May 08, 2024 Water and Wastewater Commission

[00:00:04]

ISSUES.

UH, BUT WE HAVE A QUORUM.

SO, UH, IT IS

[CALL TO ORDER]

UH, ONLINE WE HAVE COMMISSIONER ARDI.

SO WE DO HAVE A QUORUM.

UH, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC? SO WITH NO PUBLIC COMMENT OR COMMUNICATION COMMISSIONERS, WE HAVE SEVERAL ITEMS RELATED TO THE WALNUT CREEK WA WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT.

AND WE ALSO HAVE ON OUR AGENDA,

[13. Staff briefing on Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades and expansion]

SO, IN, IN THE INTEREST OF POTENTIALLY ANSWERING QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE AND BEING MORE INFORMED, UH, WHEN WE GO THROUGH THE CONSENT AGENDA AND THE AGENDA ITSELF, I THOUGHT IT'D BE BEST TO MOVE THAT UP TO THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING AND HAVE, UM, CHARLES SOLERO GIVE US THAT PRESENTATION NOW, AND WE CAN ASK QUESTIONS, AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK TO THE AGENDA.

UM, APPROVE THE MINUTES AND GO THROUGH THE ITEMS AS NECESSARY.

SO IF THERE'S NO OBJECTIONS, I'LL GO AHEAD AND TURN IT OVER TO CHARLES.

THANK YOU.

AS MENTIONED, I'M CHARLES SRO, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING SERVICES WITH AUSTIN WATER, AND TONIGHT AUSTIN, AS MENTIONED, WE HAVE SIX RCAS, UH, FOR WALNUT CREEK TREATMENT PLANT, WITH ONE OF THEM BEING THE EXPANSION OF THE PLANT ITSELF, A GENERATIONAL PROJECT, AND THE TOTAL VALUE OF THOSE IS ABOUT $1 BILLION.

SO IT'S A BIG NIGHT FOR US GUYS.

BIG NIGHT.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO, UM, AS WE'RE PLANNING THE FUTURE WALNUT CREEK, I THOUGHT MAYBE WE WOULD, UH, LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF THE PLANT, THE RENEWAL PROJECTS THAT WE'VE COMPLETED SINCE THE ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROJECT, AND OF COURSE, THE PROPOSED FUTURE CHANGES THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.

UH, THE FUTURE CHANGES, AS WE WILL DISCUSS, IS BEING DONE BY TWO CONTRACTS, ONE FOR THE EXPANSION ENHANCEMENTS, AND ANOTHER ONE FOR THE PRIMARY CLARIFIERS AND FLOW EQUALIZATION BASINS.

NEXT SLIDE.

WE'LL GO THROUGH THE PROJECT HISTORY.

NOW, THE PLANT ORIGINATED IN 1977 WITH 18 MGD.

NEXT SLIDE.

IN 19 87, 10 YEARS LATER, WE EXPANDED TO 40 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY.

AND THEN IN 1990, WE EXPANDED TO 60 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY.

15 YEARS LATER, IN 2005, UH, THE TREATMENT CAPACITY WAS INCREASE TO 75 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY WITH THE COMPLETION OF HEADWORKS.

NUMBER TWO, HEADWORKS IS WHERE THE WATER ENTERS THE PLANT AND IS THE FIRST STEP OF OUR TREATMENT PROCESS.

NEXT SLIDE.

IN 2019, AS FLOWS WERE INCREASING AT THE PLANT, UH, AUSTIN WATER COMMISSIONED AN OPTIMIZATION AND FACILITY PLAN THAT WAS COMPLETED IN 2019.

UH, THE FACILITY PLAN, UM, LOOKED AT THE, UH, ALTERNATIVES FOR FUTURE TREATMENT ENHANCEMENTS, AS WELL AS THE FACILITIES REQUIRED FOR A HUNDRED MILLION GALLONS PER DAY, AS WELL AS FUTURE BEYOND THAT, AS WE PLAN TO, UH, EXPLAIN THE PLANT WELL BEYOND THE, UH, UP TO 150 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY.

NEXT SLIDE.

UM, AS THE PLANT APPROACHED ABOUT 30 YEARS OF AGE, UH, AUSTIN WATER BEGAN SOME STRATEGIC, UH, REHABILITATION RENEWAL PROJECTS TO MAINTAIN RELIABLE, UH, TREATMENT AND ALSO ENHANCE THE TREATMENT, UH, PROCESS AT, AT WALNUT CREEK.

