Aug 23, 2023 Austin Water Oversight Committee

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THERE IT IS.

[CALL TO ORDER]

I'M THE CHAIR OF THE AUSTIN WATER UTILITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, AND I AM CALLING TO ORDER OUR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23RD, 2023, REGULARLY SCHEDULED COMMITTEE MEETING.

IT IS A LITTLE AFTER ONE O'CLOCK.

IT IS 1:02 PM AND WE ARE AT AUSTIN CITY HALL IN THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM.

UH, I SEE THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VELAZQUEZ IS WITH, HAS JOINED US VIRTUALLY.

AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON ALTER IS HERE, ALONG WITH ME, I BELIEVE.

COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER, OUR VICE CHAIR WILL BE HERE SHORTLY.

SO HAVING CALLED US TO ORDER, WE, I THINK WE'LL HAVE A FAIRLY QUICK MEETING TODAY.

UH, AND WE WILL START, UH, LET'S SEE.

PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS.

WE HAVE NO ONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, IS THAT RIGHT? VERY GOOD.

AND SO, ITEM

[1. Approve the minutes of the May 24, 2023 regular meeting of the Austin Water Oversight Committee.]

AND COUNCIL MEMBER JOSE VELASQUEZ'S.

SECONDS.

ARE THERE ANY CHANGES OR CORRECTIONS OR COMMENTS? HEARING NONE, UM, UH, ALL THOSE, UH, UH, UH, APPROVING, PLEASE SAY YES.

AND THAT LOOKS, UH, UNANIMOUS.

THE THREE OF US.

WE MOVE NOW TO DISCUSSION

[2. Discussion and possible action regarding remaining Austin Water Oversight Committee meeting dates for 2023.]

AND YOU ALL WILL REMEMBER AT OUR LAST MEETING, WE LOOKED AT SHIFTING THE CURRENT APPROVED DATE OF OCTOBER 25, UH, AT ONE 30 TO THE NEXT DAY, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26TH AT 1:00 PM AND, UH, THAT LOOKED LIKE, UH, WORKED FOR EVERYBODY'S SCHEDULES.

SO I WILL NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE SHIFTING OF THIS LAST MEETING OF THE YEAR.

AND I SEE COUNCIL MEMBER VELASQUEZ HAD MADE THAT MOTION.

AND SECOND, A SECOND, UH, VICE CHAIR ALTER.

AND IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO ADOPTING THIS? YES, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON ALTER.

I DON'T HAVE AN OBJECTION TO ADOPTING THIS, BUT, UM, WE DO HAVE SOME STAFF WHO NEED TO BE BOTH AT MOBILITY AND WATER.

AND OCCASIONALLY I DO GO TO THE MOBILITY.

SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING FOR NEXT YEAR, IF WE CAN TRY NOT TO SCHEDULE THEM AT THE SAME TIME, THAT WOULD BE SURE APPRECIATED.

SURE.

AND THIS WAS A LATE, UH, CHANGE TO THE CALENDAR BECAUSE OF CHANGES TO, UM, SCHEDULES.

IT WASN'T THIS WAY INITIALLY.

NO, NO, I UNDERSTAND.

I UNDERSTAND.

I JUST, IT WILL BE TWO IN A ROW I THINK, THAT ARE LIKE THAT.

SO I JUST WANTED TO YEAH, FOR THE FUTURE.

NEXT ONE THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER.

NOT GREAT TO HAVE THEM OVERLAP.

OKAY.

NO OPPOSITION TO SHIFTING THAT.

SO THAT IS ACCOMPLISHED.

BRIEFINGS.

ITEM NUMBER THREE,

[3. Director’s Report on innovations, events and awards, and upcoming recommendations for Council Action.]

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

UM, CHAIR POOL COUNCIL MEMBERS.

UH, I'M SHAY RAWLS ROLSON.

I'M THE DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN WATER.

I HAVE A FEW, UM, ITEMS THAT I WANTED TO, UH, PROVIDE YOU SOME UPDATES AND ACTIVITIES BEYOND THE SPECIFIC ITEMS THAT WE HAVE BRIEFINGS ON TODAY.

UM, FIRST, REGARDING CURRENT EVENTS.

UH, AS YOU KNOW, THE CITY AND COUNTY ARE UNDER A DISASTER DEC DECLARATION REGARDING WILDFIRES.

AUSTIN WATER STAYS PREPARED FOR WILDFIRES.

WE CONDUCT REGULAR WORK AT OUR FACILITIES TO REDUCE RISK.

WE IMPLEMENT SHADED FUEL BREAKS AND PRESCRIBE BURNS ON THE WILDLANDS PROPERTIES.

WE MANAGE.

WE WORK WITH OUR PEERS IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, FIRE AND E M S.

AND IN JUNE, WE CONDUCTED AN EMERGENCY DRILL TO PRACTICE OUR PROTOCOLS AROUND WILDFIRE.

AND OUR PARTNERS PARTICIPATED IN THAT DRILL.

TOXIC ALGAE HAS ALSO BEEN DETECTED IN OUR LAKES AND RIVERS.

UH, TWO YEARS AGO, AUSTIN WATER INVESTED IN LEADING EDGE EQUIPMENT TO BE ABLE TO CONDUCT IN-HOUSE TESTING.

WE COLLABORATE WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION AND HAVE PROTOCOLS AND THRESHOLDS IN PLACE FOR WHEN WE TEST AND WHEN WE INCREASE THE FREQUENCY OF TESTING.

WE ALSO HAVE CONDUCTED LABORATORY TESTING TO CONFIRM OUR TREATMENT PROCESSES ARE EFFECTIVE AT REMOVING CYANOBACTERIAL CELLS.

AND TWO WEEKS AGO, WE CONDUCTED AN EMERGENCY DRILL TO PRACTICE OUR PROTOCOLS AROUND DETECTION OF SANO TOXINS IN OUR WATER TREATMENT PLANTS.

THE COMBINED STORAGE OF OUR WATER SUPPLY LAKES, TRAVIS AND BUCHANAN, HAS FALLEN TO 45% FULL, AND WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED STAGE TWO OF OUR DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN.

UH, WE'LL DISCUSS THIS ITEM MORE IN OUR BRIEFING TODAY.

BUT WITH THE EXTREMELY HOT AND DRY WEATHER, WE ARE EXPERIENCING A HIGHER FREQUENCY OF WATER MAIN LEAKS AND BREAKS.

SO

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JUST THIS WEEK, WE STOOD UP A NEW AND IMPROVED PUBLIC FACING LEAK MAP THAT SHOWS THE SHUTOUT AREA WHEN CREWS ARE WORKING IN THE SYSTEM, RATHER THAN JUST THE SINGLE POINT IDENTIFYING THE LEAK.

SO OUR CUSTOMERS NOW CAN SEE IF THEIR ADDRESSES AFFECTED.

SO, COMING UP ON THE RADAR, WE HAVE SEVERAL IMPORTANT ITEMS COMING FOR COUNCIL APPROVAL.

NEXT WEEK, YOU WILL VOTE ON THE CONTRACT AWARD FOR THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK FOR THE $700 MILLION EXPANSION AND IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT AT THE, UH, WALNUT CREEK WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT.

WE'RE ALSO PREPARING TO SUBMIT A LETTER OF INTENT FOR WALNUT CREEK PROJECT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE OF FINANCE AND INNOVATION ACT WITH YA, WHICH IS A LOW INTEREST LOAN PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY THE E P A.

UH, ONCE WE'RE SELECTED TO APPLY, UH, WE'LL BRING IN R C A TO COUNCIL WITH MORE DETAIL.

