Sep 13, 2023 Water and Wastewater Commission

[CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:04]

GOOD EVENING.

UH, TODAY IS SEPTEMBER 13TH AND IT IS SIX O'CLOCK.

I'M GONNA CALL THE WATER AND WASTEWATER COMMISSION MEETING TO ORDER.

UM, WE HAVE NOBODY WHO HAS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.

UM, AND BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THE AGENDA, I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE SHEA RAWLS 'CAUSE SHE HAS A ANNOUNCEMENT FOR US TODAY.

GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

WHAT I WANTED TO ANNOUNCE TO YOU TODAY IS THAT WE HAVE A NEW ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES AT AUSTIN WATER.

THAT IS THE POSITION THAT I WAS IN BEFORE I BECAME DIRECTOR, SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.

AND IT'S, UH, CHARLES SRO WHO, UH, YOU ALL HAVE SEEN BEFORE.

HE WAS DIVISION MANAGER FOR FACILITY ENGINEERING.

SO, UM, WANTED TO GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO, UH, OFFICIALLY INTRODUCE HIMSELF TO YOU AS OUR NEWEST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.

UH, SOME OF Y'ALL KNOW ME SOME.

THERE YOU GO.

THERE WE GO.

SOME OF Y'ALL KNOW ME, SOME DON'T.

UM, CHARLES SORO, UM, BEEN WITH AUSTIN WATER FOR 10 YEARS, UH, BEFORE THAT IN THE PRIVATE CONSULTING WORLD.

I STARTED OFF ACTUALLY AS A FACILITY ENGINEER AT SOUTH AUSTIN REGIONAL BEFORE BECOMING A SUPERVISOR, DIVISION MANAGER, ANALYSIS AND DIRECTOR, AND BEEN IN THE WATER AND WASTEWATER BUSINESS FOR ABOUT THE LAST 20 YEARS.

AND BEFORE THAT, KIND OF DID A LITTLE HODGEPODGE, A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING BEFORE I STARTED THAT, UH, FOCUSING ON MY CAREER.

AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR AND LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU GUYS.

THANK YOU.

WELL, WELCOME.

UM, AND CONGRATULATIONS.

I THINK WE'VE ALL BEEN WORKING WITH YOU FOR A VERY LONG TIME, SO IT'LL BE SEAMLESS.

UM, WONDERFUL.

OKAY, UH, MOVING ON TO

[1. Approval of minutes from the August 7, 2023, special called meeting of the Water and Wastewater Commission.]

HAVE THE COMMISSIONERS HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THAT? ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS? HEARING NONE? IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? I MOVE TO APPROVE? IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND THAT.

UM, I'M GONNA RECUSE MYSELF SINCE I WASN'T THERE.

UM, SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, UH, RAISE YOU? RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU RECUSE, THEN THERE ISN'T A QUORUM TO.

ALRIGHT, I WON'T RECUSE.

OKAY, HERE WE GO.

THERE WE GO.

AND THEN MINUTES APPROVE ARE APPROVED.

UH, MOVING ON TO,

[DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL]

UM, ARE, I'M GONNA GO AROUND, UH, TO EACH COMMISSIONER AND SEE IF THERE ARE ANY RECUSALS OR QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THE ITEMS. UM, I'LL GO AHEAD AND START WITH JUDY MUSGROVE.

COMMISSIONER, NO QUESTIONS.

NO RECUSALS.

UM, WONDERFUL.

UH, COMMISSIONER NAVARRO.

NO QUESTIONS.

NO RECUSALS.

GREAT.

COMMISSIONER PENN, NO QUESTIONS.

I DO HAVE RECUSALS ON ITEM SEVEN, MY EMPLOYER, AND I'VE WORKED ON THAT PROJECT ON THE, ON THE WATER SIDE OF THE TRANSMISSION MAINS.

OKAY.

AND ON ITEM NINE, UH, WE'RE A SUB-CONSULTANT, UH, FOR THIS PROJECT DESIGN TEAM.

OKAY.

COMMISSIONER ANGO? NO QUESTIONS.

NO RECUSAL.

THANK YOU.

AND COMMISSIONER MAXWELL GAINES.

NO QUESTIONS.

NO RECUSALS.

WONDERFUL.

SO JUST TO ENSURE I'M FOLLOWING THE PROTOCOL, DO I NEED TO PULL THE TWO RECUSALS FROM THE AGENDA SINCE WE'RE NOT REALLY DISCUSSING THEM? I THINK I DO.

UM, YES, BECAUSE, UH, HIS RECUSAL, UH, DOESN'T GET US TO QUORUM.

THERE WON'T BE A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE COMMISSION.

TWO ITEMS. OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

SO, UM, FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA, WE HAVE ITEMS 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, AND 14.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA, PLEASE SHOW A RAISING YOUR HAND.

IT LOOKS LIKE THOSE ITEMS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

WE NEED SOMEONE TO, UH, MAKE A MOTION FIRST.

OH, SORRY.

THAT'S OKAY.

.

I JUST SO EXCITED I MOVED TO APPROVE.

I FOR THAT, SUSAN, OR SECOND.

ALL RIGHT.

SO WE HAVE COMMISSIONER PENN AND COMMISSIONER.

YES.

MUSGROVE SECONDED.

YES.

ALRIGHT, WE VOTE AGAIN.

UH, SO COMMISSIONER PENN MAKES

[00:05:01]

YES.

THANK YOU.

OKAY.

NOW WE NEED TO MOVE TO, UM,

[7. Recommend approval to execute a contract for the Spicewood Springs Road Regional Mobility Improvements project with DeNucci Constructors, LLC, for a total contract amount not to exceed $34,184,495. (District 10)]

UH, RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT FOR THE SPICEWOOD SPRING ROAD ROAD REGIONALITY MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT WITH THE NEW C CONTRACTORS FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $34,184,495 IN DISTRICT 10.

UM, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT AND WE CANNOT VOTE.

SO THIS ITEM WILL NOT GO WITH A RE RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL.

YES, THAT'S CORRECT.

AND ANY BY CHANCE IS THERE ANY MORE DISCUSSION FROM ANY COMMISSIONERS ON THIS ITEM? ALRIGHT, MOVING

[9. Recommend approval to execute a contract for the Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent Sample Pump Modifications Rebid project with PGC General Contractors, LLC, for a total contract amount not to exceed $1,943,914. (District 1)]

UH, RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT FOR THE WALNUT CREEK WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT AFFLUENT SAMPLE PUMP MODIFICATIONS REBID PROJECT WITH P G C GENERAL CONTRACTORS FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT, NOT TO EXCEED $1,943,914 IN DISTRICT ONE.

UM, AGAIN, SAME SITUATION.

SINCE WE DO NOT HAVE A QUORUM, WE CANNOT TAKE A VOTE ON THIS ITEM SINCE IT'S OPEN.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ITEM? COMMISSIONERS? NOPE.

UH, WITH

[15. Discussion on appointing an alternate for the Joint Sustainability Committee]

UH, ITEM 15, DISCUSSION OF APPOINTING AN ALTERNATE FOR THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.

UM, CURRENTLY WE HAVE COMMISSIONER MAXWELL GAINES, UH, AS AN APPOINTEE TO ATTEND THOSE MEETINGS.