UM, I HAVE 10 PROJECTS THAT WERE KIND OF NOTABLE OVER THE LAST, UH, 20 YEARS.

AND WITH NOTE OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, WE'VE ACTUALLY DID ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF IMPROVEMENTS AT THE PLANT.

AND AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT, I'VE, I'VE KIND OF TRIED TO DESIGNATE THE GENERAL, UH, AREAS OF THOSE PROJECTS IN GREEN.

AS YOU CAN SEE, WE, WE TOUCH ALMOST, I THINK, EVERY SINGLE SIGNIFICANT PROCESS AREA WITHIN THE PLANT.

NEXT SLIDE.

FOR TONIGHT'S, UH, UH, UH, CONSIDERATION, WE HAVE FOUR PROJECTS, UH, TO BE COMPLETED.

UH, THE PRIMARY, UH, AND FEB, THE FLOW EQUALIZATION BASIN CLARIFIER PROJECT, THE HEADWORKS NUMBER ONE, AND THE IN FLUENT LIFT STATION PROJECTS, UM, ARE THREE CONTINUING, UH, RE REHABILITATION RENEWAL PROJECTS, OUR STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT,

[00:05:01]

AND THE FOURTH PROJECT IS THE PLANT EXPANSION ITSELF TO 100 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY.

UH, THE EXPANSION ALSO INCLUDES, UH, UH, MODIFYING THE TREATMENT PROCESS FOR NUTRIENT REMOVAL.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO, I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT, UH, CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK WHEN I, WHEN I REFERENCE THAT.

UM, MOST, UH, MOST PROJECTS ARE FOR AUSTIN WATER AS WELL AS CITY ARE COMPLETED BY WHAT'S CALLED DESIGN BID BUILD.

AND THE OTHER ONE THAT, WHAT I'VE MENTIONED TONIGHT IS THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER RISK CMAR.

AND THAT'S KIND OF DESIGNATED AS A COLLABORATIVE DELIVERY.

UH, THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THOSE TWO, UH, METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION IS IN A DESIGN BID BUILD, THE ENGINEER COMPLETES A HUNDRED PERCENT DESIGN OF THE PLANS, THEN BIDS THE PROJECT OUT, WHEREAS A CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK, USUALLY AFTER THE PER, AND PROBABLY MOST LIKELY BEFORE THE 30% AND, AND AT LEAST FIVE 30%, UH, YOU ACTUALLY BRING ON THE CONTRACTOR ON BOARD.

AND THEREFORE THE, THE, THE COLLABORATION OF THE OWNER, ENGINEER, AND CONTRACTOR, YOU COMPLETE THE FINAL PLANS AS WELL AS THE CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCING OF THE PLANT.

SO WHEN I'M REFERENCING THAT TO SEYMOUR, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING.

AND WE HAVE THE TWO, UH, CONTRACTS THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT.

UM, THE PRIMARY CLARIFY AND FLOW EQUALIZATION IS ONE OF THE SEYMOUR CONTRACTS THAT WE DID.

UM, AND WE DID THAT DUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGES AND CONSTRUCTION ACCESS ISSUES THAT WE HAVE.

UM, THE, AS YOU COULD SEE IN THE PICTURE THERE ON THE VERY BOTTOM RIGHT, YOU COULD SEE THAT THE, THE, THE CLARIFIER MECHANISM, THE, THE WHAT WE WANNA REPLACE IS BELOW GROUND AND IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE IT'S BELOW A BRIDGE 'CAUSE IT, THOSE BEAMS LOOK LIKE IF YOU WERE DRIVING UNDERNEATH THE BRIDGE.

THE ACCESS POINTS TO THOSE CLARIFIERS IS SKYLIGHTS.

AND I KIND OF NOTED IN THE UPPER RIGHT AS WELL AS THE MIDDLE, UM, MAYBE THE SCALE'S HARD TO SEE.

THAT'S FIVE FOOT FOUR INCHES WIDE.

AND IF YOU REMOVE BOTH THE SCALE UP, UH, SKYLIGHTS, IT'S 10 FEET, EIGHT INCHES LONG.

AND ON THE FAR LEFT, I TRY TO NOTE JUST KIND OF THE SCALE OF THAT.