WE'RE IMPLEMENTING RESILIENCY PROJECTS ALL OVER OUR SYSTEM, INCLUDING POWER RESILIENCY, SUCH AS BRINGING A SECOND POWER LINE TO THE WILDHORSE WASTEWATER PLANT.

AND WE CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, UM, AND PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT TO IMPLEMENT IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR SYSTEM AS PART OF THEIR PROJECTS.

SO, WE APPRECIATE COUNCIL SUPPORT FOR THESE ITEMS, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT ANY OF THEM, PLEASE LET US KNOW.

LOOKING OUT TO THE HORIZON, WE CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS ON OUR WORK IN EMPLOYEE RECRUITING AND RETENTION.

OUR CURRENT VACANCY RATE IS RIGHT AT 10%, AND WE HAVE SEEN ATTRITION EASE SLIGHTLY IN RECENT MONTHS.

I FEEL LIKE KNOCKING ON WOOD WHEN I SAY THAT, UH, TIMELY IMPLEMENTATION OF OF HR ACTIONS CONTINUES TO BE A FOCUS FOR US AS PART OF OUR WORK IN CULTURE AND EMPLOYEE SUPPORT.

WE RECENTLY COMPLETED A CULTURE SURVEY AND WE'RE CONDUCTING LISTENING SESSIONS OPEN TO ALL OF OUR STAFF.

OUR TALENT DEVELOPMENT TEAM IS CONDUCTING ENVIRONMENTAL SCANS UPON REQUEST AND DEVELOPING TEAM SPECIFIC PLANS FOR BUILDING TRUST AND COLLABORATION WITHIN WORK GROUPS.

UH, THEY'RE ALSO IMPLEMENTING SUPERVISOR AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING.

UH, I MAKE A POINT OF DROPPING IN ON THOSE SESSIONS TO TALK TO OUR TEAMS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS WORK.

AND I ALSO WELCOME NEW STAFF IN PERSON AT EACH BI-WEEKLY NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION.

SO ON THE SUBJECT OF STAFF, ONE AREA I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT TODAY IS THE ANNUAL CAPACITY MAINTENANCE OPERATION AND MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE THAT WE HOST.

20 YEARS AGO, THE CITY OF AUSTIN WAS UNDER AN ENFORCEMENT ORDER WITH E P A TO REDUCE SPILLS FROM OUR WASTEWATER COLLECTION SYSTEM.

WE IMPLEMENTED A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAM CALLED THE AUSTIN CLEAN WATER PROGRAM, AND WE DEVELOPED THIS, WHAT'S CALLED C M O M.

WE DEVELOPED THIS C M O M CONFERENCE AS PART OF OUR COMMITMENT TO MANAGING OUR COLLECTION SYSTEM AND PROTECTING AUSTIN'S WATERWAYS.

EARLIER THIS MONTH, WE PUT ON THE 20TH ANNUAL TWO DAY C M O M CONFERENCE AND HAD MORE THAN 480 ATTENDEES AT THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER, INCLUDING 140 FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKERS WERE FROM E P A NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, E P A REGION SIX, AND THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY.

OTHER PRESENTERS WERE FROM UTILITIES AND SERVICE PROVIDERS ALL OVER THE STATE, UH, AND BEYOND, INCLUDING AUSTIN WATER.

SO THIS CONFERENCE IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW AUSTIN WATER IS LEADING THE WAY IN BUILDING TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE IN THE WATER INDUSTRY.

IN ADDITION TO TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, WE'RE COLLABORATING WITH OUR PARTNERS IN THE INDUSTRY ON MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ANA BRIAN BOHA IS PARTICIPATING ON A NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO REFRESH THE EFFECTIVE UTILITY MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK, UH, WITHIN AUSTIN WATER, WE ARE LAUNCHING A NEW E U M TEAM FOR OPERATIONAL OPTIMIZATION.

AND AUSTIN WATER CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER DAVID JOHNSON, IS THE EXECUTIVE SPONSOR OF THAT TEAM.

SO WE HAVE SEVERAL, UH, PRESENTATIONS FOR THREE PRESENTATIONS FOR YOU TODAY.

SO I'LL, I'LL, UH, I'LL GIVE UP THE MIC TO OUR TEAMS, BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OF THE DIRECTOR AT THIS POINT? YES, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER.

THANK YOU.

I APPRECIATE THAT.

UM, GREAT OVERVIEW OF THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.

UM, CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THE LEAKS THAT YOU'RE SEEING AND WHAT'S CAUSING THEM AND WHAT STEPS YOU'RE TAKING TO ADDRESS THOSE ABNORMAL LEVELS IN THESE REALLY HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS? THE, THE SOIL CONDITIONS ARE, UM, DRYING OUT AND SHIFTING, AND IT'S PRETTY COMMON THAT THIS TIME OF YEAR WE SEE AN UPTICK IN LEAKS AND BREAKS.

AND IT'S, IT'S MORE THAN USUAL BECAUSE THE CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN SO HOT AND SO DRY.

UH, SO WE ARE, UM, MOBILIZING EXTRA TEAMS AND EXTRA SHIFTS, UM, WITHIN THE TEAMS THAT NORMALLY DO THAT WORK, AS WELL AS WITHIN, WE HAVE A, A CONSTRUCTION DIVISION, UM, THAT WORKS ON THEIR OWN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, BUT WE'RE DEPLOYING THEM INTO OUR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, UM, TO GIVE US MORE, UM, MORE BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND, UM,

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WE ALSO HAVE WHAT WE CALL I D I Q, WHICH ARE ON-CALL CONTRACTORS AVAILABLE TO US, UM, TO DEPLOY AS WELL, UM, TO HELP US BRING OUR LEAK COUNTS DOWN.

SO, UM, IT'S, HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET SOME, I HOPE IT'S NOT A STRATEGY, BUT HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET SOME RAIN HERE SOON AND THE TEMPERATURES WILL, WILL EASE A LITTLE BIT, AND WE'LL SEE THOSE BREAK COUNTS COME DOWN AGAIN.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

OKAY.

YOU WANT ME TO INTRODUCE THIS ONE AS YOU WISH? ALL RIGHT.

THIS IS ITEM NUMBER FOUR,

[4. Austin Water External Review: Third Quarter Update on Implementation of Recommendations.]

THANK YOU.

THIS WILL BE, UH, AGAIN, SHAY ROLSON, DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN WATER.

THIS WILL BE A QUICK UPDATE ON OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AUSTIN WATER EXTERNAL REVIEW.

IF I CAN MAKE THE CONTROLLER WORK.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

THANK YOU.

SO THIS IS WHAT WE SHOWED YOU LAST, UH, LAST MEETING IN MAY, UM, WHERE WE STILL HAD ABOUT, UM, SEVEN OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS WERE NOT EITHER UNDERWAY OR IMPLEMENTED YET.

NEXT SLIDE.

I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT AT THIS POINT WE HAVE LAUNCHED, UM, ALL BUT THREE OF THEM, WHICH, AND THERE IS ACTIVE WORK HAPPENING ON THOSE THREE, BUT WE ARE, UH, WE'RE DEFINITELY MAKING, UH, MAKING PROGRESS.

WE HAVE MORE IN THE IMPLEMENTED CATEGORY, MORE UNDERWAY.

UM, AND SO WE ARE, WE'RE ON TRACK ON OUR IMPLEMENTATION.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS.

UM, ON OUR NEWLY IMPLEMENTED ITEMS ON PUBLIC INFORMATION, WE HAVE ISSUED THE INITIAL GENERIC LANGUAGE NOTIFICATIONS, UM, TO THE PUBLIC.