UM, AND THEY ASKED US TO APPOINT AN ALTERNATE THE CITY CLERK HAS.

WE'VE ASKED, UNLESS THERE'S SOMEBODY WHO'S INTERESTED IN DOING THAT, THAT'S HERE TODAY.

UM, WE'VE ASKED THE CITY CLERK IF WE CAN WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE A FULL COMMISSION.

'CAUSE RIGHT NOW WE CURRENTLY HAVE FOUR VACANCIES AND IT'S MAKING IT HARD ON US TO, UM, FILL THOSE OBLIGATIONS.

SO, UM, COMMISSIONERS, IF, IF ANY OF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING THE ALTERNATE, UM, COULD LET ME KNOW NOW.

UM, THEN I THINK WE'LL JUST, UH, IF IT'S OKAY, LET THE CITY CLERK KNOW THAT WE WILL MAKE THAT APPOINTMENT ONCE WE GET A FULL, UH, A FULL COMMISSION.

AND I ALSO GOTTA SAY, I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYBODY BEING HERE TODAY AND ON TIME.

THAT'S WONDERFUL.

I THINK.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

MOVING TO ITEM

[16. Update from the Joint Sustainability Committee – Commissioner Chris Maxwell-Gaines]

DO YOU HAVE AN UPDATE FOR US? WELL, THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION DISCUSSION ITEM WAS VERY, UH, UH, TIMELY BECAUSE, UH, I WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND LAST MONTH'S JOINT SUSTAINABILITY, UH, COMMITTEE MEETING.

SO I DO NOT HAVE AN UPDATE FROM THAT COMMITTEE.

SO, UM, YEP, THAT'S THAT.

WONDERFUL.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

MOVING ON TO

[17. Staff briefing on Austin Water External Review: Third Quarter Update on Implementation of Recommendations]

WE HAVE A STAFF BRIEFING ON THE WATER EXTERNAL REVIEW, THIRD QUARTER UPDATE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, WITH DIRECTOR SHAY RAWS.

OKAY, GREAT.

THANK YOU.

UH, WE MADE THIS PRESENTATION TO THE, UM, AUSTIN WATER OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, UH, COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL, UM, LAST MONTH.

AND SO THIS, UH, WE'RE BRINGING THAT TO YOU ALL TODAY.

UM, SO I'LL RUN THROUGH THIS.

IT'S A FAIRLY, UH, HIGH LEVEL UPDATE, AND THEN I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO, JUST AS A REMINDER, OUR LAST UPDATE WAS MAY, JUNE TIMEFRAME.

AND, AND THIS IS WHERE WE WERE, UH, 20, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS WE HAVE, UH, WE HAD CALLED, UM, SET THE STATUS AS IMPLEMENTED.

22 WE'RE UNDERWAY.

SEVEN WE HAD PLANNED, BUT HADN'T STARTED YET.

AND OF COURSE, THERE WERE FOUR THAT, THAT WE DID NOT AGREE WITH.

UM, NEXT SLIDE.

SO WHERE WE ARE NOW, UM, EVERY, YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING'S KIND OF MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

UM, WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED A COUPLE OF RECOMMENDATIONS.

WE HAVE MORE UNDERWAY.

UH, WE HAVE FEWER PLANNED, UH, AND OF COURSE, THE SAME FOUR THAT, THAT, UH, WERE MARKED AS DO NOT AGREE.

SO, UM, ALL OF THIS TO SAY THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, ACTIVELY WORKING ON THESE EVERY DAY.

UH, AND SO WHILE WE DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, UH, BIG UPDATES TODAY THAT, UH, JUST REFLECTIVE OF THE FACT THAT WE ARE IN PROCESS OF, OF GETTING THESE THINGS DONE.

SO, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO, JUST TO HIGHLIGHT, UM, SOME OF OUR, UH, OUR NEW IMPLEMENTED ITEMS, UM,

[00:10:01]

UH, SO THAT'S, THAT'S A BIG, BIG ONE FOR US TO HAVE, UH, PUBLIC INFORMATION, NOTIFICATIONS, READY TO GO IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES.

UH, AND THEN ON THE SOPS AND TRAINING ALL OF OUR OPERATIONS AND, UH, RELEVANT OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE STAFF HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE TRAINING ON HOW TO ACCESS, UH, THE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

ITEMS THAT WERE PLANNED LAST, UH, UPDATE AND ARE NOW UNDERWAY IN OPERATIONS AND ENGINEERING.

WE HAVE THE REMEDIATION OF UPFLOW, CLARIFIER NUMBER FIVE, LAUNDER.

UM, AND WE ARE DOING AN EVALUATION OF THE POLYMER FEED SYSTEM.

SO YOU MIGHT RECALL THAT WE IMPLEMENTED THE POLYMER FEED SYSTEMS AFTER THE FLOODING EVENT OF OCTOBER, 2018.

AND WE RUN THOSE POLYMER SYSTEMS ALL THE TIME, UH, UNDER THE, UM, PREMISE THAT WE WANT TO BE SURE IT WILL WORK WHEN WE NEED IT.

UH, THE EXTERNAL REVIEW, WHILE THEY SUPPORTED THAT, THEY WANTED US TO LOOK AT, UM, KIND OF THE COST EFFECTIVENESS, THE VALUE OF THAT.

AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THAT.

UM, SO WE'LL WE WILL FINISH THAT EVALUATION AND DETERMINE WHETHER IT MAKES SENSE TO KEEP RUNNING THEM ALL THE TIME OR RUN THEM SEASONALLY OR, YOU KNOW, DO DO SOME OTHER, UH, APPROACH TO THAT.

UM, ON THE REPORTING STRUCTURE, INVESTIGATING WAYS TO IMPROVE CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SKILLS, TEAM BUILDING EFFORTS, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.

OUR TALENT DEVELOPMENT TEAM IS, UH, CONDUCTING WORKSHOPS.

WE'VE DONE A CULTURE SURVEY OF ALL AUSTIN WATER STAFF.

THEY ARE DOING CULTURE ENVIRONMENTAL SCANS OUT IN DIFFERENT WORK GROUPS.

THEY JUST FINISHED A WHOLE SERIES OF LISTENING SESSIONS, UM, ALL AROUND THE UTILITY.

SO, UH, THIS WORK IS, IS, UH, UM, GOING FULL STEAM AHEAD.

SO, UM, REALLY HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT THAT'S ALL UNDERWAY.

AND THEN, UM, WE'VE STARTED THE UPDATE ON THE OIL SPILL RESPONSE PLAN THAT, UH, THE EXTERNAL REVIEW WANTED US TO UPDATE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, ON THE, UH, SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WE HAVE, WE HAVE, UH, TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR V O C.

AND SO THOSE, UH, WE'RE MAKING SURE WE'RE TRACKING THAT, UH, BY WORK GROUP AND REPORTING THAT OUT TO, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTORS SO THEY CAN FOLLOW UP ON IT.

UM, WE ARE CONDUCTING, UH, EVALUATING THE EMERGENCY PLANNING AND TRAINING AT EACH PLANT.

AND THEN WE HAVE THESE NOTIFICATION THRESHOLDS.

SO IF YOUR WORK GROUP REACHES A NOTIFICATION THRESHOLD, YOU'RE REQUIRED TO CHANGE YOUR STATUS IN V O C.

