BEGINNING IN MIND, UM, AS AUSTIN WATER GEARED UP FOR THE WINTER BLAST, THAT WAS HEADED OUR WAY AND THAT ALL OF THE FORECASTS WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING, UM, ON FEBRUARY 9TH, BEFORE THE FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARRIVED, WE BEGAN OUR WINTER WEATHER PREP MESSAGING.
UM, THIS INCLUDED SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, AND THEN MOVING INTO FEBRUARY 10TH, WE PROVIDED A PRESS RELEASE, UPDATED OUR WEBSITE AND ALL OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS THAT PROVIDED TIPS FOR FREEZING AND SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES TO OUR CUSTOMERS AS WELL AS CONSERVATION REMINDERS.
I ALSO PROVIDED A, UM, MEDIA INTERVIEW TO A LOCAL NEWS STATION THAT HIGHLIGHTED, UM, THESE CUSTOMER TIPS, UM, SO THAT INDIVIDUALS AND RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS COULD PREPARE ACCORDINGLY.
UM, CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, IN LIGHT OF THIS AND OUR COLD WEATHER TIPS, UM, WE ALSO PROVIDED, UM, INFORMATION FOR PROTECTING THEIR PIPES LOCATING SHUT OFF VALVES ON THE CUSTOMER SIDE.
UM, ALSO HIGHLIGHTING OUR DISPATCH PHONE NUMBER AND CONTACT INFORMATION SHOULD AN EMERGENCY ARRIVE AND, UM, MOVING INTO DECEMBER 15TH.
UM, WE ADDITIONALLY ISSUED A SPECIFIC CALL TO ACTION FOR INDIVIDUALS TO MINIMIZE THEIR IMPACT AND DELAY USE OF LARGE APPLIANCES.
SO, YOU KNOW, AS WE MOVE CLOSER INTO THE HEAT OR FREEZING, UM, EVENT, UH, WE WERE MAKING SURE THAT WE WERE ADJUSTING THAT MESSAGING ACCORDINGLY.
AND SO, UM, I'LL SPEAK TO OUR AFTER ACTION REVIEW PROCESS A LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT I CERTAINLY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IT HERE ON THIS SLIDE THAT, UM, WE ARE REVISITING OUR WINTER PREPAREDNESS MESSAGING, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE RIGHT MIX OF DRIPPING VERSUS WRAPPING YOUR PIPES
[00:55:01]
VERSUS SHUTTING OFF WATER TO YOUR HOME? UM, AND WE'RE DOING SO IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER UTILITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS, UM, STATEWIDE AND IN SEARCH OF THOSE BEST PRACTICES.AND SO MOVING INTO OUR EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS, WE REALLY TOOK, UM, A MULTI-LEVEL APPROACH TO, TO HOW WE NOTIFIED OUR CUSTOMER BASE.
AND WE STARTED WITH, UM, WHAT WE UTILIZE CERTAINLY DURING THE 2018 GOLDWATER NOTICE.
UM, AND SO WE LEANED IN ON THE SYSTEM AGAIN, WE UTILIZE THE WARRANT CENTRAL TEXAS SYSTEM, WHICH IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE REVERSE NINE 11 SYSTEM.
THE CAPITAL AREA OF GOVERNMENTS, UM, PROVIDES AND MONITORS THAT SYSTEM FOR US, UM, LANDLINES ARE AUTOMATICALLY ENROLLED IN THAT.
HOWEVER, UM, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT RESIDENTS HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE IN ORDER TO ENROLL THEIR CELL PHONE NUMBERS, TO RECEIVE TEXT MESSAGES AND ACTUAL ROBOCALLS, AND ALSO, UM, SUBSCRIBED THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS TO RECEIVE EMAILS THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
UM, THAT SAID THERE ARE STILL OVER A MILLION CONTACTS IN THAT DATABASE THAT WE UTILIZE.
UM, WE SENT TWO MESSAGES DURING THE EVENT, UM, TO ALL OF THOSE, UH, OVER A MILLION CONTACTS ANNOUNCING OUR BULL WATER NOTICE SYSTEM-WIDE AND ALSO RESCINDING OUR BULL WATER NOTICE, UM, ON FEBRUARY 23RD.
AND SO THE SECOND ASPECT OF OUR EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION, UM, LINKEDIN, OUR, MY ATX WATER CUSTOMER PORTAL.
SO YOU'VE HEARD A LOT, UM, DURING TODAY'S MEETING ABOUT OUR ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT AND OUR, MY ATX, UM, PROGRESS.
BUT THE THING I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT HERE IS, UM, AS MARTY AND OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, UM, DURING THIS TIME IN FEBRUARY, WE WERE, UM, REALLY AT THE ONSET OF THAT PROJECT AND GETTING METERS INSTALLED IN THE GROUND.
UM, AT THAT TIME WE HAD JUST OVER 4,000 METERS INSTALLED.
UM, AND SO THOSE CUSTOMERS HAD RECEIVED NOTICE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR CUSTOMER PORTAL, BUT, UM, THROUGH THIS PORTAL, UM, THE GREAT THING ABOUT IT, AND WE REALLY TESTED THIS NEW PORTAL, THAT'S NEW TO US AND ALSO NEW TO OUR CUSTOMER BASE, UM, AND PUSHED IT TO DO THINGS THAT WE WEREN'T QUITE SURE IF IT WOULD DO OR NOT.
UM, EVEN WORKING WITH OUR VENDOR, THEY WEREN'T SURE EXACTLY HOW IT WOULD WORK, BUT WE PRESS FORWARD THROUGH THE SYSTEM AND DUMMIT HAS A FUNCTIONALITY THAT IN THE EVENT OF EMERGENCY, EVEN IF A CUSTOMER HAS NOT SIGNED UP FOR THE PORTAL, WE CAN PUSH MESSAGES TO THEM, UM, TO GET THAT EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION OUT.
AND SO, UM, THAT NOTIFICATION IS SENT TO OUR CUSTOMER BASE THROUGH OUR BILLING SYSTEM.
SO, UH, WE HAVE AN INTERFACE SET UP WITH OUR BILLING SYSTEM SO THAT WE CAN PULL OVER ACCOUNT INFORMATION, ADDRESSES, CUSTOMER NAMES, PHONE NUMBERS, EMAIL ADDRESSES.
UM, AND SO UTILIZING THOSE ACCOUNT HOLDER INFORMATION, WE SENT OUT, UM, JUST SHY OF A MILLION EMAILS AND TEXT MESSAGES.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THE REVERSE NINE 11 SYSTEMS IS THAT IT TOOK THAT SYSTEM A LONG TIME TO CHECK THROUGH THOSE MILLION CONTACTS, WHEREAS AN OUR CUSTOMER PORTAL, UM, WE DID SEE, UH, A QUICKER TURNAROUND AND SO ON OUR TEXT MESSAGES, THOSE WERE SENT OUT ABOUT 1800 PER MINUTE.
UM, AND THE EMAILS AVERAGED, UM, JUST SHY OF 700 PER MINUTE.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO REALIZE A LITTLE BIT MORE REAL TIME, UM, NOTIFICATION TO OUR CUSTOMERS USING OUR NEW PORTAL, IN ADDITION TO THEIR EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS THAT WERE UTILIZED IN OUR PORTAL, WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO, UM, REALLY SEE LIVE OUR CONTINUOUS USAGE AND OUR LEAK ALERTS SET UP THROUGH THAT SYSTEM.
SO FOR THOSE CUSTOMERS THAT WERE PART OF OUR PILOT AND, UM, HAD RECEIVED A NEW AMI METER, UM, THOSE INDIVIDUALS RECEIVED, UM, LEAK ALERTS AND CONTINUOUS USAGE.
AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE THERE.
SO A CONTINUOUS USAGE, UM, IS REALLY WHEN THE AMI METER REGISTERS THREE GALLONS OR MORE PER HOUR FOR MORE THAN 36 HOURS.
UM, THE SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY, UM, NOTIFIES BASED ON THAT RANGE, UM, THAT A CONTINUOUS USAGE IS IDENTIFIED.
AND SO, UM, OVER 4,000 ALERTS WERE SENT, UM, AND THAT REPRESENTED ABOUT 200, I MEAN, EXCUSE ME, 2000 ACCOUNT HOLDERS, UM, AND EMAIL LETTING THEM KNOW THAT THEY HAD CONTINUOUS USAGE BASED ON THEIR AMI CONSUMPTION DATA.
UM, AND AT THAT TIME THEY WERE ABLE TO LOG IN TO THEIR PORTAL AND TAKE A LOOK.
NOW, WHAT WE RECOGNIZE IS DURING THE EMERGENCY EVENT, UM, THAT WAS LIKELY,
[01:00:01]
UM, A RESPONSE TO CONTINUED DROOP DRIPPING THROUGHOUT A CUSTOMER'S HOME OR, OR AT AN OUTSIDE FAUCET.BUT, UM, IT DID ALLOW THE CUSTOMER TO RECEIVE THAT NOTIFICATION ON THE LEAK ALERT SIDE, UM, THAT REGISTERS AS A LEAK ALERT OR WHAT MAY BE CALLED A BURST, UM, WHERE 200% OR GREATER THAN THEIR NORMAL USAGE IS IDENTIFIED IN ANY GIVEN TIME.
AND SO AN ALERT IS SENT TO THEM, UM, LETTING THEM KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN A BURST LEAK, UM, IDENTIFIED OUR POTENTIAL AT THEIR PROPERTY.
AND SO OF THOSE THAT, UM, RECEIVED THAT ALERT, UM, WE DID RECEIVE A LOT OF ZONING, UM, APPRECIATIVE COMMENTS AND, UM, THANK YOU'S WITH ABOUT A 92% CUSTOMER SATISFACTION RATE BASED ON THEIR FEEDBACK, UM, AT THAT TIME.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE REALLY PLEASED WITH THE PROGRESS THAT OUR PORTAL HAS MADE EVEN IN ITS INFANCY, UM, AND THE ABILITY TO UTILIZE THAT SYSTEM TO ITS FULLNESS, UM, DURING THIS EMERGENCY THAT WE DID NOT HAVE AVAILABLE TO US AT IN 2018.
SO MOVING INTO CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS OVERALL, UM, IN ADDITION TO THE PORTAL NOTIFICATIONS AND THE WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS NOTIFICATIONS THAT WE UTILIZE, WE ALSO SET UP, UM, EVERY 12 HOUR OPERATIONAL UPDATES.
UM, SO WE WOULD RECEIVE OPERATIONAL UPDATES FROM OUR OPERATIONAL STAFF AT ALL OF OUR TREATMENT PLANTS, UM, CREATE THAT INTO A FORWARD FACING CUSTOMER FACING, UM, UPDATE TO THE COMMUNITY AND PUSH THAT OUT EVERY 12 HOURS.
WE SHARED THOSE UPDATES, BOTH ON OUR WEBSITE AND OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS.
UM, ONE THING THAT I'LL NOTE ABOUT OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, UM, AS THAT WE RE RECEIVED APPROXIMATELY 15,000 COMMENTS AND DIRECT MESSAGES DURING THAT TIME.
AND, UM, WE, WHILE WE WEREN'T ABLE, BECAUSE OF STAFF CONSTRAINTS, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, DURING THAT EMERGENCY, WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT FIVE, UM, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE STAFF, UM, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS.