SO WE HAVE, UM, EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION TEMPLATES FOR BOIL WATER NOTICES, EMERGENCY WATER RESTRICTIONS, DO NOT DRINK ADVISORIES, WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS, AND WE HAVE TRANSLATED INFORMATION FOR EACH TYPE OF EVENT INTO 11 LANGUAGES.

UM, SO THAT ITEM IS, IS COMPLETE.

WE'RE READY.

YEP.

WE WILL BE READY TO LAUNCH IN THE EVENT WE HAVE ANY OF THOSE EMERGENCIES.

UM, AND THEN ON THE SOPS AND TRAINING, UH, WE HAVE, UM, ONE OF THESE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGH IS MAKING OUR WAY THROUGH TRAINING ALL OF OUR STAFF, YOU KNOW, HOW TO ACCESS OUR STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

WE HAVE A LOT OF NEW STAFF MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE'S UP TO SPEED, AND THAT'S, THAT IS COMPLETE.

NOW, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO, NEWLY UNDERWAY, WE ARE, UM, INITIATING THE WORK TO, UM, REMEDIATE, UH, A ELEVATION ISSUE ON ONE OF OUR, UM, TREATMENT UNITS AT THE ULRICH WATER TREATMENT PLANT.

UM, WE ARE UNDERWAY ON EVALUATING THE COST OF CONTINUAL POLYMER FEED.

THE POLYMER SYSTEM IS THE SYSTEM THAT WE IMPLEMENTED AFTER THE FLOODS OF 2018 THAT HELP US WITH HIGH TURBIDITY EVENTS, AND WE RUN THOSE POLYMER SYSTEMS ALL THE TIME IN ORDER TO BE SURE THAT THEY WILL WORK WHEN WE NEED THEM.

UM, BUT ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE EXTERNAL REVIEW WAS, DO YOU REALLY NEED TO RUN THEM ALL THE TIME? UM, IS THAT REALLY A BEST PRACTICE? SO WE'RE EVALUATING THAT.

UM, AND THEN IN THE, UH, REPORTING STRUCTURE, UM, WE, UH, ARE UNDERWAY ON OUR LEADERSHIP TRAINING, UM, SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING IN OUR TREATMENT PLANTS.

UH, AND THEN, UM, SOPS IN TRAINING, UH, OUR OIL SPILL RESPONSE PLAN WAS ONE THING THAT EXTERNAL REVIEW NOTED THEY THOUGHT WE SHOULD UPDATE.

SO THAT'S UNDERWAY AS WELL.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

AND THEN IN TERMS OF, UM, SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WERE UNDERWAY BEFORE, AND THEY'RE STILL UNDERWAY, I WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT, UH, WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING ON THEM.

UH, NOTHING IS STUCK IN THE SYSTEM.

EVERYTHING IS MOVING ON THE, UM, TRAINING ON V O C.

THE NEW USER TRAINING IS REGULARLY OFFERED, AND IT'S NOW CAPTURED IN THE CITY'S, UH, TRAIN SYSTEM.

UM, AND WE HAVE OTHER TRAININGS BEYOND, UH, V O C, INCLUDING, UM, VARIOUS INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM TRAININGS AND POSITION SPECIFIC TRAININGS FOR OUR INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM.

AND WE'RE TRACKING ALL OF THOSE IN VS.

IN V O C.

UH, WE ALSO, UH, IMPLEMENTED A REQUIREMENT IN EVERY EMPLOYEE'S, UH, S S P R IN THEIR ANNUAL REVIEW THAT THEY MUST COMPLETE THIS TRAINING IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL ON THEIR S S P R.

UH, AND THEN ON, UM, EVALUATING EMERGENCY PLANNING AND TRAINING AT EACH PLANT.

UM, WE'VE, UH, I MENTIONED EARLIER THE EXERCISES AND DRILLS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.

UM, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, BEEN CONDUCTING FIRE DEPARTMENT MEETINGS WHERE WE ACTUALLY HAVE THEM COME OUT TO THE PLANT AND WE WALK AROUND WITH THEM, AND WE HAVE SOME COLLABORATION

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AND THOSE HAVE BEEN REALLY, UH, VERY WELL RECEIVED.

AND WE'VE BEEN DOING LIFE SAFETY PLAN PRESENTATIONS AND EVACUATION DRILLS AT OUR PLANTS AS WELL.

UM, AND THEN ON THE NOTIFICATION THRESHOLDS, WE ARE UPDATING OUR STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES RELATED TO SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, AND THAT IS VERY NEARLY DONE.

SO THAT WILL CERTAINLY CROSS THE FINISH LINE BEFORE OUR NEXT MEETING.

UM, AND THEN UNDER, UH, OPERATIONS AND ENGINEERING, UM, ACTUALLY WE, UH, ARE STRESS TESTING THE ULRICH WATER TREATMENT PLANT.

THAT IS WHERE WE HAVE BEEN.

WE'VE BEEN INCREMENTALLY, UH, RUNNING THE CAPACITY, THE TREATMENT UP TO HIGHER AND HIGHER LEVELS OF CAPACITY.

AND TODAY WE RAN 140 MILLION GALLONS A DAY THROUGH THE PLANT FOR SEVERAL HOURS.

I THINK IT'S STILL GOING ACTUALLY UNTIL 2:00 PM.

UH, AND THAT HAS GONE VERY WELL.

THAT'S THE MOST WATER WE'VE EVER PRODUCED FROM ULRICH.

SO WE'RE THE, THE TEAM'S BEEN, UM, STOKED TO GET TO, YOU KNOW, PUT THE PLANT THROUGH ITS PACES.

SO THAT'S BEEN A LOT OF, UM, I'M GONNA SAY IT'S BEEN A LOT OF FUN.

STEPHANIE, STEPHANIE CAN CORRECT ME, BUT YEP.

UH, AND THAT IS, THAT IS PRETTY MUCH THE, THE UPDATE FOR, FOR THIS MEETING.

HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? YES.

COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER.

THANK YOU, .

THANK YOU.

I APPRECIATE, UM, THE TRANSPARENCY HERE.

UM, THE IMPLEMENTATION, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO SEE THAT WE ARE TAKING THIS, UM, REPORT SERIOUSLY AND INVESTING, I DO WANNA CALL ATTENTION TO AN ANSWER IN THE Q AND A THAT DETAILS A LOT OF THE BUDGET INVESTMENTS, UM, WHICH YOU DIDN'T MENTION YET, THAT A COMPANY MAKING SURE THAT THESE, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS ARE IMPLEMENTED.

UM, IT'S NO GOOD TO HAVE A REPORT AND SUGGESTIONS IF WE'RE NOT PUTTING, UM, THE INVESTMENTS IN THAT NEED TO HAPPEN.

UM, AND THAT'S IN THE Q AND A IN RESPONSE TO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I ASKED.

UM, SO YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT THE VACANCY RATE THAT YOU WERE SEEING AT AUSTIN WATER WAS 10%.

WHAT IS THE VACANCY RATE AT ULRICH? SO THE VACANCY RATE AT ULRICH, UH, TODAY IS, UH, 37%, AND THAT'S THE SAME AS THE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE.

AND THAT IS NOT BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT HIRED, WE HAVE HIRED, BUT WE'VE ALSO LOST SOME PEOPLE.

SO WE CONTINUE, UM, WE CONTINUE TO GRAPPLE WITH RECRUITING AND RETAINING STAFF, PARTICULARLY AT OUR TREATMENT PLANTS, AT OUR WATER TREATMENT PLANTS.