UM, AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE IMPLEMENTING THAT, AND THAT'S, THAT'S ONGOING.

AND THAT'S, THAT'S WORKING QUITE WELL ACTUALLY.

UM, AND THEN UNDER OPERATIONS AND ENGINEERING, WE ARE, UM, UH, JUST WORKING ON OUR STRESS TESTING, OUR CONDITION ASSESSMENTS, OUR STAFFING REQUIREMENTS.

UM, AND, AND WE DID JUST FINISH A COUPLE WEEKS AGO.

UM, WE RAN ULRICH WATER TREATMENT PLAN AT THE HIGHEST, UM, CAPACITY THAT WE'VE EVER RUN IT.

I THINK WE GOT UP, UH, WE DEFINITELY RAN IT AT 140 FOR, UH, FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

AND I THINK WE EVEN GOT UP A LITTLE HIGHER THAN THAT DURING THAT STRESS TEST.

SO THAT WAS, UM, THAT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR FOLKS TO, TO REALLY PUT THE PLANT THROUGH ITS PACES, AND THEY WERE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF THAT WORK.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, I FEEL LIKE I HAD OTHER THINGS TO SAY, BUT I WILL JUST PAUSE THERE AND ASK FOR QUESTIONS.

ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH.

BACK ON THE, UH, ON THE PUBLIC INFORMATION, UM, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NOTIFICATIONS.

ARE THOSE EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS OR, YOU KNOW, DOES THIS GET INTO, YOU KNOW, LIKE, UH, WATER RESTRICTION CHANGES AND ALL THAT STUFF? THIS IS ABOUT EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS.

SO, UM, THE, WE HAVE TEMPLATES NOW FOR BOIL WATER NOTICES, EMERGENCY WATER RESTRICTIONS.

UH, SO THAT WOULD BE WHAT EMERGENCY WATER CONSERVATION RESTRICTIONS.

SO WE HAVE NOTICES FOR THAT.

DO NOT DRINK ADVISORIES, WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS, AND WE'VE TRANSLATED ALL OF THOSE INTO 11 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.

SO, YEP.

COMMISSIONERS, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER PENN? THIS IS PROBABLY, THIS IS MAY

[00:15:01]

, BUT I, THAT IS A SEPARATE ONGOING SET OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON, PROJECT-WISE IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE, FOR THE VARIOUS FACILITIES.

SO WE HAVE, UM, WE HAVE DONE A NUMBER OF AFTER ACTION REVIEWS AFTER VARIOUS EVENTS, AND WE HAVE, UM, WE HAVE A TRACKING PROCESS FOR ALL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT COME OUT OF THOSE AFTER ACTION REVIEWS.

AND WE HAVE A, WHAT WE CALL OUR RESILIENCY TRACKER.

AND THAT'S WHERE WE KEEP TRACK OF THE PROGRESS ON THOSE ITEMS. AND WE HAVE A, A REALLY, A, A PRETTY BIG TEAM THAT GETS TOGETHER QUARTERLY TO REVIEW OUR PROGRESS ON THOSE.

SO THESE ITEMS ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUT.

IT, THIS IS ITS OWN PAGE IN THE RESILIENCY TRACKER BECAUSE IT'S THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUT SPECIFICALLY FROM THE EXTERNAL REVIEW.

BUT WE HAVE A NUMBER OF OTHER, UM, UH, ITEMS THAT WE'RE TRACKING AS WELL AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE GETTING DONE.

AND I, I WOULD LIKE TO JUST PAT OURSELVES ON THE BACK A LITTLE BIT FROM THE EXTERNAL REVIEW.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY SAID WAS THAT, UM, THEY LOOKED AT THOSE TRACKERS AND THEY COMPLIMENTED US ON THE FACT THAT WE HAD DONE REALLY THOROUGH AFTER ACTION REVIEWS, AND THEN WE HAD ACTUALLY DONE THE THINGS THAT WE SAID NEEDED TO GET DONE.

SO, UM, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT ALL COMPLETE.

'CAUSE SOME OF THEM ARE LONG-TERM EFFORTS OR C I P PROJECTS OR, YOU KNOW, OTHER, OTHER THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, AREN'T QUITE ACROSS THE FINISH LINE LINE YET.

BUT WE'RE TRACKING ALL OF THAT AND, AND GETTING IT ALL DONE.

I, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE MORE RESILIENT AND MORE ROBUST THAN WE HAVE EVER BEEN.

AND THAT'S IN PART DUE TO THE REALLY INTENTIONAL EFFORT THAT WE'VE PUT BEHIND THESE AFTER ACTION REVIEWS.

WONDERFUL.

COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OH, JUDY, JUDY, COMMISSIONER MUSGROVE, GO AHEAD.

I WAS JUST WONDERING, HAS UM, ANYONE TAKEN THE REPORT AND YOUR, YOUR RESPONSES BACK TO THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR AND SEE IF THEY FELT LIKE YOU, YOUR READING INTENT? SO WE HAVE REPORTED BACK OUR PROGRESS TO THE OFFICE OF THE CITY AUDITOR.

SO THIS, UH, EXTERNAL REVIEW WAS A DIRECTIVE FROM COUNCIL TO THE OFFICE OF THE CITY AUDITOR TO CONDUCT THIS.

AND THE O C A HELD THE CONTRACT WITH UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AND THE CONSULTANTS THAT DID THIS REVIEW.

AND SO WE ARE REPORTING BACK TO THEM.

UH, AND SO I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF THE LIMIT OF, OF OUR REPORTING.

UH, WE REPORT TO O C A AND WE REPORT TO YOU ALL, AND WE REPORT TO, UM, THE AUSTIN WATER OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.

UM, WHETHER O C A WILL GO BACK TO THE CONSULTANT I'M NOT SURE ABOUT.

I DID WANNA POINT OUT TOO, UM, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EMERGENCY PLANNING AND TRAINING AT EACH PLANT, UM, THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT EXERCISES THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, UM, WE DID A WILDFIRE EXERCISE AT ULRICH, UM, AND WE INCLUDED, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND OTHER FIRST RESPONDERS.

UM, WE DID A SI A DRILL OF A SANO TOXIN EVENT AT THE HANCOCKS WATER TREATMENT PLANT.

WE INVOLVED AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH IN THAT DRILL.

UM, SO WE'RE DOING A LOT OF, UM, OF THOSE KINDS OF, UH, KIND OF CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL, UM, EFFORTS IN PLANNING FOR EMERGENCY EVENTS.

WE'VE BEEN HAVING FIRE DEPARTMENT FAMILIAR FAMILIARIZATION MEETINGS, UH, WHERE THEY'VE COME TO THE PLANT AND OUR STAFF HAVE WALKED AROUND WITH THEM SO THEY HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S, WHAT'S OUT THERE.

UM, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO DONE, UM, LIFE SAFETY PLAN PRESENTATIONS AND EVACUATION DRILLS AT EVERY PLANT.

SO THOSE WERE THE THINGS THAT I THOUGHT I HAD MORE TO SAY ABOUT.

SO, UM, GREAT.

I HAVE A, UM, ONE QUICK QUESTION.

THE, UM, UH, THE STRESS TEST YOU'RE DOING, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THEM, YOU KNOW, LIKE RUNNING THE PLANT MM-HMM.