UM, SO WHILE WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DIRECTLY COMMENT AND TO THEIR QUESTIONS, WE DID TAKE THOSE QUESTIONS AND ENROLL THEM IN TO OUR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS THAT WE DEVELOPED, AND WE KEPT AS ROBUST REOCCURRING, UM, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE CLOCK, UM, UPDATE TO OUR FAQ'S.
UM, ANYTIME WE GOT AN ADDITIONAL QUESTION THAT WE THOUGHT THAT'S A REALLY GREAT QUESTION, WE ENSURE THAT WE'RE SURE THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAD THAT SAME.
WE WOULD ADD IT TO OUR FAQ'S AND ROLL THAT OUT.
THOSE FAQ'S ALSO, UM, IN ADDITION TO BEING LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE, WE'RE ALSO UPDATED TO, UM, CITY MANAGERS, OFFICES, AND COUNCIL OFFICES, SO THAT THEY COULD SHARE THEIR, THOSE WITH THEIR CONSTITUENTS AS WELL.
ALL OF THOSE DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING OUR CUSTOMER INTAKE FORM, WHICH I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT LATER, UM, WERE PROVIDED, UM, IN SPANISH VIETNAMESE, CHINESE AND ARABIC.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, AND THOSE FORMS, WE ALSO PRODUCE AN INTERACTIVE ONLINE MAP.
UM, THIS MAP WAS STOOD UP, UM, DURING THE BULL WATER NOTICE EVENT, UM, AND IT WAS, IT WAS ESTABLISHED SO THAT OUR CUSTOMER BASE, AND IF YOU'RE REFERRING KIND OF, UM, RECALL THE FIRST SLIDE THAT I SHOWED YOU TODAY, THAT HIGHLIGHTED THE MAP BY PRESSURE ZONE.
UM, THIS ONLINE MAP PROVIDED THE ABILITY FOR OUR CUSTOMERS TO LOG, TO GO ONLINE, UM, TYPE IN THEIR HOME ADDRESS AND FIND OUT, UM, WHICH PRESSURE ZONE THEY RESIDED IN, AND THEN WHETHER THEY WERE TO CONTINUE BOILING THEIR WATER OR WHETHER, UM, THEY HAD RECEIVED THE GREEN LIGHT TO RESCIND AND, AND GO BACK TO NORMAL, NORMAL CONSUMPTION OF THEIR WATER.
AND SO THAT WAS IMPORTANT CERTAINLY AS WE BEGAN TO LIFT BY, UM, AND RESCIND OUR BOIL WATER NOTICE BY PRESSURES.
UM, AND THEN THE LAST ITEM THAT I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS IN ADDITION TO THESE MORE ROBUST CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS, WE ALSO PROVIDED DIRECT, UM, COMMUNICATION WITH OUR CRITICAL CUSTOMERS, HOSPITALS, UM, DIALYSIS CENTERS, ET CETERA, UM, THAT THAT WERE IN DIRE NEED OF, UM, POTABLE WATER.
AND SO WE WERE HELPING THEM TO, UM, RESOURCE POTABLE WATER AND THEN STAY IN CLOSE CONTACT AS WE, UM, WORK THROUGH THE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS TO RESCIND THE BOWL OF WATER.
AND SO, AS A CONTINUATION OF OUR CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS, WE ALSO STOOD UP INBOUND AND OUTBOUND, UM, CALL TAKERS, UM, AND ANY GIVEN DAY IN TIME, AUSTIN WATERS, CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER, UM, WHICH IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS OUR DISPATCH TEAM, THEY
[01:05:01]
TAKE CUSTOMER CALLS 24 HOURS A DAY EVERY DAY ON, ON, UH, ON ANY GIVEN DAY AT AUSTIN WATER.WE TYPICALLY SEE ABOUT 50 CALLS COME IN PER DAY DURING THE WINTER WEATHER EVENT.
UM, I CERTAINLY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT AT ITS PEAK, WE RECEIVED MORE THAN 10,000 CALLS PER DAY.
UM, ARTISTS FETCH TEAM IS A TEAM THAT WORKS A 24 7 365 SCHEDULE, UM, WITH ABOUT 20 STAFF MEMBERS.
AND, UM, MANY OF THEM WERE WITHOUT WATER AND POWER THEMSELVES AND WERE HAVING CONNECTIVITY ISSUES.
SO WE DID BRING, UM, SEVERAL OF THOSE DISPATCHERS, THOSE THAT WE COULD GET TO ONE OF OUR SERVICE CENTERS, WE DID BRING THEM IN AND HAVE HAD THEM SHELTER IN PLACE SO THAT WE COULD WORK, UM, THROUGHOUT THE EVENT, UM, ON TOP OF, YOU KNOW, THE WEATHER CHALLENGES AND CERTAINLY ELECTRICAL CHALLENGES THAT, UM, OUR STAFF AT HOME AND, AND IN OUR SERVICE CENTERS EXPERIENCE, WE ALSO HAD, UM, EXTREME TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES, JUST, UM, WE, OUR PHONE SYSTEM, UM, YEAH, BY OUR, I MEAN, THE CITY'S PHONE SYSTEM WENT DOWN.
UM, OUR CITY'S PHONE SYSTEM IS MANAGED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT.
UM, THEY HAD A FAILURE ON THEIR END, WHICH RESULTED IN A FAILURE AND OUR DISPATCH TEAM'S ABILITY TO ANSWER CALLS.
SO THAT RESULTED IN EXTREME WAIT TIMES.
AND ONCE THAT SYSTEM WAS FINALLY BROUGHT BACK UP ONLINE, THEN WE BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE THE MERGING OF CUSTOMER CALLS.
SO WE WOULD HAVE, UM, CUSTOMERS THAT WERE ON HOLD BEING MERGED WITH LIVE CALLS BEING.
SO WE WERE TAKING, UM, THEIR INFORMATION.
AND SO THAT WAS CERTAINLY PROBLEMATIC.
UM, AND SO WE, WE HAD TO SHUT IT BACK DOWN AND WORK WITH THEM AGAIN TO, UM, GET THAT SYSTEM STOOD BACK UP AND INSTEAD BACK UP IN A WAY THAT WAS NOT MERGING CALLS AS WE WERE TAKING SENSITIVE, UM, INFORMATION FROM OUR CUSTOMERS AND ACCOUNT INFORMATION.
UM, AT THAT TIME, WHILE WE WERE EXPERIENCING THE PHONE ISSUES, WE STOOD UP AN ONLINE FORM, UM, THROUGH OUR WEBSITE THAT ALLOWED CUSTOMERS TO REPORT A SERVICE ISSUE, WHETHER WATER OR WASTEWATER, UM, OR WATER OUTAGE, OR A WATER LEAK TO US THROUGH THIS ONLINE FORM.
UM, AND WHILE IT WAS A GREAT SOLUTION, UM, THAT WE CREATED ON THE FLY, IT WAS NOT PERFECT AS YOU CAN IMAGINE.
UM, IT DID NOT AUTOMATICALLY INTEGRATE WITH OUR ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT CREATES OUR, UM, SERVICING TICKETS THAT DISPATCHES OUR, UM, TECHNICIANS OUT TO CERTAIN SITES.
UM, AND SO THERE HAD TO BE MANUAL INTERVENTION AND A MANUAL UPLOAD OF THOSE, UM, CUSTOMER INTAKE FORMS. UM, THAT SAID WE DID RECEIVE OVER 30,000 REQUESTS IN FOUR DAYS.
AND SO AS A HIGHLIGHT TO OUR OUTBOUND CALLS, UM, PRIOR TO THIS ONE UNDER OUR STORM EVENT, UM, WE HAD ALREADY BEGAN AN INITIATIVE, UM, TO ESTABLISH AN OUTBOUND CALL CENTER OR AN OUTBOUND CALL, UM, INITIATIVE, IF YOU WILL, TO REACH OUT TO OUR CUSTOMERS WHEN THEY CALL US WITH EXPERIENCING SOME TYPE OF SERVICE INTERRUPTION.
UM, SO THAT WAY WE CAN CIRCLE BACK WITH OUR CUSTOMERS, UM, AFTER THE FACT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE TAKEN CARE OF ALL THEIR NEEDS.
UM, SO WE TOOK THAT IDEA AND THAT INITIATIVE AND EXPANDED IT DURING THIS ADVENT.
AND WE REACHED OUT, UM, WITHIN AUSTIN WATER AND ALSO CITY WIDE TO REQUEST VOLUNTEERS, UM, TO HELP US, UM, MAKE SURE OUTBOUND CALLS.
AND SO THOSE CALL TAKERS OR CALL MAKERS, UM, WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, CONTACT THOSE CUSTOMERS THAT HAD FILLED OUT A CUSTOMER INTAKE FORM AND REACH OUT TO THEM TO SEE IF THEY WERE STILL EXPERIENCING A SERVICE ISSUE.
UM, AND PRIMARILY THOSE OUTBOUND CALL MAKERS FOCUSED IN ON, UM, THOSE THAT WERE REPORTING A LEAK OR A NEED TO HAVE WATER SERVICE SHUT OFF SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE A PRIVATE SIDE REPAIR.
AS WE KNEW OUR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM HAD BEEN, DE-WATERED MOSTLY, CERTAINLY IN OUR, IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF OUR CITIES AND SERVICE AREA.
SO, UM, WE FOCUSED IN ON THOSE THAT WE COULD HELP AT THAT TIME WHILE WE WERE WORKING TO RESTORE OUR STORAGE LEVELS THROUGHOUT, UM, IN ADDITION TO CONTACTING CUSTOMERS FOR SERVICE REQUESTS, WE ALSO LEANED IN, UM, AND UTILIZE SOME OF THE SAME STAFF MEMBERS DURING OUR COMMUNITY RECOVERY AND APARTMENT COMPLEX CHECK EFFORTS.
UM, SO THEY REALLY SERVED A MULTI-PRONGED PURPOSE.
UM, AND THAT SAID WE DO PLAN TO CONTINUE OUR OUTBOUND CALL EFFORTS AND EXPAND THOSE EFFORTS INTO, UM, OUT, GO INTO, UM, FUTURE YEARS.
AND SO ROUNDING OUT THE EVENT, UM, AFTER WE RESTORED OUR WATER SERVICE ON OUR SIDE, UM, WE CERTAINLY RECOGNIZED, AND WE'RE HEARING THE OUTCRIES FROM THE COMMUNITY, UM, FOR MANY APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND MULTI-FAMILY UNITS THAT WERE STILL EXPERIENCING OUTAGES ON THERE.
[01:10:01]
FOR POST METER, UM, PLUMBING BREAKS AND NEED OF REPAIR, UM, WE COORDINATED HEAVILY WITH, UM, NON-PRO, IT'S IN THE AREA AS WELL AS, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY, HOMELAND SECURITY, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND OUR EOC FOLKS.UM, AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS EMERGENCY, WE SET UP, UM, PUBLIC WATER STATIONS, BOTH WATER HAULING DISTRIBUTION, UM, STATIONS.