OKAY.

AND WHAT ARE THOSE RATIOS AT THE OTHER TREATMENT PLANTS? UH, DAVIS IS AT 21%, WHICH IS DOWN FROM, FROM, UH, LAST MEETING.

AND, UH, SO THEY'VE HAD NINE, DAVIS HAS HAD NINE HIRES AND THREE SEPARATIONS.

ULRICH HAS HAD SIX HIRES, BUT SIX SEPARATIONS.

AND THEN HANCOCK'S IS AT 17%.

THEY'VE HAD SIX HIRES, BUT EIGHT SEPARATIONS.

SO, UM, WE ARE, WE DO HAVE, UM, I THINK I MENTIONED THIS IN PREVIOUS UPDATES, BUT WE HAVE DONE SOME OPEN HOUSES WHERE WE ACTUALLY INVITE, UM, APPLICANTS TO COME TO THE PLANT AND TAKE A TOUR, AND WE HAVE, UM, COMPUTERS THERE TO HELP THEM, UH, APPLY ON THE SPOT.

UH, AND WE, WE DID THOSE WITH SOME SUCCESS A FEW MONTHS AGO, AND WE HAVE ANOTHER ROUND OF THOSE SET UP FOR THE COMING MONTHS, ONE AT ULRICH AND ONE AT DAVIS.

AND WE, UM, I, I WANNA, UH, BE SURE TO POINT OUT THAT OUR HIRING PROCESS IS REALLY STRONG.

WE HAVE ONE OF THE FASTEST TIME TO FILL IN THE CITY, SO WE'RE VERY EFFECTIVE AT GETTING POSITIONS POSTED, INTERVIEWED, AND FILLED.

UH, AND SO WE, WE DON'T HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE RECRUITING PROCESS.

WE JUST, WE HAVE, WE HAVE A, LIKE, I LIKE TO SAY, WE DON'T HAVE A RECRUITING PROBLEM.

WE HAVE A RETENTION PROBLEM, AND THAT WHILE WE'RE SEEING ATTRITION LEVELS EASE, THAT CONTINUES TO BE A CHALLENGE.

THANK YOU.

UM, NEEDLESS TO SAY, STILL BEING AT 37% VACANCY FOR ALRICH IS, UM, OR , HOW PRONOUNCING IT, UM, IS, IS DISAPPOINTING.

UM, AND WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY IS IT'S RETENTION, NOT RECRUITING.

UM, I KNOW THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID IN THE BUDGET, OR I GUESS I WAS TOLD WAS IN THE BUDGET, WAS ALREADY IN THE BUDGET, WAS THE, THE STIPEND, UM, CONTINUING FROST AND WATER.

UM, WHAT ARE WE DOING FOR RETENTION? IF WE'VE NARROWED IT IN AND SAYING THAT'S THE PROBLEM, HOW ARE WE ADDRESSING IT AND WHAT ARE WE HEARING ARE THE KEY ISSUES? WE ARE TRYING TO, I WOULD SAY, TURN ALL THE KNOBS ON RETENTION.

SO WE HAVE A 10% RISK TENSION STIPEND THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT WE IMPLEMENTED.

AND, UM, IN MAR IT WENT INTO PAYCHECKS IN MARCH.

UM, THERE WAS, UM, SOME DISCUSSION AT THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE OF REDUCING THAT, UM, WHEN THE, WHEN THIS YEAR'S COST OF LIVING INCREASE WENT INTO EFFECT, THAT'S NOT HAPPENING.

OUR STAFF WILL RETAIN THAT 10% FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.

SO THAT GIVES US SOME BREATHING ROOM THAT'S NOT A PERMANENT SOLUTION.

UM,

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THAT IS ALSO A KEY PART OF RETENTION.

AND THEN WE HAVE A NUMBER OF ITEMS, UM, HR RELATED ITEMS WHERE WE ARE RECLASSIFYING STAFF IN A HIGHER POSITIONS.

WE ARE CHECKING OUR MIX OF WHAT STAFF WE NEED AND DIFFERENT WORK GROUPS AND, AND MAKING THOSE CHANGES.

WE ARE, UM, REVIEWING, UH, SALARY AND COMPENSATION AND ADJUSTING THAT WHERE, WHERE WE CAN, UM, SO WE ARE DOING ALL OF ALL OF THOSE THINGS, AND THAT IS OUR, A NORMAL PART OF OUR BUSINESS.

WE DO THAT ALL THE TIME, BUT WE'RE, UM, WE'RE CERTAINLY, UM, LOOKING AT WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO? WE IMPLEMENTED A SAFETY STIPEND, UM, AND THAT, UH, IT JUST, IT RECOGNIZES THAT'S, UM, SOMETHING THAT H R D, UH, THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT AT THE CITY HAD DEVELOPED, AND WE HAVE ADOPTED IT.

UM, AND IT RECOGNIZES THAT AUSTIN WATER IS A SAFETY SENSITIVE ENVIRONMENT, AND IT PUTS OUR STAFF INTO THREE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES AND THEN PROVIDES A STIPEND ASSOCIATED WITH, UM, WITH THE SAFE SAFETY SENSITIVE WORK THAT OUR STAFF DO.

WE HAVE A LICENSURE STIPEND WHERE IF YOUR LICENSE REQUIRES A, UM, ONE LEVEL OF LICENSE WITH T C A Q, BUT YOU ACHIEVE THE NEXT LEVEL UP, THEN WE HAVE A STIPEND FOR THAT.

SO WE, WE ARE, WE ARE, UM, TRYING TO ADDRESS AS MANY AREAS AS WE CAN TO MAKE AUSTIN WATER A GREAT PLACE TO WORK THAT PEOPLE DON'T WANNA LEAVE.

THANK YOU.

UM, I, I APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE THAT.

ARE THERE SUPPORTS THAT YOU NEED WITH RESPECT TO RETENTION OR OBSTACLES THAT NEED TO BE REMOVED IN ORDER TO RETAIN THERE? THE SHORT ANSWER TO THAT IS I BELIEVE I HAVE THE SUPPORT THAT I NEED, UM, TO TACKLE THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE.

THESE CHALLENGES ARE NOT UNIQUE TO AUSTIN WATER.

UM, AND SO A LOT OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS ARE TACKLING THEM AS WELL.

AND WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER, UM, PARTICULARLY THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS, AUSTIN ENERGY, AUSTIN WATER AVIATION, UM, WE ARE, WE ARE, UM, COLLABORATING A LOT.

AND, UM, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER GOOD, WHO'S SITTING IN THE OFFICE IN, IN THE AUDIENCE, UM, IS HELPING US LEAD THAT.

THANK YOU.

I I JUST WANNA ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO LEAN IN ON THAT, UM, THOSE RETENTION ISSUES AND, AND THE VACANCY RATE AT RE THAT'S, UH, ALARMING THAT IT'S STILL AT 37% WITH EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WE HAVE.

AND, AND YOU KNOW, I, I FEEL FOR THE STAFF THAT ARE CONTINUING TO DO THE WORK UNDER CONDITIONS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IF, UM, SO MUCH OF, OF THE STAFFING THAT NEEDS TO BE THERE TO HAVE THE PLANT OPERATING OPTIMALLY IS NOT THERE, THAT MEANS A WHOLE LOT MORE WEIGHT IS ON THEIR SHOULDERS, UM, AND COMING ON TOP OF THE DISASTERS THAT WE'VE HAD.

UM, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE THERE.

SO I JUST WANNA SAY THAT WE, WE VALUE THEIR WORK AND, AND I'LL SPEAK FOR MYSELF.