AT MAXIMUM CAPACITY.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS YOU'RE DOING AND ARE YOU WORKING WITH AUSTIN ENERGY AT ALL? 'CAUSE SOMETIMES I THINK THERE ARE ONE OF YOUR WINKER LINKS.

YES, WE ARE, UM, ACTIVELY WORKING WITH AUSTIN ENERGY.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING IS, UM, MAPPING.

SO IN WINTER STORM MARA, WE HAD SOME CONFUSION AROUND THE ADDRESSING WE WERE USING FOR OUR ELECTRIC METER AND THE ADDRESSING THEY WERE USING.

SO WE'VE BEEN MAPPING ALL OF THAT.

UM, WE ARE, UH, WE HAVE NAMED,

[00:20:01]

UM, WE ARE ALSO WORKING ON SOME POWER RESILIENCY, UM, PLANS A, B, AND C, UM, FOR SOME OF OUR KEY PUMP STATIONS AND LIFT STATIONS, UM, THAT WILL BE, UH, IN PLACE AND READY TO GO BY DECEMBER 1ST.

SO YEAH, WE'RE, WE ARE PARTICULARLY, POWER RESILIENCY HAS BEEN A REAL FOCUS FOR US, SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT.

WELL, I APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK AND THE PROGRESS.

UM, IT'S, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE SOMEBODY EXTERNAL AND GIVE YOURSELF A LOOK AND, AND, UH, MAKE, MAKE PROGRESS ON THE SUGGESTIONS.

SO, ABSOLUTELY.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE ON OUR TEAM LOOKS AS AT THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO WHAT WE DO BETTER AND GET STRONGER, AND I'M, I'M REALLY PROUD OF THE TEAM FOR EMBRACING IT.

GREAT.

ALL RIGHT.

THERE'S NO MORE QUESTIONS.

WE'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA.

UM, UNDERSTAFFED

[18. Staff briefing on water supply and drought response updates]

ITEM 18, UH, STAFF BRIEFING ON WATER SUPPLY AND DROUGHT RESPONSE UPDATES WITH ASSISTANT DIRECTOR KEVIN CRI.

WELCOME CHAIR.

GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

UH, KEVIN CRITTENDON, AUSTIN WATER.

UM, THIS EVENING WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU ANOTHER UPDATE ON OUR, UH, WATER SUPPLY OUTLOOK AND CURRENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS.

UH, AS YOU KNOW, OR PROBABLY RECALL BACK IN JUNE OF LAST YEAR, WE, UH, IT'S, WE GOT INTO A STAGE ONE DROUGHT NOTICE, UH, BASED ON THE COMBINED STORAGE LEVELS OF THE HIGHLAND LAKES AND THOSE, THAT'S OUR TRIGGER LEVELS TO ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT OUR DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLANNING.

UM, THE DROUGHT HAS CONTINUED, AND ON AUGUST THE 15TH OF THIS YEAR, WE WENT INTO STAGE TWO.

AND SO WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU A BIT OF AN UP UPDATE AND AN OVERVIEW OF OUR WATER SUPPLY AND KIND OF WHAT THAT, UH, DROUGHT, CONTINUING DROUGHT, UH, MEANS TO US.

UM, YOU KNOW, UH, DURING THE INTERVENING TIME, YOU KNOW, THIS DROUGHT AS IT HAPPENS, I THINK OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE ARE, UM, EXPERIENCING INFLOWS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, AT OR WORSE THAN WE SAW IN OUR LAST DROUGHT IN THE 20, UM, 2008 TO 2016.

AND IN FACT, IN AUGUST, THE INFLOWS, THE HIGHLAND AND LAKES HAS BEEN THE LOWEST MONTHLY INFLOWS ON RECORD.

SO, UM, THE DROUGHT CONTINUES, UH, WILL CONTINUE TO STAY, UM, ADVISED OF IT.

AND, AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES GOING ON.

SO WITH THAT, UH, WITH IS, UH, THERESA LUTZ, DIVISION MANAGER OF SYSTEMS PLANNING.

SHE OVERSEES, AMONG OTHER THINGS OUR WATER RESOURCES PLANNING ACTIVITIES.

AND THEN KEVIN KLUGE IS THE DIVISION MANAGER FOR WATER CONSERVATION.

SO I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO THEM.

THANK YOU.

I'LL GET US STARTED.

UM, THERESA LUTZ, APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT, UH, TODAY.

UH, SO, UM, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

PLEASE WANNA GIVE A QUICK OVERVIEW.

THIS IS AN OVERVIEW MAP OF OUR WATER SUPPLIES JUST TO KIND OF ORIENT THINGS.

WE HAVE, UM, UM, THIS MAP SHOWING OUR WATER TREATMENT PLANTS AND WHERE THEY DRAW WATER FROM.

WE HAVE THE TWO, UH, WATER SUPPLY RESERVOIRS FOR OUR REGION, UM, SHOWN HERE, LAKES TRAVIS AND BUCHANAN.

AND, UM, THE CITY RECEIVES OUR WATER THROUGH, YOU KNOW, UM, OUR WATER TREATMENT PLANTS THERE.

AS THE COLORADO RIVER THROW FLOWS THROUGH AUSTIN, WE HAVE ACCESS TO WATER SUPPLIES OF UP TO 325,000 ACRE FEET PER YEAR.

AND FOR KIND OF A REFERENCE POINT, WE GOT TO ABOUT 175,000 ACRE FEET OF USE LAST YEAR.

WE'RE TRACKING A LITTLE LOWER THIS YEAR, UM, ON OUR WITHDRAWALS FROM THE RIVER.

WE HAVE A COMBINATION OF SENIOR WATER RIGHTS THAT, UH, HAVE BEEN GRANTED BY THE STATE THROUGH THE, AND ARE, UH, MANAGED THROUGH THE T C E Q, THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY.

BUT WE ALSO HAVE, UM, IMPORTANT FIRM WATER CONTRACTS WITH THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY, WHERE THEY, UM, PROVIDE FIRM WATER BACKUP TO OUR RUN OF RIVER RIGHTS AND SOME ADDITIONAL WATER THROUGH THE, UM, THEIR, UH, HIGHLAND LAKE SUPPLY, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE WATER WHEN WE NEED IT, ESPECIALLY IN TIMES OF DROUGHT.

NEXT SLIDE.

UH, AS KEVIN MENTIONED, WE'RE TRACKING THE INFLOWS TO THE HIGHLAND LAKES.

THESE ARE AMOUNTS OF WATER THAT ARE COMING IN THROUGH, UM, THE TRIBUTARIES AND THE RIVERS THAT FLOW INTO, UH, LAKES TRAVIS AND MCCANNON.

UH, SO OUR INFLOWS HAVE BEEN TRACKING VERY LOW, UH, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

AS KEVIN MENTIONED

[00:25:01]

UH, SO WE'VE BEEN IN A VERY DRY PERIOD LAST YEAR IN 2022.

THE GREEN BARS, THOSE, UH, THAT WAS THE LOWEST, UM, YEAR IN THE PERIOD OF RECORD ALL THE WAY BACK TO 1942.

UH, SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO TRACK THAT.

ALSO SHOWN HERE ON THE GRAPH ARE THE AVERAGE, UH, AVERAGE FLOWS THROUGH THE PERIOD OF, UM, OR THE NEW DROUGHT OF RECORD PERIOD, WHICH WAS 2008 TO 2015 TIMEFRAME.