WE ALSO HAVE DISTRIBUTED WATER TOTES THROUGHOUT OUR DISTRIBUTION CENTER WHEN, UM, ADDRESSES WERE MADE AWARE THAT THEY WERE STILL WITHOUT WALLS, OR WE ALSO, UM, HAD FIXED LOCATION TINKERS AS THIS PICTURE DEPICTS.
UM, SO WE REALLY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CASTING THE NET WIDE AND OUR COMMUNITY RECOVERY EFFORTS.
IT WAS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT AUSTIN WATER HAD NEVER DONE BEFORE.
WE HAD NEVER KIND OF STEPPED ACROSS THAT PROPERTY BOUNDARY LINE, BUT WE KNEW THAT AS THE COMMUNITY WAS SUFFERING FROM LACK OF WATER THAT, UM, WITH AUSTIN WATER IN HER NAME AND THE MISSION OF, OF OUR DEPARTMENT, WE COULD NOT STAND BY AND DO NOTHING.
SO WE STEPPED IN AND DID WHAT WE COULD.
AND EVEN SOMETIMES THIS TOOK, UM, UM, THE, THE SIDE OF NOT ONLY JUST PROVIDING WATER, BUT EVEN HELP TO THE PLUMBERS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WERE MAKING THE REPAIRS.
THERE WERE SOME THAT, UM, NEEDED ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT.
LIKE, UM, THEY WERE WORKING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, THEY NEEDED LIGHTING FOR THEIR CONSTRUCTION SITES, UM, AND APARTMENT COMPLEXES, PARKING LOTS.
AND SO WE BROUGHT OUR CONSTRUCTION LIGHT LIGHTS THAT WE USE ON OUR, UM, JOBS TO HELP THEM.
UM, SO THAT'S JUST KIND OF A SNAPSHOT OF SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT WE DID, UM, TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR RESIDENTS, UM, GET THROUGH THE WINTER STORM.
AND SO TO ROUND THIS OUT TO REALLY TALK ABOUT, UM, KIND OF NEXT STEPS AND THE ACTIONS THAT AUSTIN WATER IS TAKING, UH, I DID SPEAK A LOT ABOUT OUR OUTBOUND CALL EFFORTS.
UM, WE'VE CONTINUED TO, UM, HAVE OUR ONLINE CUSTOMER INTAKE FORM ACTIVE.
SO EVEN TODAY, IF YOU NEEDED TO, UM, REPORT AN OUTAGE OR AN ISSUE, UM, THAT ONLINE CUSTOMER INTAKE FORM IS STILL AVAILABLE TO YOU AS WELL AS OUR DISPATCH CENTER THAT IS NOT, UM, HAVING ANY PHONE ISSUES.
SO THEY ARE STILL AVAILABLE BY PHONE AS WELL.
UM, WE ARE PRODUCING THE INTERACTIVE MAP.
UM, SO THAT WAY WE HAVE A LIVE, UM, MAP THAT'S AVAILABLE, BUT WE ARE MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO THAT SO THAT IT WILL BE MORE ROBUST, UM, AT ANY GIVEN TIME AND IN THE EVENT OF A FUTURE EMERGENCY.
UM, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE ARE REVISITING OUR WINTER PREPAREDNESS COMMUNICATIONS AND COLLABORATING WITH OTHER UTILITIES AND THE TEXAS AWW.
UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE ARE THINKING THROUGH ALL OF THAT MESSAGING AND COMMUNICATIONS IN THE RIGHT WAY.
UM, WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH OUR CTM DEPARTMENT ON, UM, PHONE SYSTEM AND HOW WE ARE TO BE BETTER PREPARED.
AND THEN ALSO LOOKING THAT THROUGH THE LENS OF, UM, DO WE NEED ANY ENHANCEMENTS TO OUR PHONE SYSTEM, SHOULD OUR CALL VOLUMES GET THAT HIGH EVER AGAIN? AND THEN LASTLY, CERTAINLY AS I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD, WE ARE, UM, GOING THROUGH A FORMAL AFTER ACTION REVIEW PROCESS, UM, ON THE COMMUNICATIONS FRONT, WE HAVE CONTRACTED WITH A THIRD-PARTY VENDOR WHO IS TAKING A DEEP DIVE INTO OUR, UM, COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES DURING THE EVENT, UM, TO PULL OUT THOSE LESSONS LEARNED AND, UM, MAKE SURE THAT WE DO IT, UM, BETTER AND IMPROVED INTO THE FUTURE.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
YOU CAN MOVE IT TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, YOU FOLKS LIKE TO, UH, ASK QUESTIONS I'LL, I'LL GO AHEAD AND JUMP IN AND MAYBE OTHERS ARE JUST KIND OF GATHERING THEIR THOUGHTS.
UM, RANDY, I, I APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH COMMENTS ON THE WATER UNDERTOOK FOR COMMUNITY RECOVERY, UM, ESPECIALLY, AND, UM, I KNOW MANY OF US, UM, WERE INVOLVED IN SUPPORTING OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, HELPING THEM TO CONNECT TO FOLKS WHO HAD BOTTLED WATER THAT COULD BE DELIVERED TO SITES.
UM, MY S MY SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE OF THIS WAS THAT, UM, IT WAS BASED ON WHAT WAS AVAILABLE KIND OF OPPORTUNISTICALLY WHO KNEW WHO, AND WHERE THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET SOMETHING CITED.
UM, AND THAT IT DIDN'T SEEM AT THAT TIME THAT THERE WAS A PREEXISTING PLAN WHERE PEOPLE KNEW THAT DURING AN EMERGENCY, THERE WOULD BE A DEDICATED STATION WHERE THEY COULD GO FOR POTABLE WATER.
UM, AND I GUESS MY QUESTION FOR YOU ALL, AS YOU'RE LOOKING TO POST RECOVERY, AND WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE OF HAVING DELIVERY, HAVING
[01:15:01]
DELIVERED TO THOSE RESOURCES, LIKE THE, THE TRAILER TRUCKS WITH POTABLE WATER, UM, AND DOING SO IN A WAY THAT ABSOLUTELY IS IN MY VIEW, HOW WATER UTILITIES MUST BE THINKING ABOUT A CRITICAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND NOT JUST PROVIDING ACTIONABLE WATER THROUGH THEIR TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS, BUT ESPECIALLY AS WE, AS A SOCIETY EXPERIENCE, MORE AND MORE CATASTROPHIC EVENTS, UNDERSTANDING HOW TO PLAY THAT ROLE IN THOSE SORTS OF EXTREME EVENTS.UM, I GUESS MY QUESTION IS HAVE Y'ALL HAD CONVERSATIONS WITHIN AUSTIN WATER WITH FEMA, WITH THE COUNTY, WITH THE CITY MANAGER OR OTHERS, UM, THAT WOULD BE PERHAPS INFORMING SOME SORT OF FORMALIZED, UM, PORTABLE WATER LOCATIONS THAT ARE PRE-PLANNED FOR EVEN WORST DISASTERS THAT MIGHT UNFOLD LIKE TRULY BLACK SWAN EVENTS, UM, WHERE WE WILL NOT HAVE THE COMMUNICATIONS THAT WE HAD EVEN DURING THE EXTREME EVENT THAT WE JUST LIVED THROUGH IN FEBRUARY.
CAN YOU, CAN YOU SPEAK TO ANY KIND OF FORMALIZATION, ESPECIALLY AROUND PORTABLE WATER STATIONS? ABSOLUTELY.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT, SO WHAT I'LL SAY YES, YES.
WE HAVE HAD FORMAL CONVERSATIONS AND YES, WE ARE, UM, PLANNING FOR THOSE ACTIVITIES, UM, SO THAT WE ARE READY IN THE FUTURE.
UM, AS I HIGHLIGHTED, YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE, KIND OF THE TEMPORARY FIXED WATER STATIONS, UM, ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE UTILIZE TO ATTACH TO THE HYDRANTS THAT CREATED THOSE FIXED WATER STATIONS, UM, WE'VE STORED THOSE SO THAT WE, WE, UM, BECAUSE ONE THING THAT WE WERE DOING DURING THAT EVENT WAS ALSO TRYING TO FIND PARTS.
UM, WE HAD OPERATIONS STAFF BASICALLY, UM, UH, HIJACKING WAREHOUSES OF THIS, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, PIECE IMPART ALL OF THOSE THINGS TOGETHER.
AND SO WE'VE STORED THAT WE ALSO HAVE STORED, UM, THE WATER TOTES THAT WE UTILIZE.
SO WE HAVE THAT IN STORAGE, UM, IN THE EVENT OF EMERGENCY WE COULD DEPLOY ALSO.
UM, AND THEN IN TERMS OF BOTTLED WATER, WE ARE PLANNING FOR BOTTLED WATER DISTRIBUTION, AND I KNOW WE'RE WORKING, UM, WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, UM, AS WE WORK ON RESILIENT HUBS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COORDINATING ON THE WATERFRONT AND HOW WE WOULD SET THOSE PLACES UP FOR WATER DISTRIBUTION AS WELL.
I THINK IT, IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL TO BE ABLE TO HEAR MORE FROM AUSTIN WATER AND OTHERS FROM THE CITY, UM, ABOUT EFFORTS THAT ARE BEING TAKEN TO, JUST TO COMMUNICATE BEFORE A DISASTER HAPPENS AGAIN.
UM, SO THAT PEOPLE KNOW GOING INTO A DISASTER, IF SOMETHING HAPPENS, THIS IS WHERE I GO FOR MY BASIC NECESSITIES, UM, BECAUSE THE, THE, THE TELEPHONE GAME SPEAKING METAPHORICALLY, I MEAN, IT'S JUST SO SLOW AND PIECEMEAL, IT'S HARD TO KNOW WHAT INFORMATION TO TRUST AND, UM, ALL OF OUR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS ARE INCREDIBLY VULNERABLE.
UM, SO THE MORE THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT INFORMATION BEFORE THEY GET INTO, UH, A CATASTROPHIC EVENT, I THINK THE BETTER WE ALL ARE FOR THAT COMPLETELY AGREE.
UM, SOME OF THE THINGS ON THE HORIZON FOR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM IS, UM, KIND OF PUTTING TOGETHER AN EMERGENCY.
WE HAVEN'T NAMED IT YET, BUT ALMOST LIKE AN EMERGENCY KIT THAT WE CAN HAND OUT TO RESIDENTS.
UM, CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT PART OF THE PACKAGE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WELCOME NEW CUSTOMERS ONTO OUR SYSTEM, WHERE THEY WOULD GO.
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ALSO HAVING, UM, OFFSET COVERS METER, UM, KEYS, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
WE'RE, WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE, ARE IN OUR, OUR WAREHOUSES SO THAT WE CAN DISTRIBUTE THOSE, UM, AS NEEDED.
SO, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY COMPLETELY AGREE.
WE ARE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
AND I THINK AS WE GET FURTHER INTO OUR AFTER ACTION REVIEW PROCESS, UM, AND OUR CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN BASED ON THAT AFTER ACTION REVIEW, UM, WE'LL, WE'LL CERTAINLY BE COMMUNICATING THAT ON MANY FRONTS, UM, WITH OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND OTHERWISE, AND GETTING OUT IN FRONT OF THE COMMUNITY TO LET THEM KNOW WHERE THEY WOULD GO IN THE EVENT OF THANK YOU.