I JUST, YOU KNOW, WANNA MANAGEMENT TO CONTINUE TO LEAN IN, UM, TO MAKE, AS YOU SAID, AUSTIN WATER, THE PLACE THAT PEOPLE WANNA STAY AND WORK.

YEAH, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK THAT I DO AS DIRECTOR.

IT'S, THIS IS MY TOP PRIORITY IS, IS MAKING AUSTIN WATER A GREAT PLACE TO WORK.

IT'S THE PEOPLE.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

UM, I'VE GOT ONE QUESTION, UH, ZEBRA MUSSELS.

DO YOU HAVE A STATUS UPDATE FOR US ON THIS? SO WE DO, ZEBRA MUSSELS ARE, UH, HERE TO STAY, AS YOU KNOW, AND, UH, WE DO REGULAR CLEANING OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS IN THE, IN THE LAKES.

UM, AND WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IS BY DOING THOSE ANNUAL CLEANINGS WHERE WE ACTUALLY SEND DIVERS, UM, INTO THE LAKE TO CLEAN THAT, UM, TO CLEAN OUR RAW WATER INTAKES AND, AND THOSE STRUCTURES AND LADYBIRD, UH, LAKE DAM, UM, THAT WE ARE SEEING THAT EACH YEAR IT'S A LITTLE EASIER TO CLEAN THEM.

AND SO WE REALLY FEEL LIKE WE ARE, AND AGAIN, JUST 'CAUSE I GET SUPERSTITIOUS, UH, WE REALLY FEEL LIKE, UM, WE HAVE THAT WE HAVE THOSE SYSTEMS IN PLACE TO HANDLE ZEBRA MUSCLES.

THAT IS GREAT.

YES.

UM, AND THAT'S A GOOD HOPEFUL NOTE TO END THAT CONVERSATION ON.

YES.

AND KUDOS TO THE TEAM.

YES.

UM, SO WAS THAT IT ON EVERYTHING, ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS? YES.

OKAY.

WE'RE MOVING THEN TO ITEM NUMBER

[5. Updates on water supply and drought response.]

IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL STAFFERS COMING UP TO TALK WITH US HERE.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

AND COUNCIL

[00:25:01]

DO WE HAVE CHAIRS? OKAY, THANK YOU.

YEAH, I DID HAVE A REQUEST FOR A BRIEFING, UM, FOR OUR NEXT, UH, WE CAN BRING THAT UP WHEN WE, FOR OUR NEXT MEETING.

WE CAN BRING THAT UP AT THE, YEAH, AT THE END OF THE, WE'LL HAVE THAT ON ITEM NUMBER SEVEN.

ALL RIGHT, DIRECTOR.

OKAY, GREAT.

THANK YOU.

I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO ASSISTANT DIRECTOR KEVIN CRIT.

GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR, POOL AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS KEVIN CRIT, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN WATER.

I'M IN OUR ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AREA.

UM, WE HAVE AN, UH, UPDATE FOR YOU THIS AFTERNOON ON OUR WATER SUPPLY CONDITIONS AND DROUGHT UPDATE.

UH, AS YOU KNOW, THE WEATHER CONDITIONS HERE IN AUSTIN CONTINUE TO BE HOT AND DRY.

IN JUNE OF LAST YEAR, WE IMPLEMENTED STAGE ONE WATER USE RESTRICTIONS, UM, CONTINUING IN, UM, YOU KNOW, SEEING LOW RAINFALL, LOW INFLOW.

UH, MORE RECENTLY IN AUGUST, ON AUGUST THE 15TH, WE ENACTED STAGE TWO DROUGHT CONDITIONS.

UM, WHILE WE CONTINUE TO BE OPTIMISTIC THAT AS WE MOVE KIND OF INTO THE FALL WEATHER, WHICH IS WHERE WE TYPICALLY SEE MORE INFLOW, AND WITH A LITTLE BIT OF HOPE THAT, UH, WE GET SOME HELP FROM EL NINO, UM, WE'LL CONTINUE TO WATCH THAT.

BUT I THINK WE'LL BE, WE WILL BE HERE AT STAGE TWO FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

SO, UM, AS FAR AS THE UTILITY AND OUR OPERATIONS, WE CONTINUE TO BE, UM, UH, AWARE OF THE CONDITIONS.

WE'LL CONTINUE TO WATCH, UH, WATER SUPPLY CONDITIONS, UM, REALLY CONTINUE WITH OUR MESSAGING TO OUR COMMUNITY TO KEEP WATER CONSERVATION AT TOP OF MIND.

WE'LL BE CONTINUING OUR WATER CONSERVATION DROUGHT OFFERINGS.

WE'LL BE CONTINUING OUR, UM, WATER CONSERVATION ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS.

AND THEN ALSO WE'LL BE CONTINUING TO MOVE WATER FORWARD OUR LONG-TERM, UH, STRATEGIC STRATEGIC WATER PLANT FORWARD.

SO, UM, THOSE ARE THE, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE PLANNED, UM, WITH ME THIS AFTERNOON ARE THERESA LUTZ, WHO'S OUR DIVISION MANAGER WITH SYSTEMS PLANNING, HER TEAM'S RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR WATER RESOURCES PLANNING ACTIVITIES.

AND THEN, UH, KEVIN KLUGE IS OUR DIVISION MANAGER, EXCUSE ME, DIVISION MANAGER OF WATER CONSERVATION.

SO THEY'LL TAKE YOU THROUGH THE DETAILS OF OUR UPDATE.

SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THERESA DID THAT AGAIN, THERESA? YEAH, YOU'RE GOOD NOW.

OKAY.

, PARDON ME.

EXCUSE ME.

CHAIR POOL AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT.

I'M THERESA LUTZ, UH, SYSTEMS PLANNING DIVISION MANAGER.

I WANT TO BEGIN BY DOING A QUICK OVERVIEW OF OUR WATER SUPPLIES.

THIS IS AN OVERVIEW MAP THAT CHOSE AUSTIN'S WATER TREATMENT PLANTS AND THE BASIN'S WATER SUPPLY RESERVOIRS, WHICH ARE LAKES, TRAVIS AND BUCHANAN UPSTREAM OF AUSTIN.

AUSTIN RECEIVES ITS WATER SUPPLY THROUGH THE COLORADO RIVER THROUGH ITS THREE WATER TREATMENT PLANTS THAT ARE SHOWN THERE ON THE MAP.

THE DAVIS WATER TREATMENT PLANTS AND ULRICH BOTH DRAW WATER FROM, UH, LAKE AUSTIN.

AND THEN, UH, HANCOCK'S PLANT DRAWS WATER FROM LAKE TRAVIS AUSTIN HAS ACCESS TO UP TO 325,000 ACRE FEET OF WATER PER YEAR.

AND THAT SUPPLY COMES FROM A COMBINATION OF OUR SENIOR WATER RIGHTS AND BACKUP CONTRACTS OR WATER SUPPLY CONTRACTS WITH THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY.

UH, OUR RUN OF RIVER RIGHTS, THOSE ARE OUR, UM, OUR OWN SENIOR, UH, RUN OF RIVER RIGHTS.

THOSE ARE, UH, REPRESENT WATER THAT'S AVAILABLE THROUGH THE RUN OF THE RIVER THROUGH, UH, PRIORITY SYSTEM THAT THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OVERSEAS.

AND THEN THE, THE WATER FROM L C R A THROUGH THOSE CONTRACTS, WE GET ADDITIONAL WATER AND WATER THAT'S, UH, BACKING UP OUR RUN OF RIVER.