NEXT SLIDE.

TODAY'S STORAGE IS ABOUT 816,000 ACRE FEET, WHICH IS 42% FULL.

THIS IS THE COM A GRAPH THAT SHOWS THE COMBINED STORAGE OF BOTH LAKES, TRAVIS AND BUCHANAN, WHEN THOSE ARE BOTH FULL THERE, THERE'S 2 MILLION ACRE FEET OF, UM, OF, OF, UH, STORED WATER THERE WHEN THE, THE LAKES ARE FULL.

AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS GRAPH, WHICH GOES BACK TO 2005, IT SHOWS THE PERIOD OF RECORD, I MEAN THE, SORRY, THE, UH, THE DROUGHT OF RECORD FROM, UH, 2008 TO 2016 ON, UH, THE GRAPH KIND OF AS A, A ONE REFERENCE FOR A, A RECENT DROUGHT PERIOD.

WE'RE IN ANOTHER DROUGHT PERIOD THAT, UM, STARTED IN 2019 WHEN THE LAKES WERE LAST FULL.

WE, UM, WENT INTO STAGE ONE WATERING RESTRICTIONS THERE WITH THAT GREEN LINE ACROSS AT 1.4 MILLION ACRE FEET BACK IN JUNE.

AND WE'VE ENTERED STAGE TWO, UH, NOW RECENTLY IN AUGUST, UM, AS THE, UH, COMBINED STORAGE DROP BELOW 900,000 ACRE FEET.

NEXT SLIDE.

THIS, UH, SHOWS THE TEXAS WATER WEEKLY, UH, FOR THIS, UH, FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 5TH.

UM, UH, THIS, UH, SHOWS HOW THE E EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS OUR REGION AND ACROSS MUCH OF THE STATE HAVE, UM, INCREASED.

THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN, IN THE DROUGHT, UM, COVERAGE AND THE EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT COVERAGE.

UM, IN THE LAST WEEK OR SO, THIS RAINY PERIOD THAT WE'RE IN NOW, THAT'S PROJECTED TO LAST AT LEAST THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK AND THEN INTO THE WEEKEND.

UH, I FEEL WE WILL CHANGE THIS PICTURE AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THROUGH THIS.

THESE COME OUT ON THURSDAYS.

UM, SO I ANTICIPATE THE NEXT, AT LEAST NEXT WEEKS WILL LOOK, UM, QUITE A BIT BETTER.

NEXT SLIDE.

THIS, UH, SHOWS THE THREE MONTH OUTLOOK FROM NOAA ON TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION, UH, ALL THE WAY THROUGH OCTOBER.

THE NOAA PROJECTIONS ARE FOR THE, UH, TEMPERATURES TO BE ABOVE NORMAL FOR OUR AREA AND FOR THE CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION TO BE, UH, EQUAL CHANCES, UH, JUST NORMAL, UM, CONDITIONS.

WE ARE IN EL NINO, AND, UH, THERE IS A GREATER THAN 95% CHANCE THAT EL NINO CONDITIONS WILL LAST THROUGH, UM, DECEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY.

SO WE THINK THAT, UH, THERE WILL BE INCREASED CHANCES FOR, UM, UM, PRECIPITATION AS WE GO THROUGH THE FALL AND, UM, AND WINTER PERIOD.

NEXT SLIDE.

THIS IS LC A'S SEPTEMBER 1ST OUTLOOK.

THEY, UH, L C R A PREPARES A SIX MONTH OUTLOOK ON COMBINED STORAGE.

SO AGAIN, THAT'S THE, THE TOTAL OF BOTH, UH, LAKES TRAVIS AND BUCHANAN TOGETHER, UH, FOR THE PROJECTED PERIOD OVER, UH, THE NEXT, UH, SIX MONTHS OR SO, WE'RE GOING INTO THE FALL AND THE WINTER.

SO THE LINES ARE PROJECTED TO STAY FAIRLY FLAT FOR THE, UM, UH, EVEN THE, THE LOWER LINES THERE, WHICH ARE THE, THE EXTREME DRY CONDITIONS AND THE DRY CONDITIONS.

WE'VE BEEN TRACKING THE LOWER THOSE LOWER LINES, THOSE DRY CONDITION LINES.

UH, SO WE WOULD, UH, ONLY EXPECT THOSE LINES TO START GOING UP IF WE ARE ABLE TO, UH, TO RECEIVE SOME ADDITIONAL RAIN IN THE, IN THE FALL, IN THE WINTER.

UH, AND, AND CONDITIONS LOOK TO BE FAVORABLE FOR THAT.

SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO TRACK THIS, OF COURSE, L C R A GET, UH, UH, RELEASES THESE SIX MONTH PROJECTIONS MONTHLY.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

FOR ONGOING ACTIVITIES, JUST WANTED TO CAPTURE, UH, UH, SOME HIGHLIGHTS UNDER OUR MONITORING PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION, UH, PROCESSES, UH, FOR MONITORING.

AGAIN, WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE HIGHLAND LAKES INFLOWS, THE COMBINED STORAGE

[00:30:01]

WE HAVE ONGOING COORDINATION WITH THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY THROUGH OUR WATER PARTNERSHIP.

UM, WE MEET, UM, OFTEN WITH L C R A AND HAVE A LOT OF, UH, COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION.

UH, WE HAVE EFFORTS GOING ON ON PLANNING.

UH, OUR WATER 4 24 UPDATE IS UNDERWAY WITH THE ANTICIPATION, UM, OF COMPLETING INTO 24.

WE ALSO ARE INVOLVED IN THE REGIONAL WATER PLANNING PROCESS THAT THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD ADMINISTERS.

WE'RE IN REGION K HERE, UM, IN CENTRAL TEXAS.

IT'S THE LOWER COLORADO REGION, AND WE'RE VERY INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS.

THAT'S IN THE, UM, IN PROCESS NOW TO DEVELOP A 2026 REGIONAL WATER PLAN ON IMPLEMENTATION.

WE'RE IMPLEMENTING OUR WATER FORWARD CONSERVATION AND REEF STRATEGIES.

UH, WE HAVE AN AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVERY, UM, PILOT PROJECT UNDERWAY, AND WE'RE DOING PRELIMINARY PLANNING FOR INDIRECT POTABLE REUSE.

SO, UH, THAT GIVES, THAT'S THE, UM, THE SLIDES I WAS, UH, PLANNING TO PRESENT.

SO NOW I'LL HAND IT OVER TO KEVIN KLUGE TO TAKE IT FROM HERE.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, THERESA.

AGAIN, KEVIN KLUGE WATER CONSERVATION DIVISION MANAGER.

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

AND SO EVEN WHEN WE ARE NOT IN A DROUGHT SITUATION, AUSTIN REALLY LEANS FORWARD INTO WATER CONSERVATION WITH YEAR ROUND ONE DAY A WEEK, WATERING RESTRICTIONS ON AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, AS WELL AS OTHER RESTRICTIONS AND ACTIVITIES TO HELP CUSTOMERS SAVE WATER.

AS KEVIN MENTIONED EARLIER, IN JUNE OF 2022, YOU WENT INTO TROUT STAGE ONE WHEN THE RESERVOIRS DROPPED TO 1.4 MILLION ACRE FEET.