UM, OTHER QUESTIONS, RANDY, SARAH.
WELL, I JUST WANTED TO SECOND FAIRLANE SUGGESTION ABOUT JUST FORMALIZED PORTABLE WATER STATIONS WHERE YOU KNOW WHERE TO GO AND ALSO WHAT WILL BE AVAILABLE IS THAT MY, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I NOTICED WAS, UM, SOME ELDERLY PEOPLE, BOTH IN MY NEIGHBOR AND MY MOM'S NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WERE HAVING TROUBLE FIGURING OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, TELL ME AGAIN, WHAT DO I NEED TO BOIL WATER FOR? WHAT DO I NOT NEED TO BOIL WATER FOR? LIKE, NEVERMIND, JUST, AND THEN,
[01:20:01]
YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY HAD WATER, JUST BOIL IT AND THEN, BUT WHAT, WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS IS I THINK THOSE OF PEOPLE ALSO, THEY LIKE TO KNOW THEY LIKE TO BE PREPARED, RIGHT? LIKE I KNOW SOME PEOPLE THAT IN THEIR EIGHTIES THAT THEY WANT, THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT TO DO IN AN EMERGENCY, AND THEY WILL REMEMBER WHERE THAT WATER STATION IS.UM, BUT IT'S TOO CONFUSING IN THE MOMENT WITH ALL THIS STRESS.
I ALSO KNOW, UM, WE HAD A SITUATION WITH, UM, WHERE THERE WAS NO WATER IN ONE NEIGHBORHOOD AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SHOWED UP AND IT WAS A TRUCK AND NOBODY KNEW THAT.
SO THEY DIDN'T BRING CONTAINERS.
THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE GETTING BOTTLED WATER.
SO, YOU KNOW, TO ME, IT'S ALMOST LIKE A FIRE DRILL WHERE IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WE COULD CULTURALLY ALL KNOW IN ANY KIND OF EMERGENCY.
AND I JUST THINK THAT IDEA REALLY RESONATES WITH ME AS COULD BE SOMETHING VERY HELPFUL THAT PEOPLE COULD ABSORB AN ADVANCE AND NOT HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS IN THE MOMENT, SARAH THAT'S I LOVE THAT IDEA.
AND I GUESS THERE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE, IMAGINE A DAY WITHOUT WATER THING, THAT'S ALREADY ORGANIZED AS A NATIONAL EVENT, BUT I, I DO THINK, UM, THAT COULD BE A REALLY GOOD PRE-ORGANIZED KIND OF THING TO BE ABLE TO USE AS A WAY OF HELPING PEOPLE KNOW WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHERE CAN THEY GO, WHAT SHOULD THEY EXPECT IF THE NEXT EMERGENCY HAPPENS? AND, AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S NOT JUST THAT ONE DAY, BUT I I'M A HUNDRED PERCENT WITH YOU ON THAT.
I THINK HAVING PEOPLE KIND OF THINK THROUGH IT AND KNOW WHERE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE, WOULD BE WELL WORTH IT.
AND KIDS ARE A GREAT WAY TO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT KIT, YOU KNOW, KIDS LOVE STUFF LIKE THAT.
AND I, IN SCHOOL, THEY, YOU HAVE A DRILL OLD SCHOOL AND THEY TELL YOU, GO HOME AND MAKE A FIRE DRILL PLAN.
AND THE KIDS IN CHARGE, YOU KNOW, THEY COULD, YOU CAN TELL THE KIDS WHERE THEIR WATER STATION IS.
THEY'LL TELL THEIR PARENTS THEY'LL KNOW.
AND WE DO HAVE A ROBUST, UM, THE ELDER DAN PROGRAM, WHICH IS OUR SCHOOL AGE PROGRAM, UM, RETROACTIVELY, UM, MOVE TO AN, ALMOST A PROGRAMMATIC DURING THE PANDEMIC, BUT WE'RE AS PERSONALLY, UM, LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY THAT WE CAN GET BACK IN PERSON IN FRONT OF THEM.
UM, I'M GETTING SOME FEEDBACK.
AND SO, UM, IT'S A BIG, IT'S TINY.
DO YOU, DID YOU WANT TO JUMP IN? YEAH, RANDY, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU GUYS ARE WORKING ON THE CORRECTION ACTION PLAN.
UH, WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU'D HAVE THE GRAPH, UM, REGULAR INCOME SHARE? WE WOULD ASK WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THE EXACT TIMEFRAME, BUT IT WILL BE EARLY FALL.
UM, SO PROBABLY BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, WE CAN, WE CAN SHARE THAT AT LEAST WITH THIS, UM, SO THAT WE WOULD HAVE SOME PROMINENCE AND, AND THEN EVENTUALLY WE'LL DO TAKING THIS TO THE COMMUNITY, OR WHAT'S THE PLAN.
SO THE, UM, COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION, UM, DIRECTING CITY MANAGER TO EXCELLENT, SORRY.
THERE'S JUST A LOT OF PEOPLE DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO DIRECT STAFF CONDUCT THE AFTER ACTION REVIEW RELATED TO THE WINTER STORM.
AND SO WE'RE ALL MARCHING TOWARDS THAT TIMELINE AND COORDINATING WITH, YOU KNOW, HE SOME, AND I'LL SAY ENERGY AND THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE PROVIDING THEIR AFTER ACTION REVIEWS AND TRYING TO GET THAT ALL COORDINATED ON A COLLECTIVE CITY OF AUSTIN LEVEL.
AND SO AS SOON AS WE, UM, HAVE THOSE DATES, THAT THOSE WILL BE SHARED, AND THEN WE WILL CERTAINLY, UM, YOU KNOW, SHARE THAT WITH THE COMMUNITY.
WE WILL NOT BE HOLDING BACK THOSE, UM, THOSE REVIEWS AND WE'LL BE SHARING THOSE WITH COUNCIL AND, AND MAKING PRESENTATIONS ON IT AS WELL.
UM, OTHER QUESTIONS I JUST WANTED TO MAKE, MAKE A COMMENT.
I WONDER IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS A LOT OF ISSUES WITH APARTMENT, UM, WITH, YOU KNOW, BROKEN PIPES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND I WONDER IF, UH, AND WE'VE TALKED IN THE PAST ABOUT THE NEED FOR SUB-METERING ON APARTMENTS, UM, FOR WATER CONSERVATION PURPOSES, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE A SIDE BENEFIT IS THE ABILITY TO, UM, SHUT OFF THE WATER IN IT, RATHER THAN A MACRO SENSE IN A BUILDING TO BE ABLE TO SHUT IT OFF.
THE PARTICULAR UNITS, UM, SEEMED LIKE ALSO, MAYBE THE CODES ARE CHANGED OR DIFFERENT, BUT, UH, SINCE LIKE THE FIRE EMERGENCY FIRE SYSTEMS WERE PART OF THE ISSUE, AND I SUSPECT THERE'S PROBABLY ISSUES WITH SHOULD ENOUGH WATER TO THEM, BUT IF THEY'RE SPEWING WATER ALL OVER THE PLACE, YOU KNOW, THOSE COULD BE SHUT OFF WITHOUT SHUTTING EVERYBODY OFF IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING.
UM, ONE LAST COMMENT IS THAT, UM, MY WIFE AND I WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BUILD A HOUSE EIGHT YEARS AGO, AND MY BUILDER THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY WHEN I ASKED FOR A INSIDE INTERNAL SHUTOFF VALVE FOR ALL OF THE OUTSIDE FAUCETS.
UM, AND, UM, I HAVEN'T TALKED TO HIM SINCE URI, BUT, BUT, UH, BUT I BET HE THINKS I'M PROBABLY
[01:25:01]
SMARTER THAN HE DID EIGHT YEARS AGO.CAUSE HE WAS LIKE, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS FOR? AND I'M LIKE, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHUT MY WATER OFF OUTSIDE IN A CENTRAL WAY, WHICH, WHICH, YOU KNOW, REMOVED A LOT OF STRESS FOR US IN TERMS OF PIPES, UM, PUMPING.
AND THERE'S A WATER CONSERVATION ASPECT TO IT AS WELL.
CAUSE IT STOPPED MY NEIGHBOR FROM HOOKING UP TO MY FAUCET TO WASH HIS CAR.
SO HOPEFULLY HE'S NOT WATCHING.
UM, I THINK WE'LL PROBABLY NEED TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, BUT ONE, ONE MORE PLUG BECAUSE IT'S EXCITING TO HEAR THAT Y'ALL ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR CITY RESILIENCE HUBS.
UM, BUT AS WE'VE WORKED MORE AS A TASK FORCE ON ENABLING DECENTRALIZED WATER REUSE AND AS RAINWATER HARVESTING AND THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY PART OF OUR PROGRAM.
UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE, UM, REALLY WONDERFUL IF THERE WERE OPPORTUNITIES AS NEW CITY BUILDINGS CAME ONLINE, UM, TO HAVE EVEN BE ABLE TO THINK THROUGH WHAT THE WATER UTILITY COULD RAINWATER HARVESTING AND LARGE STORAGE TANKS AND ONSITE TREATMENT BE PART OF A, KIND OF A RESILIENCY HUB NETWORK FOR PORTABLE WATER SUPPLIES, MAYBE WITH THEIR OWN INDEPENDENT ENERGY SOURCES THAT ARE OFF GRID.
SO THAT IF YOU DID HAVE A GOD FORBID LIKE L LONGSTANDING OR CAUGHT FAILURE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WE'RE NOT JUST DEPENDENT ON BOTTLED WATER AND, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, TANKER TRUCKS, BUT THERE'S ACTUALLY KIND OF FIXED INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CAN SUPPORT, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME LEVEL OF PORTABLE WATER PROVISION.
SO, UM, IT'S EXCITING THAT YOU GUYS ARE, ARE THINKING ABOUT THIS STUFF.
AND AGAIN, THE TASK FORCE MEMBERS I THINK ARE, UM, ALWAYS HAPPY TO HELP PLAY A HAND IN ANY OF THAT KIND OF STUFF THAT MIGHT INTERFACE WITH OTHER CITY OR COUNTY AGENCIES.
I HOPE Y'ALL UM, JUST I'LL TAKE ONE SECOND.
JUST ONE SECOND BEFORE THIS ITEM IS OVER, I HOPE Y'ALL KNEW THIS WAS COMING BECAUSE THIS IS OUR LAST ITEM ON THE WINTER SERIES OF WINTER STORM THEORY, BUT I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT RANDY, UH, KEVIN J NOW, UH, AND OTHER FOLKS WITHIN THE UTILITY SENT, WE SEND, UM, FOCUSED ON THIS EVENT AND IT WAS A VERY TRAUMATIC EVENT AND I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE EVERYTHING THAT THEY DID.
AND, UM, ALSO RECOGNIZE, UH, J NOW IN THIS EVENT, UH, SHE LED AN ONSITE WATER DISTRIBUTION, UH, UH, EFFORTS DELIVERING WATER IN PERSON TO 340 HOMES TO DID NOT HAVE WATER AND FOUR MONTHS IN TO HER CAREER AS A UTILITY.
SO I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE THAT.
AND, UM, THANKS TO ALL OF YOU.