SO IF THE WATER ISN'T IN THE STREAM THROUGH THE NORMAL PRIORITY SYSTEM THROUGH OUR WATER RIGHTS, THEN LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY CAN BACK THAT WATER UP AND PROVIDE US WATER FROM STORED WATER IN LAKES, TRAVIS AND BUCHANAN, AND RELEASE THAT SO WE HAVE THAT WATER AVAILABLE OR OTHER, UH, SOURCES WITHIN THE COLORADO SYSTEM.

SO, UH, AS I MENTIONED, THE, THE LAKES, TRAVIS AND BUCHANAN ARE KEY IN AUSTIN RECEIVING WATER, UH, TO BACK UP OUR WATER RIGHTS AND PROVIDE WATER, ESPECIALLY IN TIMES OF, UH, DROUGHT WHEN THERE'S LESS WATER FLOWING IN THE STREAM.

UM, AND THE HIGHLAND LAKES INFLOWS IS A KEY INDICATOR, UH, KEY, UH, UH, FACTOR THAT WE MONITOR.

UH, THIS GRAPH SHOWS THE AMOUNT OF WATER COMING INTO THE HIGHLAND LAKES.

UH, IF I WANNA POINT OUT THE, THE DIFFERENT COLORS THERE, THE, THE PURPLE BARS ARE THIS YEAR.

UM, THOSE ARE INFLOWS THROUGH THROUGH JULY OF 2023.

THOSE, UM, HAVE HAD BEEN TRACKING VERY LOW UNTIL WE GOT SOME, UM, PRETTY GOOD INFLOWS IN MAY AND JUNE, AND THEN IT'S GOTTEN

[00:30:01]

BUT, UM, THAT, UH, THOSE PURPLE BARS SHOW THE INFLOWS FOR THIS YEAR.

AND, UH, ALSO PLOTTED ON THERE ARE IN THE GREEN BARS, THE 2022 IN INFLOWS.

THOSE ARE SHOWN THERE.

YOU CAN SEE THEY WERE FAIRLY LOW.

THEY WERE ACTUALLY, UH, CALENDAR YEAR 2022 IS THE LOWEST INFLOW YEAR THAT IS IN THE PERIOD OF RECORD, WHICH IS FROM 1942 UNTIL 2022.

SO LAST YEAR WAS THE LOWEST INFLOW YEAR.

THIS YEAR WE'RE A LITTLE AHEAD OF THAT, BUT WE'RE STILL, UH, TRACKING PRETTY LOW.

UH, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE HAVE A, ANOTHER KEY ASPECT THAT WE TRACK.

THIS IS THE COMBINED STORAGE OF BOTH, BOTH, UH, LAKES TRAVIS AND BUCHANAN.

SO PUT THOSE TWO TOGETHER.

AND WHEN THEY'RE BOTH FULL, THAT'S 2 MILLION ACRE FEET OF WATER.

CURRENTLY, THE STORAGE IS ABOUT AT 872,000 ACRE FEET, WHICH IS AT 45%.

AND, AND AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE, THE, UH, GRAPH THERE, WE'VE JUST RECENTLY DROPPED BELOW, UM, THE STAGE TWO DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN TRIGGER.

THAT'S PART OF OUR DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN.

THAT'S OUR COUNCIL APPROVED PLAN THAT WE'VE HAD IN PLACE SINCE, UH, 2016, AND IS IN SYNC WITH THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITIES TRIGGERS AS WELL FOR, UH, STAGES AND, UH, DROUGHT STAGES.

SO AS WE WERE ENTERING INTO OUR STAGE TWO, AS THE COMBINED STORAGE DROPPED BELOW 900,000 ACRE FEET, L C R A ALSO ENTERED INTO STAGE TWO AND ASKED THEIR FIRM WATER CUSTOMERS LIKE AUSTIN TO IMPLEMENT THEIR STAGE TWO PLANS.

LET'S SEE.

AND THEN THERE, UM, JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THE, UH, THE, THE RELEASES TO DOWNSTREAM, UH, RICE IRRIGATION AND OTHER, UH, AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION OPERATIONS HAVE BEEN CUT OFF SINCE MID-YEAR LAST YEAR.

SO THIS YEAR, THOSE, UM, THOSE, UM, RELEASES AREN'T HAPPENING, WHICH IS SIMILAR TO BACK, YOU CAN SEE THE, THE BLUE LINE THERE, THE BLUE ARROWS REPRESENT FROM 2012 THROUGH THE END OF 2015.

AGRICULTURAL OPERATION RELEASES WERE ALSO CUT OFF BACK THEN IN THAT, UH, IN OUR PREVIOUS DROUGHT FROM 2008 TO TO 2016.

LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION HERE.

SURE.

MS. LUS, UM, THE RIVERS THAT ARE RUNNING INTO THE HIGHLAND LAKES, UH, WHICH ONES ARE CURRENTLY FLOWING AND WHICH ONES ARE NOT? DO YOU KNOW? I THINK, UH, I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THE SPECIFIC GAUGE BY GAUGE, UH, NUMBERS.

WE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH THAT.

UH, BUT, UH, I WOULD THINK THAT, UM, WE HAVE, I DON'T BELIEVE WE'VE SEEN, UH, PROLONGED PERIODS OF, UM, OF ZERO VERY RECENTLY, UH, IN THIS, IN THIS RECENT TIME.

I THINK THAT PROBABLY THERE'S SOME, BUT VERY LOW SOME FLOW COMING IN THROUGH THOSE KEY, UH, LOCATIONS RIGHT NOW.

BUT WE CAN DOUBLE CHECK THAT.

I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THE INDIVIDUAL GAUGE LOCATIONS OVERWHELMED.

I'M HEARING, I'M HEARING ANECDOTALLY THAT RIGHT NOW, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT RIGHT NOW IS, BUT LET'S SAY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS THAT THE FLOWS HAVE FALLEN OFF SO MUCH THAT ONLY THE ANO IS THE ONLY RIVER THAT IS CURRENTLY FLOWING INTO THE HIGHLAND LAKES AT THIS POINT.

OKAY.

YEAH.

SO WE CAN DOUBLE CHECK THAT, WHICH IS A HUGE CONCERN.

YEAH.

YES, DEFINITELY.

THERE ARE DEFINITELY TIMES WHEN THERE ARE ZERO FLOWS COMING IN FROM INDIVIDUAL GAUGES OR COMPLETELY.

SO THERE ARE HAVE BEEN TIMES, ESPECIALLY IN, UH, EARLIER PART OF THE YEAR AND IN 2022 WHERE THERE WERE, THERE WERE TIMES WHEN NO FLOWS COMING IN.

SO THAT WOULD BE, UM, GOOD ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

AND THEN I'D ALSO, UM, FOOTNOTE THAT BY SAYING, MY UNDERSTANDING ALSO IS HISTORICALLY THE ANO IS PRETTY MUCH A CONSTANT FLOW RIVER, WHEREAS SOME OF THE OTHERS ARE INTERRUPTIBLE AND, AND NOT AS RELIABLE.

BUT THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO KNOW WHICH RIVERS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AND WHAT THE FLOWS ARE COMING IN TO THE HIGHLAND LAKES.

UNDERSTOOD.

YEAH.

THERE'S SOME SPRINGS THAT COME IN ON THE, THE ANO.

YEAH.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

APPRECIATE THAT.

THIS IS THE TEXAS WATER WEEKLY.

THIS WAS, UM, THE ONE FOR LAST WEEK.

IT'S THE, THE ONE THAT WE HAD TIME TO PUT INTO THE PRESENTATION.