AND SINCE THEN, OVER THE PAST, PAST 15 MONTHS, AUSTIN WATER REALLY HAS EXPANDED THEIR PUBLIC MESSAGING OUT TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL AS STAKEHOLDERS, PARTICULARLY EMPHASIZING OUTDOOR LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION, AS WELL AS THE VARIOUS REBATES AND INCENTIVES THAT WE HAVE TO HELP CUSTOMERS SAVE WATER.

AND THAT LEADS US TO AUGUST 15TH, UM, JUST A LITTLE WHILE AGO IN WHICH WE WENT INTO DROUGHT STAGE TWO.

NEXT SLIDE.

GOING INTO DROUGHT STAGE TWO BROUGHT WITH US SOME ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE.

THERE YOU SEE THE LANDSCAPE WATERING RESTRICTIONS.

WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD ONE DAY A WEEK WATERING FOR AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION, BUT WHAT CHANGED FOR AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION IS HOW LONG INTO THE MORNING THEY CAN IRRIGATE.

IN STAGE ONE, IT WAS 8:00 AM UM, AND THAT'S BEEN DIALED BACK TO FIVE 5:00 AM THAT AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEMS HAVE TO STOP, UH, HOSE AND SPRINKLERS IN BOTH OUR CONSERVATION STAGE AND OUR STAGE ONE, UM, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WATER, UH, TWO DAYS A WEEK, EITHER WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, OR SATURDAY, SUNDAY.

BUT GOING INTO STAGE TWO, THAT WAS CUT BACK TO ONE DAY A WEEK ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY.

ALSO FOR LANDSCAPE, UH, WATERING, WE'VE BEEN INCREASING OUR ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES.

WE'VE BEEN BRINGING ON SOME TEMPORARY STAFF TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF PATROLS THAT WE DO FOR WATERING, UH, VIOLATIONS, AS WELL AS BRINGING ON SOME STAFF THAT ARE NOT USUALLY DOING PATROLS TO HELP WITH INVESTIGATIONS AND REACHING OUT TO RESTAURANTS.

AND, UM, IN TERMS OF MAKING THEM AWARE OF RESTRICTIONS.

AND, UH, THE USE OF MISTERS OVER ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ARE A NUMBER OF THE OTHER ADDITIONAL DROUGHT RESTRICTIONS IN STAGE TWO.

UH, FOCUSING ON FOUNTAINS, UH, GOLF COURSES, UH, NEED TO TIGHTEN UP DURING STAGE TWO AS WELL AS LANDSCAPE ESTABLISHMENT, UH, NO LONGER BEING AUTOMATICALLY EXEMPT FROM WATERING SCHEDULES.

NEXT SLIDE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

OH, OH, SORRY.

THANK YOU.

UH, ALRIGHT, SO WRAPPING UP, UM, OUR NEXT STEPS, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE AS A UTILITY TO MONITOR THE DROUGHT SUIT SITUATION.

LOOKING AT THE RESERVOIR LEVELS, WE'LL BE PROMOTING WATER CONSERVATION AND ADHERENCE TO OUR WATERING SCHEDULES, AND WE'LL BE IMPLEMENTING THE WATER FORWARD PLAN, AS WAS DESCRIBED BY THERESA A FEW MOMENT AGO FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.

WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO MESSAGE OUT THAT WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER AS MUCH AS WE DO IN THE WATER CONSERVATION DIVISION AND THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE UTILITY.

WE CANNOT, UH, SAVE ENOUGH WATER

[00:35:02]

WE REALLY NEED ALL RESIDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY TO HELP SAVE WATER IN THESE DRY TIMES.

SO WE'LL BE MESSAGING OUT TO THEM TO ASK THEM TO TAKE A LOOK AT THEIR OWN WATER USE TO SIGN UP FOR THE MY ATEX WATER PORTAL, PARTICULARLY THE LEAK ALERTS, AND ASK THEM TO FOLLOW THE WATERING SCHEDULE, UH, FOR OUTDOOR IRRIGATION.

AND WITH THAT, I BELIEVE WE ARE OPEN FOR ANY QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER MAXWELL GAINES? YES.

THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH FOR THE INFORMATION PRESENTATION.

SO IN MY LINE OF WORK, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M OUT THERE ALMOST EVERY DAY AND, UM, PARTICULARLY TALKING ABOUT IRRIGATION, RIGHT? SO, UM, I CAN, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES WHEN I TALK TO A HOMEOWNER, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OTHER SYSTEMS AND IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. UM, BUT WHENEVER I ASK THEM ABOUT THEIR IRRIGATION SYSTEM, I WOULD SAY 95%.

AND EVEN WHEN THE TIMES WHEN I SAY, WELL, LET'S WALK AROUND HERE AND LET ME SHOW YOU.

AND YOU OPEN UP THAT BOX AND IT HAS THE LITTLE GADGETS AND THE LITTLE SCREEN, WHATEVER, PEOPLE JUST, YOU KNOW, DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND.

NOW, YOU KNOW, THE INDUSTRY IS SWITCHING A LOT TO THE, UM, IPHONE AND SMART, YOU KNOW, TYPE CONTROLLER SO PEOPLE CAN SEE IT ON THEIR PHONE VERSUS HAVING TO GO OUT TO THEIR CONTROLLER.

BUT I GUESS I JUST HAVE COME ACROSS SO MANY TIMES WHERE PEOPLE WERE NOT ON THE RIGHT SCHEDULE TWO, THREE TIMES A WEEK.

SO OF COURSE I'M DOING MY THING TO CHANGE IT, BUT YOU KNOW, THOSE, THAT'S ONLY A COUPLE.

I GUESS WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, TO TRY TO EDUCATE, UH, NORMAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE DAILY LIVES AND STUFF, VERY DIFFICULT.

SO HAS THERE BEEN ANY THOUGHT OF, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S PARTNERING OR WHATEVER, BUT YOU KNOW, ALL THE IRRIGATORS THAT THEY HAVE TO PULL PERMITS, SO THEY'RE REGISTERED WITH THE CITY.

HAS THERE ANY KIND OF MECHANISM LIKE THROUGH THE IRRIGATORS WHERE WHEN THEY'RE OUT AND THEY GET A CUSTOMER AND THEY PUT IN THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM THAT THERE'S SOMETHING? I DON'T KNOW, I'M, I'M JUST TRYING TO, BECAUSE IT JUST SEEMS LIKE, UM, TRYING TO BROADEN MESSAGE CONSUMERS IS GONNA BE HARD.

AND AS I'M DRIVING AROUND, YOU KNOW, I'M, IT'S LIKE 11:00 AM AND I'M SEEING SPRINKLERS, I'M GOING, SO I'M JUST THROWING OUT SOME IDEAS ABOUT, UM, PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE ACTUAL CONTRACTORS THAT ARE IMPLEMENTING THE SYSTEMS, AND IS THERE A WAY TO CREATE SOME SORT OF INCENTIVE EDUCATION, EVEN AN ONLINE THING LIKE THAT THE CITY PUTS TOGETHER, AND THEN THE, THE PERSON GETS, I DON'T KNOW, UH, $25 OF SOMETHING ON THEIR WOFT, THEIR WATER BILL OR SOMETHING IF THEY GO THROUGH THIS THING.