IT WAS OBVIOUSLY IT WAS A VERY TRAUMATIC EVENT FOR, UM, MANY PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND I KNOW THAT WAS ESPECIALLY, ESPECIALLY HARD WHEN IT'S YOUR DAY JOB, UM, AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO OPERATE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT WHEN YOUR DAY TO DAY JOB HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY INTERRUPTED, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU GUYS DID AND CONTINUE TO DO.
[2.e. Water Forward Update Briefing]
WATER FORWARD, UPDATE BRIEFINGOKAY, SO YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO WE HAD PROVIDED A PRESENTATION TO THE TASKFORCE IN MAY, UH, 2021, UM, ON OUR WATERFORD PROJECT PLAN.
AND WE HAVE A, A FULL PRESENTATION THAT LAYS OUT THE SCOPE OF THESE TASKS, UM, AS WELL AS CHANGES ANTICIPATED FROM THE LAST, UH, WATERFORD PLANNING PROCESS, UM, THAT THIS GRAPHIC JUST LAYS OUT KIND OF A GENERAL A SEQUENCE OF THOSE TASKS, STARTING WITH PROJECT MANAGEMENT AS OUR FIRST TASK, OUR SECOND TASK IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO LAST THROUGH THE PROJECT PLANNING PROCESS, TASK THREE, BEING TO REFINE AND UPDATE OUR PLANNING METHODOLOGY, INCLUDING THE UPDATE TO GUIDING PRINCIPLES, UM, TO, UH, KEY OBJECTIVES AND SUB OBJECTIVES, UM, THAT TO OUR METHODOLOGIES FOR DOING SPECIFIC ANALYSIS, AS WELL AS, UM, FOR EVALUATING PORTFOLIO.
AGAIN, THIS IS KIND OF BUILDING OFF OF THE WATERFORD 2018 PLANNING PROCESS.
UM, THEN, UH, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION, WE'D BE, UM, IN CHECK FOR UPDATING THE, OUR BASELINE WATER DEMAND PROJECTIONS FOR THE A HUNDRED YEAR PLANNING HORIZON.
UM, IN CASK FIVE, WE'D BE UPDATING OUR CLIMATE AND HYDROLOGY ANALYSIS.
AND I'VE ALREADY MENTIONED IT A COUPLE OF TIMES NOW, THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING TO TRY TO MOVE THAT WORK FORWARD, UH, OUR BASELINE WATER DEMAND PROJECTION, AS WELL AS OUR CLIMATE AND HYDROLOGY
[01:30:01]
ANALYSIS WILL FEED INTO TASK SIX TO ALLOW US TO IDENTIFY WATER RESOURCE NEEDS AND MOVING FORWARD AND TO THE FUTURE AND BASED ON THOSE WATER RESOURCE NEEDS.AND WE WOULD IDENTIFY GREEN AND CHARACTERIZE STRATEGIES, UH, TO INCLUDE WITHIN THIS ROUND OF PLANNING.
SO WE'RE KIND OF FALLING A SIMILAR PATTERN AS THE REGIONAL WATER PLANNING PROCESS, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH KIND OF LUMPING ALL OF OUR STRATEGIES INTO THE SAME BUCKET, PUSHING THAT THROUGH OUR SCREENING PROCESS AND THEN UPDATING THE CHARACTERIZATION TO STRATEGIES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN CONSIDERED IN THE 2018 WATERFORD PLANNING PROCESS OR CREATING AND CHARACTERIZATION WITH YIELD COSTS AND OTHER INFORMATION FOR STRATEGIES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED.
UM, WE WOULD TAKE THESE STRATEGIES AND THE DEMAND MANAGEMENT AND SUPPLY SIDE AND COMBINED THOSE INTO PORTFOLIOS AND CESC EIGHT, AND THEN EVALUATE THOSE WATER RESOURCE PORTFOLIOS.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY IN CHASKA NINE DEVELOP PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, ABOUT WHAT STRATEGIES TO MOVE FORWARD WITH AND DOCUMENT OUR ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT APPROACH NEXT, RIGHT, UH, PROGRESS TO DATE.
THERE'S A LOT OF TEXT ON THE SLIDE MAINLY BECAUSE I WAS, UM, THINKING THAT WE MAY NOT MAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO THIS, UM, ITEM, BUT WE'VE PROGRESSED, UM, PRETTY, PRETTY RAPIDLY THROUGH OUR CONTENT.
UM, BUT I'LL GO AHEAD AND GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON KIND OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR A TEST TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
AND LIKE I MENTIONED, WE GAVE A PRESENTATION TO THE TEST PERSON MAY, AND WE'VE ALSO BEEN, UM, MAINLY LED BY JNL, UM, PERFORMING PLANNING AND LOGISTICS FOR OUR COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP, UM, INCLUDING RESEARCH IN COORDINATION WITH THE EQUITY OFFICE AND OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, WATERSHIP PROTECTION AND OTHERS, UH, TO GET INPUT INTO THIS, UM, GROUP, UM, JNL HAS DEVELOPED A DRAFT APPLICATION AND AS WELL AS OTHER MATERIALS RELATED TO THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP FOR TASK FOR DEMAND FORECASTING, UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON COORDINATING WITH OUR NEW CITY DEMOGRAPHER.
SO SOME OF Y'ALL MAY BE AWARE OUR PREVIOUS CITY, DEMOGRAPHER, RYAN ROBINSON HAS RETIRED AND WE HAVE A NEW CITY, DEMOGRAPHER.
UH, SHE JOINED THE CITY, I THINK IT WAS MAYBE SIX MONTHS AGO OR SO.
UM, AND, UH, SHE'S GOING TO BE WORKING WITH US ON DEVELOPING CITY OF AUSTIN, AUSTIN WATER POPULATION, UNEMPLOYMENT PROJECTION AT THE TOTAL LEVEL.
AND WE'LL BE WORKING WITH US TO TAKE THOSE DOWN TO THE DTI LEVEL.
AND JUST AS A REMINDER, GTI STANDS FOR DELPHI TRENDS, IMAGINE AUSTIN.
AND IT'S THE SPATIAL UNIT THAT WE USE, UH, TO DEVELOP, UM, POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS, PROJECTIONS OF A SINGLE FAMILY AND MULTI-FAMILY UNITS, AS WELL AS DEMAND PROJECTIONS THAT ARE BROKEN DOWN TO THE SECTOR SUB SECTOR AND END USE LEVEL.
THE DTI POLYGONS ARE ROUGHLY ANALOGOUS IN SIZE AND SHAPE TO CENSUS TRACK PER OUR CITY DEMOGRAPHER.
UM, AND FOR OTHER SOURCES, THE 2020 CENSUS DATA WILL BE AVAILABLE ON AUGUST 16TH, 2021.
IT'S ABOUT SIX MONTHS DELAYED FROM, UH, J YOU KNOW, THE, THE CENSUS WOULD TYPICALLY HAVE, UM, HAVE, YOU KNOW, RELEASED A DATA UPON, BUT, UM, THERE WERE, WE HAVE KIND OF INEVITABLE DELAYS WITH THE PANDEMIC AND OTHER SITUATIONS THAT WE ARE HOPING THAT THAT DATA WILL BE AVAILABLE ON AUGUST 16TH.
UM, AND THE DEMOGRAPHER WILL TAKE THIS NEW DATA AND DEVELOP A NEW CITY OF AUSTIN PROJECTION OF POPULATION, UM, THAT POPULATION PROJECTION, SINCE WE'RE WORKING WITH NEW CENSUS DATA AND WE ARE LIKELY WORKING WITH A NEW, UM, UH, METHODOLOGY TO DEVELOP THAT DEMOGRAPHER FORECAST WILL BE AVAILABLE IN EARLY 2022.
SO THAT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, ABOUT POSSIBLY SIX MONTHS TO DEVELOP THAT PROJECTION.
THAT'S A LITTLE BIT LATER THAN WE WERE ANTICIPATING, UM, GETTING A POPULATION PROJECTION TO WORK OFF OF BECAUSE WE NEED TO TAKE THAT POPULATION PROJECTION WELL, WHICH WILL GO OUT FOR ABOUT THE, UH, 40 50 YEARS POSSIBLY.
WE NEED TO TAKE THAT POPULATION PROJECTION AND EXTEND IT TO OUR A HUNDRED YEAR PLANNING HORIZON, UM, WORKING WITH THE CITY DEMOGRAPHER AGAIN, MAN, WE'LL HAVE TO TAKE THAT A HUNDRED YEAR, UM, POPULATION PROJECTIONS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND FOR OUR AUSTIN WATER SERVICE POPULATION.
AND DIS-AGGREGATE THAT POPULATION INTO THOSE VARIOUS, UM, SPATIAL ENTITIES.
UM, WE NEED THAT INFORMATION BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT DRIVES OUR DIS-AGGREGATED DEMAND MODEL AND ULTIMATELY OUR, OUR DEMAND FORECAST.
SO THIS PROCESS OF TAKING THAT INFORMATION AND, UM, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPING OUR SPATIAL ESTIMATES OF TOP AND, AND UNIT WILL LIKELY TAKE US THROUGH SUMMER OF 2022.
AND WE'LL LIKELY PUSH BACK TASK SIX, WHICH IS THE FOLLOWING TASKS WHEN WE WATER RESOURCE NEEDS THAT THEN WE'LL PUSH BACK TO SUBSEQUENT TASKS.
[01:35:01]
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW IS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT EXACTLY THE IMPLICATIONS ARE FOR THE SEQUENCING AND THE DURATION OF TASKS OF THOSE TASKS, UM, OUR DEMAND FORECASTING TESTS, AND CAST TO FOLLOW I'M GOING TO PAUSE THERE BECAUSE THAT WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION.AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS.
SO, SO ON TASK FIVE, UM, WHAT, SO WHAT'S THE OUTPUT GOING TO BE, I GUESS, ON THE HYDROLOGY ANALYSIS? I MEAN, I KNOW, I KNOW THE, YOU KNOW, THE APPROPRIATE CLIMATE MODELS AND DOWNSCALING WILL BE CHOSEN THAT WILL THEN BE RUN BY THE HYDROLOGIST, UM, TO, UM, UM, LOOK AT WHAT THAT MEANS FOR HIGHLAND LAKES.
AND THINKING BACK TO THE, TO THE FIRST PLAN, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW WAS THAT INFORMATION USED? IT'S LIKE THE, THE, YOU KNOW, SAW THE PLOTS THAT SHOWED STORAGE AND THE RESERVOIRS WITH INCREASED, UM, USAGE OF, OF AUSTIN'S PERMIT, UM, YOU KNOW, SHOWING, SHOWING THEM GO DRY, BUT WHAT IS, WHAT IS ULTIMATELY, WHAT IS THE OUTPUT FROM THAT HYDROLOGIC ANALYSIS? YEAH, SO THE OUTPUT OF THAT ANALYSIS WILL BE STREAM FLOW PROJECTIONS THAT WE CAN RUN THROUGH THE WATER AVAILABILITY MODEL.
ULTIMATELY THAT'S THE DELIVERABLE, UM, THEY CLIMATE ADJUSTED STREAM FLOW PROJECTIONS THAT ARE BASED ON THE SELECTION OF VARIOUS GCMS, UM, THE SELECTION OF DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, UM, THAT, THAT TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION DATA THAT'S COMING OUT OF THOSE GCMS, LIKE YOU SAID, WILL BE RUN THROUGH THE HYDROLOGIC MODEL.