THE, UM, THE, UH, MAP SHOWS THE AREAS OF, UM, EXTREME AND EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT THAT ARE OCCURRING IN THE AUSTIN AREA, AUSTIN, AND THE AREAS, UH, REPRESENTED BY THE BLUE STAR THERE.

SO YOU CAN SEE, UH, ESPECIALLY TO THE SOUTH AND WEST OF AUSTIN, UM, THERE'S AREA OF EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT AND THEN UPSTREAM OF AUSTIN EXTREME

[00:35:01]

SO WE CONTINUE TO WATCH THIS AND WATCH THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS AS THEY CHANGE.

I EXPECT WITH THIS RAIN THAT WE WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE YESTERDAY, THAT THE PICTURE WILL LOOK BETTER, UH, NEXT WEEK.

THIS IS, UH, UM, THREE MONTH OUTLOOK FROM NO FOR TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION FOR THE AUGUST TO OCTOBER TIMEFRAME AS IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING HERE.

TRACKING, WE ARE EXPERIENCING ABOVE NORMAL, UH, TEMPERATURES FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.

AND FOR THAT, THEY'RE PROJECTING FOR THE THREE MONTH OUTLOOK FOR THOSE TO CONTINUE, AND THEN FOR THE CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION TO BE NORMAL IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME.

FOR THE UPDATE FOR THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY SIX MONTH PROJECTION, THIS IS A PROJECTION OF COMBINED STORAGE BEFORE BOTH LAKES, TRAVIS AND BUCHANAN COMBINED.

THEY DO A SIX MONTHS PROJECTION, AND WE TRACK THIS CLOSELY.

IT COMES OUT ONCE A MONTH.

THIS IS THE AUGUST, UH, PROJECTION.

YOU CAN SEE THERE, THE, THE LINE, UM, IT KIND OF ORIENTS YOU TO THE, THE LINE THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST WA IS THE VERTICAL, UM, GOLD LINE THERE.

AND THEN IT'S PROJECTING OUT, UM, WITH FOUR DIFFERENT LINES.

THEY HAVE TWO THAT ARE DRY CONDITIONS AND EXTREME DRY CONDITIONS.

THOSE ARE THE LOWER RED LINES.

AND THEN THERE'S A MEDIAN CONDITION PROJECTION, UH, WITH THE BLUE, AND THEN, UH, A WET CONDITIONS PROJECTION WITH THE GREEN.

SO AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PROJECTIONS THERE, UM, THE LINES, EVEN THE LOWER LINES ARE PROJECTED TO KIND OF FLATTEN OUT FOR THE FALL AND THE, THE, UM, THE WINTER MONTHS, WHICH IS TYPICAL WITH, IN, UH, DECREASED TEMPERATURES, THERE'S TYPICALLY A LITTLE BIT LESS EVAPORATION.

AND THEN WATER DEMANDS, UH, TYPICALLY GO DOWN DURING THAT TIME, AND THERE ARE NO PROJECTED RELEASES FOR AGRICULTURE IN HERE.

SO THAT'S THE, UH, SIX MONTH OUTLOOK.

AGAIN, WE'RE IN THE STAGE TWO LEVEL THERE.

AND, UM, IT'S PROJECTED THAT WE WOULD STAY IN THAT FOR THIS, UH, PERIOD OF TIME, ONGOING ACTIVITIES.

JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE MONITORING THAT WE'RE DOING.

AGAIN, WE'RE CONTINUING TO MONITOR THE INFLOWS IN THE COMBINED STORAGE LAKE LEVELS AND FORECASTED CONDITIONS.

WE HAVE ONGOING COORDINATION WITH THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY THROUGH OUR WATER PARTNERSHIP WITH L C R A IN THE PLANNING ARENA.

WE ARE CONTINUING TO UPDATE OUR WATER FORWARD PLAN, WHICH IS ANTICIPATED TO BE COMPLETED IN THE 2024, UH, TIMEFRAME.

THAT'S OUR 100 YEAR INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES PLAN.

WE'RE ALSO INVOLVED IN THE REGION K WATER PLANNING PROCESS, WHICH IS ONGOING.

IT'S ADMINISTERED BY THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD.

WE'RE INVOLVED IN THE, IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE 2026 REGIONAL WATER PLAN THAT'S ONGOING AND ACTIVE, UH, CURRENTLY, AND WE'RE VERY INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS.

UH, ON IMPLEMENTATION, WE'RE IMPLEMENTING OUR WATER FORWARD PLAN, INCLUDING OUR CONSERVATION AND REESE STRATEGIES.

WE'RE WORKING ON OUR AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVERY PILOT PROJECT, AND DOING PRELIMINARY PLANNING FOR INDIRECT POTABLE REUSE.

AND AT THIS POINT, I WILL HAND IT OFF TO KEVIN KLUGE.

THANK YOU, THERESA.

GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS.

AGAIN, MY NAME IS KEVIN KLUGE, THE WATER CONSERVATION MANAGER AT AUSTIN WATER.

AS THERESA MENTIONED, UH, WHEN THE RESERVOIRS ARE FULL, THE STORAGE IS ESSENTIALLY 2 MILLION ACRE FEET.

AND EVEN WHEN WE ARE NOT IN DROUGHT, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT AUSTIN REALLY LEANS INTO WATER CONSERVATION.

SO EVEN WHEN WE ARE NOT IN DROUGHT STAGES, WE STILL HAVE ONE DAY A WEEK WATERING SCHEDULE FOR AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. IN JUNE OF LAST YEAR, THE STORAGE WENT DOWN TO 1.4 MILLION ACRE FEET, AND WE ENACTED STAGE ONE DROUGHT RESTRICTIONS.

AND THEN OVER THE LAST 14 MONTHS, AUSTIN WATER HAS INCREASED OUR PUBLIC OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT IN REGARDS TO RESIDENTS NEEDING TO SAVE WATER, PARTICULARLY OUTDOORS, AND PROMOTING THE VARIOUS TOOLS AND REBATES THAT AUSTIN WATER HAS TO HELP, UH, THE RESIDENTS MEET THOSE NEEDS.

THAT LEADS US UP TO OUR MOST RECENT DROUGHT OR STAGE TWO DECLARATION IN AUGUST 15TH.

AND NEXT SLIDE.

THERE WE GO.

BRINGING US INTO STAGE TWO DROUGHT RESTRICTIONS.

THESE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF STAGE TWO DROUGHT RESTRICTIONS.

[00:40:01]

THERE YOU SEE THE LANDSCAPE WATERING RESTRICTIONS, UM, AS HAS BEEN ENACTED FOR QUITE A WHILE NOW, ONE DAY A WEEK, WATERING RESTRICTIONS FOR AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. THE CHANGE GOING INTO STAGE TWO IS THAT WE'VE LESSENED THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THEY CAN IRRIGATE IN THE MORNING.

UH, PREVIOUSLY THEY'RE ABLE TO IRRIGATE UNTIL 8:00 AM AND NOW IT'S 5:00 AM AND THEN THEY CAN IRRIGATE IN THE EVENING HOSE, AND SPRINKLERS CAN BE UTILIZED ON THE WEEKEND, SATURDAY OR SUNDAY, DEPENDING ON YOUR ADDRESS, UH, IN THE MORNING UNTIL 10:00 AM AND THEN IN THE EVENINGS TURNING AT 7:00 PM.

IN ADDITION TO THESE CHANGES IN HOURS, UH, WE ARE INCREASING OUR ENFORCEMENT PATROLS.

AND INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE WATERING SCHEDULES ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER HIGHLIGHTS THAT ARE BEING ENACTED IN THIS STAGE.

TWO.