IT'S JUST, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IF WE'RE CATCHING 'EM AT THE BEGINNING WHEN THEY'RE GETTING THESE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN AND THEN EDUCATING THAT, THAT CONSUMER RIGHT THEN AND THERE, VERSUS JUST HOPING THAT THE IRRIGATOR DOES A GOOD JOB OF EDUCATION.

MAYBE THEY DO, MAYBE THEY DON'T.

OR MAYBE IT JUST GOES OVER THE, THE HOMEOWNER'S, UH, HEAD.

SO JUST KIND OF A QUESTION, COMMENT.

UM, AND, AND IT'S JUST BECAUSE WITH THE, THE DECLINING LAKE LEVELS, AND I'M, I KEEP UP WITH THE WATER DATA FOR TEXAS, UH, AND EVERY DAY I GO AND IT'S LIKE LAKE TRAVIS, LAKE BUCHANAN, 0.1% DOWN EVERY DAY, 0.1%, 0.1.

AND, AND YOU'RE JUST GOING, OH MY GOODNESS.

LIKE, UH, ANYWAYS.

AND SO I KNOW IRRIGATION IS ONE OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE BIGGEST THINGS, ESPECIALLY DURING THE SUMMERTIME.

AND SO JUST TRYING TO, IS THERE A WAY THAT, UM, AUSTIN WATER CAN WORK WITH IRRIGATORS, I GUESS IS, IS WHAT I'M POINTING AT, TO IMPLEMENT SOMETHING LIKE THAT? WELL, WE DO HAVE, UM, SOME CONTACT WITH IRRIGATORS, UM, BUT IT CERTAINLY IS WORTH LOOKING AT IF WE CAN DO MORE TO, UM, HAVE REGULAR COMMUNICATIONS WITH THEM AND PERHAPS ENCOURAGE THEM TO, UM, SET THOSE SCHEDULES, UM, TO WHAT THEY NEED TO BE.

YEAH, IT, IT IS TOUGH.

'CAUSE OBVIOUSLY AS A, AS, AS SOMEONE WHO'S CONTRACTED, UM, YOUR JOB IS, IS IF MY GRASS AND EVERYTHING STAYS GREEN, RIGHT? SO THEN THAT INCENTIVE, AND SO OBVIOUSLY FOR THEM TO, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST GONNA SIT IT TWO TIMES A WEEK.

I KNOW IT SHOULD BE ONE, BUT TWO, BECAUSE I WANNA MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, IT'S THAT, THAT INCENTIVE FOR THEM OF MAKING SURE THAT LANDSCAPING LOOKS GOOD FOR THEIR, THEIR CUSTOMERS, RIGHT? SO IT, I KNOW IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT AND THAT'S WHY I WAS JUST WONDERING IF, IF WE CAN DO A, UM, LIKE HAVE THE IRRIGATOR PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT A ONLINE PROGRAM.

AGAIN, I'M TRYING TO KEEP SOMETHING WHERE IT'S NOT

[00:40:01]

I DON'T KNOW.

I'M JUST THROWING THAT OUT.

SO, YEAH.

UH, AGAIN, KEVIN GR I THINK A LOT OF GOOD IDEAS THERE.

UH, AGAIN, ONE OF OUR POPULAR PROGRAMS WE DO OFFER, UM, UH, LANDSCAPE TUNEUPS, I MEAN, FOR IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, OBVIOUSLY IT'S, IT'S, WE, WE PROBABLY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH STAFF TO DO ALL OF THOSE.

AND SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CONTINUE TO LOOK AT CREATIVE SOLUTIONS WHERE PEOPLE CAN EDUCATE THEMSELVES.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, ALL OF THE, THE TECHNIQUES THAT WE HAVE ARE REALLY ABOUT TRYING TO RAISE AWARENESS AND TRYING TO GET PEOPLE MORE EDUCATED ABOUT THIS.

UM, I'D LOVE TO TELL YOU THAT WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, ABILITY TO DEPUTIZE ALL THE PEOPLE IN AUSTIN TO GO AND WE KIND OF DO, RIGHT? WE GET A LOT OF PHONE TRAFFIC RIGHT NOW THROUGH THREE ONE ONE.

THAT'S ONE METHOD.

UM, SO YEAH, I, I THINK IT'S GONNA TAKE ALL THE KIND OF CREATIVE TOOLS THAT WE CAN HAVE TO KIND OF KEEP THAT IN THE FRONT OF MIND AND WE'LL CERTAINLY LOOK IN TO HOW WE CAN BETTER ENGAGE THE, THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN THAT.

IT, IT'LL BE A LITTLE BIT OF A CHALLENGE, RIGHT? BECAUSE I, I THINK THERE'S A BIT OF A, YOU KNOW, THERE, IT'LL, IT'LL BE DIFFICULT TO HAVE SORT OF A, WE'LL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO INCENTIVIZE IT.

I THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'LL LOOK AT.

BUT WE'RE, WE'RE OPEN TO DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND ALWAYS TRYING TO KEEP PEOPLE, UM, AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF KIND OF DOING THEIR PART.

I THINK WE HAVE VIDEOS ON ONLINE FOR HOW TO SET IRRIGATION TIMERS, SO MAYBE WE NEED TO HELP MAKE A LITTLE POSTCARD, GET THAT OUT TO FOLKS.

YEP.

HI.

UH, JUST TO KIND OF PIGGYBACK ON THAT, MAYBE GOING A LITTLE BIT DEEPER ON THE LAYER, YOU KNOW, IN MY DISTRICT THERE'S JUST A LOT OF DEVELOPMENTS GOING ON.

AND SO WHAT ARE WE DOING TO COMMUNICATE TO THESE BUILDERS? UM, YOU KNOW, I KIND OF SEE THESE, THESE NEW DEVELOPMENTS GOING ON AND JUST SEEING THESE NICE PRETTY GREEN GRASSES THAT ARE TRYING TO GET HOUSE SALES, BUT HOW DEEP ARE WE GOING AND IMPOSING SOME KIND OF REGULATION TO KIND OF HOLD THE BUILDERS ACCOUNTABLE TO ABIDE, YOU KNOW, BY ANY KIND OF WATER CONSERVATION, UH, METRICS THAT WE'RE DOING AND, YOU KNOW, IMPLEMENT IT TO THEIR SALES TEAM AS THEY, YOU KNOW, GET BUYERS IN.

LIKE, ARE WE, ARE WE, ARE WE GOING THAT DEEP? 'CAUSE I JUST DON'T THINK IT'S SCALABLE FOR THE STAFF TO, UM, REALLY TACKLE THIS ON, ON, ON THEMSELVES.

AND SO ARE WE, ARE WE COMMUNICATING WITH THE BUILDERS? NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF, UH, OFFHAND.

UH, WE DO PATROL THE NEW NEIGHBORHOODS AND THOSE ARE VERY, UM, RIPE AREAS, UH, FOR INVESTIGATIONS.

UM, AS YOU MENTIONED, IT'S NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE THOSE NEW HOMES WITH THEIR NEW SYSTEMS BEING SET TO SOMETHING MORE THAN, UM, WHAT THEY SHOULD BE.

UM, SO WE FIND THOSE, WELL, WE SEE THOSE AND THEN WE INVESTIGATE AND SEND CONTACT THE BUILDERS.