AND THEN OUT OF THE HYDROLOGIC MODELS THAT ARE BASED ON CORRELATIONS WITH TEMPERATURE AND STREAMFLOW AND PRECEPTS AND STUDENTS, WILL HE HOPE TO HAVE PROJECTIONS OF STREAM FLOW THAT THEN WE CAN RENT THROUGH THE MODEL AND DO, UM, DO THE HYDROLOGIC MODELS THAT ARE BUILT FOR EACH OF THE 43 GAUGES WITHIN THE BASIN AND THAT INFORMATION, THAT INFORMATION IS USED, UM, IN, UM, WHEN WE ADD IN OR DEMANDS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AS WELL AS THE REGIONAL DEMANDS, CAUSE WE'LL ALSO DEVELOP REGIONAL DEMAND PROJECTIONS OUT FOR A HUNDRED YEARS, THEN WE'LL GET A SENSE OF HOW MUCH, UM, WATER WE NEED IN THE FUTURE.
WHAT IS THE CITY OF AUSTIN SHORTAGE AS WE LOOK FORWARD? AND THAT IS WE KIND OF PIECE THAT OUT.
THE ACTUAL NEEDS ANALYSIS IS PERFORMED IN TEST SIX, THE OUTPUT OF TASKS FIVE IS REALLY THE STREAM FLOW PROJECTIONS, EITHER FROM THE GCM BASED WORK OR OUR 10,000 YEARS SEQUENCES OF HYDROLOGY THAT ARE TACTICALLY GENERATED.
SO IS THAT A REIT THEN A RECALCULATION OF, OF WHAT, UM, FROM YIELD MIGHT BE FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR THE SYSTEM AND FOR AUSTIN'S PERMITS AND FOR, FOR, UM, EL CRA'S METS, IS THAT WITHIN DEFINES WHAT'S WHAT'S AVAILABLE IN TERMS OF A CLIMATE ADJUSTED, UM, SURFACE WATER AVAILABILITY? I WOULDN'T NECESSARILY SAY IT'S A RECALCULATION OF THE FOR MEALS BECAUSE WE DON'T USE THE SAME MODEL AS THE MODEL THAT'S USED TO CALCULATE.
THE FOR MEAL ARE OUR WHAM IS WHAT WE CALL A WATERFORD LAMB.
AND SO IT'S ADJUSTED TO REFLECT DIFFERENT ASSUMPTIONS, INCLUDING DIFFERENT, UH, ASSUMPTIONS ON REGIONAL DEMANDS AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, DEMANDS.
SO I WOULDN'T GO SO FAR AS TO SAY IT'S A RECALCULATION OF THE, FROM YIELD.
UM, SO MUCH AS IT IS A PROCESS TO IDENTIFY CITY OF AUSTIN WATER NAMES, I GUESS MAYBE, MAYBE I CALL IT CLIMATE ADJUSTED OR MEALED.
UM, BUT I'M KIND OF WONDERING, CAUSE CAUSE YOU KNOW, THE WATER PLANNING SAY WITH THE STATE IS, I MEAN, IT'S BASED ON THE, FROM YIELD, ALTHOUGH THERE IS A SAFE YIELD ABILITY TO USE THE SAFE YIELD.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF REACHING K USED THE SAFE YIELD APPROACH WITH, WITH HIGHLAND LAKES, BUT, BUT IF I'M REMEMBERING RIGHT FROM LIKE THE FIRST ROUND OF PLANNING, THAT WAS AN ASSUMPTION MADE ON, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH LCRA WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UM, FROM THE AGREEMENT.
AND IT SEEMS A MORE TECHNICALLY RIGOROUS APPROACH WOULD BE TO, YOU KNOW, CALCULATE A CLIMATE ADJUSTED FROM YIELD TO, TO SEE WHAT, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ROYAL WE THINKS IS GOING TO BE AVAILABLE, UM, IN THE FUTURE RATHER THAN MAKING AN ASSUMPTION THAT, YOU KNOW, LCRA IS GOING TO PROVIDE, UH, OR IS GOING TO HONOR IT AT ARBITRARY LEVEL, UH, AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE.
[01:40:03]
SURE.AND JUST TO CLARIFY, I THINK THAT THE AMOUNT THAT YOU'RE REFERENCING IS, UM, AN AMOUNT THAT WE HAD IDENTIFIED IN THE LAST PLANNING GROUND AS A REGIONAL NEED.
UM, AND IT'S ESSENTIALLY A SHORTAGE.
UM, AND IT WAS A SHORTAGE, UH, COMING UP FROM OUR COLORADO RIVER AND HIGHLAND LAKES SUPPLY.
UM, AND WE HAD AN, WE MADE AN ASSUMPTION THAT, UM, THAT THE LCRA WOULD BE NEEDING HALF OF THAT REGIONAL NEED TO DO ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF SUPPLY OR ADDITIONAL MEASURES THAT THEY WOULD PUT IN PLACE THROUGH THEIR OWN WATER, RESOURCES PLANNING AND, UM, YOU KNOW, STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION EFFORTS.
SO IT WAS, UM, IT WAS BASED ON THIS WORK, UM, ON THE ANALYSIS OF, YOU KNOW, UH, CLIMATE AND HYDROLOGY AND POTENTIAL FUTURE DEMANDS.
AND WE HAD JUST, AGAIN, WE HAD SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ARE NOT TAKING ON THIS ENTIRE NEED.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO ASSUME THAT LCRA WILL BE MEETING 50% OF THIS NEED AND AUSTIN WILL BE, UM, CONSIDERING ITSELF, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, WE'LL BE ATTEMPTING TO FILL THE OTHER 50% OF THAT NEED.
AND, AND WHEN YOU SAY, UM, SO MAYBE I MISUNDERSTAND THEN THAT FIRST ROUND, WHEN YOU SAY REGIONAL NEED, IS THAT MEAN THE NEEDS OF THE REGION OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN OR DOES THAT ALSO INCLUDE AUSTIN? IT, IT ONLY INCLUDES CITY OF AUSTIN'S PORTION OF A REGIONAL NEED.
I'M SORRY, THE LANGUAGE WASN'T VERY EXACT, BUT IT DID JUST INCLUDE THE CITY OF AUSTIN PORTION OF A LARGER REGIONAL NEED.
AND IS IT FOR AUSTIN PROPER? IS IT FOR AUSTIN TO PROVIDE WATER TO THE REGIONAL NEED FOR AUSTIN WATER TO PROVIDE WATER TO ITS CUSTOMERS WOULD BE 4 MILLION PEOPLE THAT WE WOULD ANTICIPATE THE HERE BEING HERE IN 2150.
I MEAN, I'VE NEVER BEEN UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THAT APPROACH BECAUSE IT, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S, THERE'S, THAT'S, THAT'S A BIG SOURCE OF RISK.
UM, AND, AND, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AN ORGANIZATION, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT, THAT, THAT DOESN'T PLAN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND SO IT SEEMS, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE A BIG ASSUMPTION.
UM, SO MAYBE I'D LOVE TO TALK MORE ONLINE, MIGHT BE GETTING TOO TECHNICAL HERE.
CAUSE I DON'T FEEL LIKE I STILL FULLY UNDERSTAND.
UM, BUT, UM, UM, THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION.
I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS ANY CONCERNS ON THAT OR NOT.
UM, OTHERS MIGHT HAVE THOUGHTS TOO ON THIS.
I, IT DID FEEL AT THE TIME, LIKE IT WAS KIND OF LIKE A, A SOLUTION OR LIKE, UM, A, AN ARTIFACT, UM, OR A TOOL TO CREATE A SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM, BUT THAT, UM, WASN'T SOMETHING THAT AT THE TIME IT FELT LIKE WE COULD MANAGE ALONE.
UM, SO I, IT DOES SEEM LIKE SOMETHING THAT'S INAPPROPRIATE CONVERSATION TO HAVE IN THE 2023 PLAN.
I WAS GONNA JUST MENTION THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL REMEMBER, BUT THE WAY THAT WE IDENTIFY OUR CLASSIFIED NEEDS AND THE LAST PLANNING ROUND WAS VERY COMPLICATED.
UM, AND THAT'S KIND OF A KEY POINT THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO REVISIT.
AND THIS PLANNING GROUND IS TO TRY TO SIMPLIFY AND MAKE CLEAR THE WAY THAT WE'RE IDENTIFYING NEEDS AND ADDRESSING THOSE NEEDS, YOU KNOW, AND, AND HAVING COME FROM THE STATE PLANNING PROCESS AND, YOU KNOW, WORKED WITH WATER VELMA BOARD FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE SIMPLE THING FOR ME IS LIKE, OKAY, WHAT, HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU HAVE? UM, AND THEN UNDER CLIMATE FOR SAME AND FOR SURFACE WATER THAT GOES BACK TO, YOU KNOW, UH, AFFIRM YIELD OR A SAFE YIELD IN THIS CASE.
IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT, WHAT CAN WE RELY ON FROM HIGHLAND LAKES? YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT ZERO.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE THINK WE COULD RELY ON? UM, BUT I GUESS EVEN WITH THAT, THERE'S AN ASSUMPTION OF HOW THE SYSTEM GETS MANAGED BY SURFACE WATER MANAGERS.
UM, IN WHICH CASE, YOU KNOW, IF, IF IT ISN'T MANAGED, UM, PROP PROPERLY, IT COULD GO DRUNK.
UM, IN WHICH CASE THEN, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN COULD BE IN, IT COULD BE IN A PICKLE AND IF, AND IF IT'S NOT MANAGED PROPERLY, IT PROBABLY ALSO MEANS THAT HALF THAT WATER IS NOT GOING TO BE THERE.
UM, SO JUST SOMETHING, JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
THAT'S THE THING THAT WORRIES ME THE MOST ABOUT THIS PLANNING PROCESS IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF ASSUMPTIONS
[01:45:01]
WRAPPED UP WITH THAT, THAT SYSTEM.HONEY, I THINK WE'VE GOT BACKGROUND NOISE FROM HIM, MADE HIM MAYBE.
UM, SO A COUPLE THINGS, UM, JUST THIS MAY SOUND KIND OF FLIPPANT, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF ASSUMPTIONS IN A LOT OF THE PLANNING THAT WE DO, NOT ONLY HERE, BUT IN OTHER PLANNING PROCESSES I'M INVOLVED IN, IT'S JUST HOW, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE YOUR RISK TOLERANCE.
UM, AND THEN HOW YOU DEAL WITH, WITH FACTORS, LIKE, DO YOU INCORPORATE CLIMATE CHANGE? DO YOU, ARE YOU WILLING TO, UM, ANTICIPATE THAT PEOPLE CAN CHANGE THE WAY THEY USE WATER? YOU KNOW, ARE WE WILLING TO THINK OUT? SO I THINK LIKE WE'RE REALLY EMBRACING A LOT OF THAT FOR THE WATERFORD PLAN, WHICH I THINK IS REALLY POSITIVE, BUT, UM, I MEAN, I TOTALLY HEAR YOU, ROBERT.