TO WRAP UP THIS PRESENTATION, OUR NEXT STEPS, WE AS A UTILITY CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE DROUGHT SITUATION, PROMOTING WATER CONSERVATION AND ADHERENCE TO OUR WATERING SCHEDULES.

AND AS THERESA MENTIONED, WE ARE STILL WORKING TO IMPLEMENT OUR WATER FORWARD PLAN, OUR LONG-TERM PLAN FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.

THE MESSAGE REALLY IS THAT WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

DESPITE ALL OF THE EFFORTS OF THE WATER UTILITY, WE CANNOT SOLVE, UH, OUR, OUR SHORTAGES.

UH, WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY.

SO WE WILL BE CONTINUING TO REACH OUT TO AUSTIN RESIDENTS, MESSAGING THAT, ASKING THEM TO TAKE A LOOK AT THEIR OWN WATER, SIGN UP FOR LEAK ALERTS THROUGH MY A T X WATER, ASKING THEM TO KNOW HOW, WHAT THE WATERING SCHEDULES ARE, AND ADHERING TO THOSE WATERING SCHEDULES, AND THEN TRYING TO TAKE STEPS TO SAVE ADDITIONAL WATER.

SO THAT'S REALLY OUR MESSAGING GOING FORWARD.

CONTINUE TO ASK PEOPLE TO WORK WITH US TO SAVE WATER.

AND WITH THAT, ANY QUESTIONS? I THINK THE MESSAGE ABOUT CONTINUED CONSERVATION IS A REALLY GOOD ONE AND A STRONG ONE.

UM, AND I THINK ALL OF US WITH NEWSLETTERS ON THE COUNCIL, WE CAN, WE CAN CERTAINLY REMIND EVERYONE ABOUT SHORTER SHOWERS, UM, FEWER FLUSHES OF, UM, CONSERVE WITH YOUR LAUNDRY CYCLES.

I'M CURIOUS IF WE KNOW, UM, HOW MUCH WATER IS USED, UH, BY IRRIGATION.

WE HAVE SOME ESTIMATES THAT, UM, BASED ON OUR, WE HAVE A DISAGGREGATED DEMAND MODEL WHERE WE LOOK AT END USES OF WATER AND, AND WHAT CATEGORIES THEY FALL IN.

IT, IT'S ROUGHLY, IT DEPENDS ON WHICH YEAR.

THERE'S A LOT OF VARIABILITY WITH IT, DEPENDING ON THE, THE, UH, THE, UH, CONDITIONS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE AMOUNT OF RAIN WE'RE GETTING AND THE TEMPERATURES AND EVERYTHING.

BUT IT'S, IT'S TYPICALLY RUNS NOW THAT WE'RE IN PERMANENT ONE DAY PER WEEK, UH, IN THE RANGE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 20 AND 25% OF OUR OVERALL WATER USE, CLOSER TO 20%.

I REMEMBER THE CONTROVERSIES THAT WE HAD WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT REDUCING THE NUMBER OF DAYS, UM, PERMITTED FOR, UM, WATERING LANDSCAPE.

AND I'M, I'M, I'M GLAD THAT WE WENT TO THE ONE DAY A WEEK AS JUST THE BASELINE MANDATORY.

I THINK THAT HAS BEEN, THAT HAS REALLY SET, SET THE STANDARD FOR US GOING FORWARD.

AND IF THE IRRIGATION WERE A HIGHER PERCENTAGE, YOU KNOW, SOME COULD ARGUE THAT THE 25% IS, IS STILL TOO HIGH, BUT AT LEAST IT'S NOT THE 35 TO 40 OR MORE THAT IT, THAT IT COULD BE.

AND, AND WE'VE ALSO, UH, WE ARE NO LONGER EXEMPTING FROM THE WATERING SCHEDULE, THE LANDSCAPE, UM, ESTABLISHING THE NEW LANDSCAPING.

AND I KNOW THAT A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE SHIFTED THE KIND OF PLANTINGS THAT THEY'VE, THAT THEY ARE INVESTING IN.

AND IT'S A LONG TERM SHIFT, NOT AS MUCH, UH, AUGUSTINE GRASS EITHER.

UM, AND SO I THINK ON THE WHOLE, AUSTIN IS REALLY VERY RESPONSIBLE COMMUNITY AS FAR AS TRYING TO LIMIT HOW MUCH WATER WE USE.

'CAUSE WE CAN'T MAKE ANY MORE OF IT.

, UH, VERY, VERY PRECIOUS RESOURCE.

UM, ANY QUESTIONS? YES, VICE CHAIR ALTER, UH, ACTUALLY PICKING UP WHERE THE CHAIR LEFT OFF AROUND LANDSCAPE, LOOKING AT WATER FORWARD, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BIG AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY IS THROUGH LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION AND OTHER, UM, TOOLS THERE.

SO I'M CURIOUS JUST WHERE WE ARE IN THAT ELEMENT OF THE PLAN, UM, MOVING FORWARD.

WHAT'S THE, I I JUST HAVE NO CLUE WHERE, WHERE THAT STANDS.

DO YOU WANNA YEAH, I'LL TAKE THAT.

YEAH.

UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF LAST YEAR, 2022,

[00:45:01]

AND WE SPENT MUCH OF LAST YEAR TALKING TO PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT HOW TO TRANSFORM THE LANDSCAPES OF NEW SINGLE FAMILY HOMES GOING FORWARD.

UH, WE SPENT, AS I MENTIONED, ALMOST THE ENTIRE YEAR TALKING TO PEOPLE.

AND THEN THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THIS SPRING, WE REALLY DELVED INTO HOW TO IMPLEMENT THESE IDEAS, THE IDEAS THAT WE CAME UP WITH, REALLY A BASKET OF IDEAS AT EIGHT DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACTIVITIES, UM, RANGING FROM MAKING SURE WE HAVE GOOD SOIL TO BEGIN WITH SO THAT IT HOLDS THE WATER, UM, AS WELL AS EMPHASIZING PLANTS THAT WILL DO WELL IN THIS LOCAL, UH, AREA.

UH, BUT ALSO FOCUSING TO A NUMBER FOR A NUMBER OF THESE ACTIVITIES ON LANSKY, UH, I'M SORRY, IRRIGATION, UH, MAKING SURE WE HAVE GOOD PRESSURE IN THE IRRIGATION, AND WE'LL BE IMPLEMENTING, UH, INSPECTIONS ON NEW IRRIGATION SYSTEMS GOING FORWARD SO THAT NEW HOMEOWNERS WHO ARE GETTING A NEW SYSTEM KNOW THAT THAT SYSTEM IS GONNA WORK AND IS NOT GONNA WASTE WATER, UH, RIGHT OFF THE BAT.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE, UH, A PROPOSAL WE'RE WORKING WITH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIVISION TO UPDATE THE UNIFORM PLUMBING CODE NEXT YEAR AND INCLUDE SEVERAL ACTIVITIES, UM, ONE OF WHICH IS THE LIMITATION OF IRRIGATION AREA FOR NEW HOMES.

UM, THAT'LL BE IN THE, THE PLUMBING CODE, BUT ESSENTIALLY FOR NEW HOMES BUILT AFTER 2025, ESSENTIALLY, UM, IT'LL BE THE OPTION OF INSTALLING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN THE FRONT YARD OR THE BACKYARD.

UM, AND THEN WE ARE ALSO WORKING ON A NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES TO HELP RESIDENTS IRRIGATE THAT WATER THAT YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR IRRIGATION SYSTEM IN THROUGH RAINWATER HARVESTING OR LAUNDRY TO LANDSCAPE.