UM, THAT IS A CHALLENGE.

UM, NOT IN, IT DOESN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN THIS DROUGHT.

UM, BUT, UM, WE ARE LOOKING TO BEGIN, UH, IRRIGATION SYSTEM INSPECTIONS FOR NEW HOMES EARLY IN 2025.

WE HAVE A NUMBER OF NEW STAFF COMING IN, AND WE'LL BE USING SOME EXISTING STAFF, UM, IN WHICH, AS PART OF THE BUILDING PROCESS, WE'LL HAVE STAFF GOING OUT AND INSPECTING THE SYSTEMS AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE SET ON THE CORRECT, UM, SETTINGS RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING.

SO HOPEFULLY EARLY IN 2025, UH, WE CAN HOPEFULLY NIP THOSE IN THE BUD EARLY.

RIGHT.

YEAH, I JUST THINK FROM A LONG-TERM, UH, PERSPECTIVE, REALLY GETTING TO THE ROOT, UM, AND BEING AGGRESSIVE IN THAT I THINK WOULD, WOULD REALLY HELP.

JUST A, A COMMENT, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S A, AN IMMEDIATE SOLUTION, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THROUGH OUR PROGRAM AREA, WE DO HAVE REGULAR CONTACT WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, SO THAT MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO DO IN ADDITION TO, TO SORT OF MASS, YOU KNOW, EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT, YOU KNOW, MORE DIRECTLY WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY AND KIND OF PARTICULARLY MASS BUILDERS.

SO LET, LET'S DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT AGAIN, IT'S JUST KIND OF RAISING AWARENESS AND, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, THEY DO HAVE THE CHALLENGE OF THEY'RE TRYING TO SELL HOMES AND THEY'RE TRYING TO KEEP THE LAWNS, YOU KNOW, AT A CERTAIN PLACE AND TRYING TO GET IN AND OUT.

BUT, UM, I, I THINK WE CAN CERTAINLY BUILD A BETTER COALITION WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY.

WE DO HAVE A LOT OF, UM, INTERACTION WITH THEM IN, IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS.

SO LET'S SEE HOW WE CAN TRY TO USE THAT BETTER.

COMMISSIONER,

[00:45:01]

UM, UH, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL GAINES.

GO AHEAD.

YEAH.

IS IT IN STAGE THREE, YOU KNOW, WITH NEW LANDSCAPES THAT THEY HAVE TO SUBMIT A VARIANCE FOR WATERING OR WHAT'S THE, UH, 'CAUSE I KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING WITH NEW LANDSCAPES, UM, IN ONE OF THE STAGES, RIGHT, RIGHT.

IN, IN CONSERVATION STAGE AND IN STAGE ONE, UH, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF LANDSCAPE, UM, WATER USE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF LANDSCAPE WAS EXEMPTED FROM THE WATERING SCHEDULE.

THAT EXEMPTION FELL OFF WHEN YOU WENT INTO STAGE TWO.

SO, UH, UH, HOME BUILDER OR HOMEOWNER ESTABLISHING NEW LANDSCAPE IN STAGE TWO CAN EITHER ABIDE BY THE WATERING SCHEDULE, UH, ONE DAY A WEEK, OR THEY CAN APPLY FOR A NEW ZEROSCAPE, UH, VARIANCE, UM, IN WHICH THEY'RE PLANTING A PARTICULAR SET OF, OF PLANTS AND TURF THAT WE HAVE ON OUR WEBSITE.

AND THOSE ARE NOT UNUSUAL PLANTS.

SO.

WONDERFUL.

UM, COMMISSIONERS, DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER PENN, APPRECIATE THE TIMELY PRESENTATION ON THIS ITEM.

I, AUSTIN WATER HAS A STRONG A HUNDRED YEAR PLAN, THE WATER FORWARD PROGRAM, AND I, I GUESS THIS IS A KIND OF A CURIOUS QUESTION IS NOBODY TALKS ABOUT A DROUGHT WHEN THE LAKE'S HALF FULL OR FULL.

AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF AWARENESS NOW AND MAYBE DOES THAT POTENTIALLY LEAD TO OPPORTUNITY FOR FUNDING THAT COMES OUT? AND THIS MIGHT BE A TIME TO, TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO GRAB FUNDING THAT MIGHT BE PUT INTO USE FOR THE WATER FORWARD PROGRAM, OR DOES THAT JUST, THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN.

I, I'M JUST CURIOUS IF, IF, IF THAT MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY WITHIN ALL OF THIS.

UM, , SORRY, THIS IS THERESA LUTZ.

YES, IT DEFINITELY IS.

UH, I WAS JUST GONNA MENTION THAT THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD SWIFT FUND PROCESS, WHICH IS, HAS FAVORABLE, UM, UH, FINANCIAL TERMS THAT CAME OUT OF ONE OF OUR MOST RECENT DROUGHTS, AND THAT WAS PART OF IT AND, AND, UH, IS CONNECTED WITH THE REGIONAL WATER PLANNING PROCESS.

UH, PROJECTS THAT ARE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR SWIFT FUNDING NEED TO BE IN THE REGIONAL WATER PLANTS.

AND SO WE'RE IN TUNE TO THAT.

UM, SO WE'RE, WE ARE DEFINITELY CONSIDERING THAT.

AND THERE MAY BE, WE'LL KEEP OUR EYES OUT TOO.

OTHERS MAY HAVE SOME, UH, POINTS TO MAKE, BUT WE'LL, WE'LL DEFINITELY KEEP OUR EYES OUT 'CAUSE I THINK YOU MAKE A GOOD POINT THAT IT IS THESE KINDS OF CONDITIONS THAT DO KIND OF SPUR THOSE, UM, NEW OPPORTUNITIES ON.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I HAVE A, A FEW.

UM, ARE WE GOING TO BEGIN TO CHARGE VIOL FOR VIOLATIONS? WE DO HAVE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS AND WE HAVE BEEN CHARGING THEM.

YOU ARE? OKAY.

UM, PENALTIES ARE, ARE RATHER RARE, UM, BECAUSE WE DO GIVE WARNINGS OUT.

OKAY.

UM, SO WE DON'T FIND A LOT OF REPEATS, BUT NOW WE ARE FAR ENOUGH INTO THE DROUGHT THAT IF SOMEONE MAY HAVE GIVEN A WARNING BEFORE TWO MONTHS AGO OR WHAT HAVE YOU NOW, IF THEY'RE FOUND AGAIN TO BE VIOLATING THE WATER SCHEDULE, THEY'RE STARTING TO GET, UH, PENALTIES.

SO, SO, OKAY, GOOD.

UM, THAT'S ONE WAY TO GET THE POINT ACROSS .

UM, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'LL HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THIS OR NOT, BUT, UM, IF WE CONTINUED LOOKING AT YOUR EXHIBIT, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT SLIDE NUMBER IT IS, BUT THE LAKE TRAVIS, I MEAN THE L C R A, LAKE BUCHANAN AND TRAVIS COMPI STORAGE PROJECTIONS, UM, IF WE CONTINUED TO HAVE A DRY CONDITIONS, HAVE WE FORECASTED WHEN WE MIGHT HAVE TO GO INTO STAGE THREE? LET ME, UH, TRY TO ADDRESS THAT.