UM, SO THE, THE QUESTION THAT ROBERT WAS BRINGING ABOUT PLANNING, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE, WE'RE TRYING TO GET BACK ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE OF HAVING OUR WATERFORD TASKFORCE MEETING BARRING ANY NATURAL DISASTERS OR OTHERWISE EVERY OTHER MONTH.
AND THEN, UM, AND THEN, UH, HAVING IN THE INTERVENING MONTHS WE HAVING OUR ARTS SUBCOMMITTEE OR WHAT OUR ORDINANCE SUBCOMMITTEES.
SO THIS IS WHEN WE CAN DIG INTO SOME OF THESE ISSUES IF WE WANT, IT'S REALLY LIKE ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION AND THE PLANNING AND THE AFFORDABILITY.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WE WANT TO FLAG FOR THAT AGENDA, BECAUSE THAT MEETINGS WILL HAS BEEN SCHEDULED SO WE CAN, UH, WE CAN DO THAT.
I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE LATER IN JULY.
I'M NOT ACTUALLY SURE EXACTLY WHEN IT IS.
QUESTION TWO OF THREE IS, UH, WE DIDN'T GET TO SEE HIM WHERE HE SAYS LAST SLIDE, BUT I JUST WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT, UM, UPDATES ON PROJECTED TIMING, WHICH I ASSUME IS BASED ON YOUR DISCUSSION ABOUT THE DELAY AND THE DEMOGRAPHER INFORMATION, WHICH IS LIKE DEJA VU, BECAUSE THE SAME THING HAPPENED IN REGIONAL WATER PLANNING THIS TEST HERE.
SO, SO WE SENT DEMOGRAPHY THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION.
UH, BUT, UM, DO YOU, DO YOU ANTICIPATE THAT IT'S GOING TO BE PUSHED LIKE IN A 20, 24 OR SO MID 20, 23 PLAN OR, YOU KNOW, OR MAYBE YOU JUST DON'T KNOW? YEAH, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY PRETTY SAFE TO SAY THAT WE WOULD, UM, BE SEEKING COUNCIL APPROVAL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND COUNCIL APPROVAL OF THIS PLAN IN 2024.
I'M JUST GONNA GO OUT THERE AND SAY THAT.
I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT.
I MEAN, IT IS WHAT IT IS, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, OKAY.
SO MY OTHER QUESTION WAS, WAS ABOUT, UM, I'VE BEEN, IT WAS DOING A LITTLE BIT OF LOOKING BACK AND STUFF.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD SOME PRETTY BEEFY, ROBUST MEETINGS THIS YEAR.
WE'VE, WE'VE HAD A COUPLE, UM, IN JANUARY WE TALKED ABOUT THE ANNUAL REPORT YOU PRES PRESENTED THE DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT, UM, WHICH HAD A LOT OF REALLY GREAT INFORMATION IN IT.
UM, WE DIDN'T EVER SEE A FINAL THAT I KNOW OF AND THERE'S NOTHING ON THE WEBSITE.
SO I WANTED TO SEE IF THAT GOT FINALIZED AND IF SO, COULD WE SHARE IT AND MAYBE GET IT POSTED ON THE WATERFORD WEBSITE? YEAH, WE WILL FOLLOW UP ON THAT.
I KNOW THE ONE FOR LAST YEAR CAME OUT IN MARCH, WHICH WAS NOT A GOOD TIME FOR ANYONE THAT HAD JUST GONE THROUGH WINTER STORM AREA.
SO, YOU KNOW, UM, AND WE HAD A GOOD DISCUSSION ON THERE TOO AT THAT JANUARY MEETING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A TABLE IN THERE ABOUT, ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, ARE WE MEETING GOAL GOAL, LIKE WATER SAVINGS, GALLONS, YOU KNOW, ACRE FEET GOALS, AND IF SO, WHY NOT AND STUFF.
AND, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT'S HARD TO PROJECT WHAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO HAPPEN.
I THINK THERE WAS A GOOD DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT AT THAT MEETING.
UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF SEE HOW IT ALL ENDED UP.
UM, THOSE ARE ALSO, UM, FOR FOLKS THAT VISIT WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, REALLY GOOD INFORMATION TO HAVE GOING IN JUST TO KIND OF SHOW I, I LIKE, I LIKE THIS QUARTERLY AND ANNUAL REPORTING AND STUFF.
AND THEN IF WE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ON THE FINAL REPORT, THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT THEM IN THE SUBCOMMITTEE OR AT THE FULL TASK FORCE MEETING AS WELL.
MARTY, UM, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IN THAT THE TABLE THAT YOU PRESENTED ON UPDATES AGAINST VARIOUS PARTS OF THE, UM, PLAN.
UM, IT IS HELPFUL BECAUSE THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF STUFF GOING ON.
THAT'S NOT QUANTITATIVE IN NATURE, RIGHT? IT'S NOT LIKE VOLUME METRIC OR WHATEVER.
UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THE ANNUAL, UM, OR EVEN IF YOU ALL ARE GATHERING THOSE DATA ON A QUARTERLY TIMETABLE, IF THAT CAN BE PART OF WHAT'S PRESENTED, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S, UM, THERE'S SO MUCH CONTENT THAT WE ALL WADE THROUGH TOGETHER IN THIS PROCESS.
IT'S EASY TO FORGET WHERE WE FARE AGAINST VARIOUS PIECES OF THE PLAN.
[01:50:01]
JUST HAVING THAT BE A REMINDER THAT WE KEEP GETTING, WHEN WE CONVENE TO KNOW HOW WE ARE, UM, PROCEEDING AGAINST THE TARGETS THAT WE HAD SET FOR OURSELVES IN THAT 2018 PLAN, THAT THAT WOULD BE PROBABLY HELPFUL FOR ALL OF US IN ADDITION TO WHEN WE MEET WITH OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS.THANK YOU FOR THAT, JENNIFER, DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER, IT SOUNDED LIKE MAYBE.
I HAD ONE, UM, QUESTION AND I GUESS SUGGESTION AS WELL, WHICH IS FOR THE, THE PROCESS, THE 2023 PLANNING PROCESS.
UM, I WASN'T SURE IF THERE WAS A STEP IN THERE WHERE YOU ALL WERE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT HOW WE WERE FAIRING AGAINST THE GOALS AND ASSUMPTIONS THAT WERE BAKED INTO THE 2018 PLAN OR WHETHER THAT WAS LIKE GALLONS PER CAPITA PER DAY, OR IF IT WAS ABOUT THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF SUPPLY OR DEMAND REDUCTIONS THAT HAD BEEN ACHIEVED THROUGH VARIOUS, UM, PIECES OF THE 2018 PLAN.
BUT COULD YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO HOW IN THE PROCESS YOU ALL WILL BE ASSESSING THAT AND THEN HOW THAT WILL BE FED INTO THE 2023 PLAN DEVELOPMENT? YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, I BELIEVE IT IS IN, I THINK IT'S IN THE PLANNING METHODOLOGY UPDATE TASKS.
WE HAVE A SUB TASK WITHIN THERE TO, UM, EVALUATE WATERFORD 2018 IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS.
AND SO THAT WOULD INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SCHEDULE AND MILESTONES, UH, AGAINST OUR 2018 IMPLEMENTATION CALENDAR THAT'S OR OUTLOOK THAT'S IN THE BACK OF THE PLAN, THOSE 11 BY 17 SHEETS.
AND THAT WOULD ALSO INCLUDE EVALUATION OF SAVINGS IN YIELDS, UM, VERSUS OUR TARGETS THAT WERE INCLUDED IN THE 2018 PLAN, UH, FOR 2020.
AND WE ALSO HAD SOME TARGETS IN THERE THAT I THINK WERE FOR 2025.
SO WE WON'T QUITE REACH THOSE, BUT WE'LL AT LEAST BE ABLE TO EVALUATE, UM, SAVINGS AND YIELD AGAINST OUR 2020 TARGETS, UM, AND YOU KNOW, ANY, ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE BEYOND THERE, UM, AT THAT POINT IN TIME.
THAT'S SUPER IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
UM, OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, MARTY AND JENELLE
[4. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
DO Y'ALL HAVE A FORECAST FOR WHAT MIGHT BE ON THE AGENDA FOR THE NEXT MEETING.UM, AND IS THERE, ARE THERE ANY THINGS, ANY, ANY TOPICS THAT FOLKS HAVE ON THEIR MIND THAT THEY WANT TO THROW INTO THE HAT FOR UPCOMING MEETINGS BEYOND THE WATER LOSS PIECE? WE HEARD ABOUT IT EARLIER, BILL HESITANT UP, SORRY.
I JUST HAD TO UNMUTE MY SCREEN, UM, THING THAT I HAD IN THE BACK OF MINE, WHICH I THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IS WHEN ARE WE GOING TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AND THE STATE OF TEXAS, BUT PUTTING THEM UNDER THE SAME WATER CONSERVATION RULES AS THE S AND I REALIZED THAT THERE'S CONTRACTS INVOLVED, BUT I THINK A NEGOTIATION DISCUSSION FAIRLY SOON.
AND, UM, BECAUSE I IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF COMMITTED ALL THE, WE'RE DOING ALL STUFF TO SQUEEZE OUR WATER GROUPS AND DOING ALL THESE THINGS.
AND THEY'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING WE'RE VERY LITTLE AND AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT, BUT I DO KNOW THAT THE THINGS THAT ARE FLYING UP WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD HAD NOT ONE DROP WATER CONSERVATION INVOLVED SO THAT THE STATE AGENCY WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF MONITORING WATER CONSERVATION, STATEWIDE OUT THEIR WINDOW AND SEE AN ABSOLUTE NON CONFORMING BUILDING ADAPTATION.
AND I THINK THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS IS KIND OF SIMILAR.
I THINK THAT BASKETBALL ARENA THEY'RE THROWING UP AS NO WATER CONSTANTLY.
I REALIZE THIS IS PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE A FUN DISCUSSION, AND MAYBE YOU HAVE TO WAIT ON CONTRACTS ROLL AROUND, BUT I THINK IT'S TIME THAT WE HAVE AN ENGAGEMENT THERE BECAUSE THOSE ARE LARGE AREAS WITH A LIAR TO DANCE, AT LEAST DAYTIME POPULATION.
AND I WOULD THINK THE WATER WATER WASTE IS OFF THE CHARTS.
[01:55:01]
GO BACK.UM, JENNIFER, I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN SOMEHOW ENGAGED IN STATE BUILDING CONSERVATION PLANNING, RIGHT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? WELL, YES.
I MEAN, THEY SHOULD BE DOING MORE.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM DO MORE.
I MEAN, WE CAN USE OUR FUNDS IN TEXAS TO ACHIEVE MUCH BIGGER AMOUNTS OF CONSERVATION AND TO, YOU KNOW, TEST OUT AND SHOWCASE, UM, ALTERNATIVE WATER STRATEGIES.
AND THERE'S JUST, IT'S, IT'S NOT THERE.
UM, SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT PROJECTS THAT GO THROUGH SEEKER, THE STATE ENERGY CONSERVATION OFFICE, LIKE THEY STATE PROJECTS OR PROJECTS FUNDED WITH STATE MONEY, HAVE TO MEET A MINIMUM WATER CONSERVATION.
THEY HAVE TO CERTIFY THAT THROUGH CECO.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I'VE LOOKED THE STATE OFFICE, THE STATE CAPITOL COMPLEX THAT'S BEING BUILT, UM, HAS DONE THAT, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOTHING SAYING THEY COULDN'T DO MORE.
UM, AND, AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH AUSTIN'S, UM, STRATEGIES AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO, IN FACT, FUNNY STORY, NOT REALLY, ACTUALLY, NOT THAT FUNNY, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE NEW CAPITOL COMPLEX WEBSITE A WHILE BACK WHEN THIS FIRST STARTED GETTING ASKED ABOUT THIS WAS PROBABLY LIKE TWO YEARS AGO ACTUALLY LISTED THAT THEY WERE HOOKED UP TO AUSTIN'S RECLAIMED WATER LINES.
AND I REMEMBER TEXTING OR EMAILING, UH, KEVIN ABOUT THAT.
IT'S LIKE, UH, IN FACT, THEY'RE NOT, UM, THEY CHANGED THE WEBSITE, BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF THEY HAD ACTUALLY HOOKED UP TO THE WATER LINES.
BUT, UM, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S JUST, THERE'S SO MUCH MORE THAT CAN BE DONE.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOMETIMES YOU JUST SEE THAT CHAMPION OR AGITATOR, UM, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN'S IN A, CAN BE, HAS BEEN, AND PROBABLY WILL BE IN A TRICKY POSITION WITH THE LEGISLATURE.
SO IT MAY, IT MAY REQUIRE OUTSIDE AGITATION.
ONE OF THOSE CONTRACTS COMING UP THAT BILL'S REFERENCING, I DON'T KNOW, KEVIN, DO YOU KNOW, CITI DOES NOT PROVIDE UTILITY SERVICE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS OR THE STATE OF TEXAS UNDER CONTRACT.
THEY ARE CUSTOMERS, THEY ARE LARGE VOLUME CUSTOMERS.
AND SO THERE'S NOT AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACT THAT DICTATES THAT, UM, THAT RELATIONSHIP.
SO THERE'S NOT A SPECIFIC NEGOTIATION.
WE DON'T NEGOTIATE CONTRACTS WITH THOSE ENTITIES.
AND THEN BECAUSE THEY'RE STATE AGENCIES, THEY DON'T HAVE TO HATE HERE TO LOCAL ORDINANCES.
IT DID, UH, ENVIRONMENT, TEXAS, I THOUGHT WAS DOING AN ANALYSIS OF A RAINWATER HARVESTING IMPLEMENTATION.
JENNIFER DID, DID A REPORT COME OUT ON THAT? I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT.
UM, IT SEEMS LIKE, NO, I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT.
I WON'T SPECULATE MY OPINION IS THEY'RE USING THE CITY'S WATER.
THE CITY OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO TELL THEM, UH, TO WHAT SCAM THEY USE IT.
I THINK WE'RE RIGHT AT THE FIVE O'CLOCK MARK, I GUESS I'LL JUST OFFER THE COMMENT THAT, UM, AND I'M ASSUMING, BUT MAYBE IT HASN'T HAPPENED AMONG ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT AUSTIN WATER STAFF I'VE HAD TO DO THAT, YOU KNOW, LAST WEEK LAST WE SPOKE ABOUT THIS.
IT SOUNDED LIKE THOSE WHO WERE IN THE DECISION-MAKING SEAT, UM, IN THE STATE AGENCY THAT PLANNING FOR WHAT WAS ALLOWABLE AND NOT ALLOWABLE IN THOSE BUILDINGS WAS MAKING IT BASED ON A VERY SIMPLE KIND OF RETURN ON INVESTMENT PERIOD.
THAT WAS NOT REALLY, UM, THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR THINKING CREATIVELY, BUT I'M SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, AN ANALYSIS ON HOW MUCH MONEY THEY COULD SAVE IN THOSE BUILDINGS THROUGH SOME DIFFERENT, UM, PRACTICES COULD ACTUALLY BE, UM, AN EFFECTIVE WAY FORWARD RATHER THAN A MANDATE.
SO I DUNNO, I GUESS I LEAVE THAT THERE.
AND MAYBE WE CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THAT FROM FOLKS AT AUSTIN WATER OR ELSEWHERE IF ANYBODY'S DONE THIS LIKE THAT, TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT TO FOLKS AT THE STATE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE MAKING BUSINESS DECISIONS.
I JUST HAD A REALLY QUICK QUESTION, SO THEY'RE NOT SUBJECT TO LOCAL ORDINANCES, BUT THEY ARE SUBJECT TO OUR RATES.
IS THAT CORRECT? SO YOU, SO YOU COULD SET UP A RATE STRUCTURE THAT CREATED INCENTIVE AS YOU'RE DESCRIBING, I THINK CHARLOTTE W UM, ALL RIGHT.
[02:00:02]
FOR THE NEXT MEETING, BUT FOR SURE, IT SOUNDS LIKE AT LEAST ONE SPECIFIC ITEM THAT FOLKS WOULD LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT IS THE WATER LOSS PIECE.AND IF IT'S APPROPRIATE FOR A COUNCIL, OR IT CAN SAY COUNCIL, I'M SORRY, A TASK SPORTS GROUP TO TALK ABOUT THE ISSUE I BROUGHT UP ON THE 50% ASSUMPTION WITH LCRA, UM, OR THE, YOU KNOW, THE CONTRACTED WATER WITH LCRA.
IT'D BE GOOD TO, I THINK IT'D BE GOOD FOR EVERYBODY TO HEAR THAT IF THEY'RE INTERESTED, YOU MEAN A SPECIFIC PRESENTATION ON, LIKE, WHAT WAS THE ASSUMPTION AND OR WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT, WHAT IS IT, I MEAN, I'M ASSUMING WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT AGAIN WITH THIS NEXT PLANT.
AND I JUST WOULD LIKE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT ASSUMPTIONS ARE GOING INTO IT.
SO MAYBE MARTY, THAT SOUNDS LIKE THOSE ARE TWO HEFTY THINGS.
MAYBE NOT ON THE SAME MEETING AGENDA, BUT IT IS GOOD RATHER THAN PUTTING ALL THE ENERGY INTO WHEN THE 2023 PLAN STARTS IN EARNEST, LIKE KIND OF HELPING US ALL GET OUR SCANS, GOING AGAIN ABOUT HOW DOES THE PLANNING PROCESS WORK? WHAT ARE THE EMBEDDED ASSUMPTIONS? AND THERE WOULD BE A GOOD TIME.
AND I ACTUALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
AND I WOULD SAY THAT I, UM, IT'S NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT CERTAIN THAT WE'LL USE EXACTLY THAT SAME METHODOLOGY FOR THAT THINGS.
WE CAN ONLY OUR THEORIES PORTION OF THAT REGIONAL NEED.
SO IT'S, IT'S KIND OF ADD TO THE UPDATING OF OUR PLAN, ESPECIALLY IF YOU DID THAT PLANNING METHODOLOGY TASK FOR US TO FIGURE OUT KIND OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
SO W DEFINITELY WE'LL FOLLOW UP ON THAT AS WELL.
I JUST HAVE TO POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE A BETTER FORT ORDINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING THIS FRIDAY AT TWO O'CLOCK AND THERE'S CURRENTLY FOUR MEMBERS ON THAT COMMITTEE.
SO THERE'S A SPACE FOR ONE MORE TASK FORCE MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT IF THEY'RE SO INTERESTED WHO, WHO ALL IS RSVP FOR THAT, OR DO YOU MEAN FOR IT TO JUST BE A PART OF THE COMMITTEE? IS THAT WHAT YOU MEAN? I BELIEVE THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS, I DON'T HAVE MY NOTES RIGHT NOW.
UM, ARE MYSELF YOU, CHARLENE? IS IT BILL PERRY? IS THAT RIGHT? BUT I THINK VANESSA IS ON IT, RIGHT? OH, VANESSA.
SO BILL, I THINK THAT YOU, WELL, MAYBE WE DO HAVE FIVE PEOPLE NOW, ARE YOU ON THAT BILL OFFICIAL? I THINK THEY KICKED ME OFF, THEN THEY REEL ME BACK.
ON THE TOPIC OF, UH, SUBCOMMITTEES, UH, VANESSA HAD POINTED OUT THAT SHE WOULD LIKE TO STEP DOWN FROM THE IPR SUBCOMMITTEE.
IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN JOINING THAT ONE, THIS IS THE INDIRECT POTABLE REUSE.
WE'RE STEPPING DOWN VANESSA FROM THAT COMMITTEE.
I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER WHICH COMMITTEES I'M ON ANYMORE.
I KNOW I'M ON THE CLIMATE CHANGE ONE ON THE ASR.
YEAH, I THINK, WELL, IT COULD BE, UM, WOULD IT MAKE SENSE TO HAVE ON A NEXT AGENDA ITEM OR THE NEXT MEETING AGENDA, A DISCUSSION OF WHAT TASK, WHAT COMMITTEES STILL EXIST? AND IF WE STILL WANT TO KEEP THOSE COMMITTEES AND WHO WANTS TO BELONG TO THOSE, BUT MAYBE HAVE IT AN EARLIER AGENDA.
I WILL SAY WE, WE DID DO THAT LIKE NOT LAST WEEK, BUT THE MEETING BEFORE WE'VE, WE'VE JUST DONE THAT RECENTLY.
SO IT MIGHT JUST BE HELPFUL TO THE TASK FORCE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEES AND HE WAS ON THEM JUST SO FOLKS KNOW.
CAUSE I KNOW I HAVE A LISTEN NOW WE HAD A BIG DISCUSSION ABOUT IT.
I KNOW WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN.
I'M JUST, I ALSO WANTED TO NOTE THAT, UH, ALL SUBCOMMITTEE MEETINGS HAVE BEEN SCHEDULED THROUGH REMAINDER OF THE YEAR, EXCEPT FOR THE SEPTEMBER ORDINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE.
I'M STILL WAITING ON SOME AVAILABILITY FROM FOLKS TO SCHEDULE THAT.
UH, BUT EVERYTHING ELSE HAS BEEN, UH, SCHEDULED THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR.
AND UH, THE TOMO RESTRICTIONS WILL BE UP STARTING IN SEPTEMBER.
SO OUR SEPTEMBER TASK FORCE MEETING, UH, IS SCHEDULED TO BE IN PERSON, UM, ON SEPTEMBER 7TH, THAT'S A TUESDAY, SAME TIME, THREE TO FIVE.
UM, AND THE BUILDING WE HAVE IS THE NEW CHQ, UM, BUILDING, UH, IN MUELLER.
[02:05:03]
AND I'LL SEND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LOGISTICS FOR THAT ONE.DANNY, DID YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING OF THE, UH, ON-SITE BLACKWATER TREATMENT OR MAYBE WE'LL HAVE A MEETING OVER THERE AND WE CAN HAVE A TOUR.
AND WHAT I HEAR THE PDC IS PRETTY COOL, BUT I HAVEN'T BEEN THERE.
KEVIN ISN'T THERE LOVE TO GEEK OUT ON THAT.
UM, WAS THAT WAS, WAS THAT AT JANELLE'S? I'M SORRY.