THE RED DOTS OR THE RED SQUARES ARE THE SKYLIGHTS.

THEY'RE PRETTY CLOSE TO ACCURATE, UH, SCALE DEPICTION OF THE CLARIFIER THAT'S UNDERNEATH.

SO WE'RE TAKING A LOT OF EQUIPMENT IN AND OUT OF THOSE CLARIFIERS.

UM, IT HAS BEEN, UH, NOTED THAT IT'S KIND OF LIKE REMODELING YOUR HOUSE AND YOU'RE GOING THROUGH YOUR CHIMNEY FOR ALL THAT CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY.

SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO AS WE DID THE, UH, COLLABORATIVE METHOD AS WE APPROACH, UH, WITH THE CONTRACTOR MGC, UH, THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT FINDINGS NOTED, UH, SEVERAL AIR, UM, DRIVERS THAT HAD INCREASED THE COSTS FROM THE ORIGINAL, UH, PER COSTS THAT WE SUBMITTED WHEN WE WENT, UH, TO THE, TO THIS BOARD FOR THE SEYMOUR CONTRACT.

ADDITIONALLY, TO FACILITATE CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCING AND CON AND A CONTINUING SEEING OF OPERATIONS OF THE PLANT, WE CHOSE THREE PROJECTS TO ACTUALLY, UH, DO IN THE SEYMOUR PRIMARY CLARIFIER FLOW EQUALIZATION BASIN CONTRACT VERSUS THE EXPANSION CONTRACT.

AND SO THOSE ARE THE NOTED ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN.

THE THREE, THE THREE, UH, PROJECTS IS THE METER VAULT, THE HEAD WORKS, UH, TO SLIDE GATES AND SOME WORK ON THE ODOR CONTROL TO FACILITATE A COORDINATION WITH OTHER PLANT IMPROVEMENTS.

SO NEXT SLIDE.

OH, CAN WE GO BACK ONE? I'LL JUST, SORRY.

SO, UH, I DIDN'T, I MENTIONED THE DRIVERS AND I DIDN'T GO OVER 'EM, OBVIOUSLY.

I PRESENTED THE CONSTRUCTABILITY CHALLENGES.

UH, I DON'T KNOW IF WE FULLY AND FULLY, UH, KNEW ABOUT HOW HARD IT WAS GOING TO BE TO GET THOSE CLARIFIERS IN AND OUTTA THAT CLARIFY, UH, THAT, UM, SKYLIGHT WITH THAT INCREASED CHALLENGES, THE PROJECT DURATION HAS ACTUALLY INCREASED FROM TWO TO FIVE YEARS.

UM, WE, WE DO HAVE, UH, WE HAD TO ADD A TEMPORARY WET WEATHER BYPASS 'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE PRIMARY CLARIFIERS DOWN AND THE FLOW EQUALIZATION BASINS DOWN.

SO WE NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO BYPASS WET WEATHER WHILE WE HAVE THE BASINS DOWN.

SO WE NEEDED TO DO THAT.

UM, IT'S CONFINED SPACE ISSUES DOWN THROUGH THERE.

AND WITH THE NEW CRITERIA, NEW RULES, THE, UM, FOR TEMPORARY AS WELL AS PERMANENT, UM, VENTILATION AND HVAC WHILE WE'RE DOING THE CONSTRUCTION TO REMOVE IT FROM

[00:10:01]

SO WE DON'T HAVE TO BE IN, YOU KNOW, SCUBA GEAR, UM, WAS A, A SIGNIFICANT COST.

WE HAVE SEEN SIGNIFICANT ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT COST RISES.

THAT IS, THAT IS THAT WE HAVE SEEN THAT, UM, GROUT REPLACEMENT.

UH, WE'VE CHOSEN TO REPLACE THE GROUT UNDERNEATH THE CLARIFIERS, NOT JUST REHAB, THAT WE'VE HAD LESSONS LEARNED FROM OUR PREVIOUS PROJECT AS WELL AS THE CRACK REPAIR.

WHEN WE STARTED LOOKING INTO THE BASINS THEMSELVES.

WE, WE'VE FOUND THAT THERE'S SOME SIGNIFICANT, UH, STRUCTURAL, NOT STRUCTURAL, BUT CRACK REPAIR IN THE CONCRETE THAT WE WANNA REPAIR TO MAINTAIN THE LIFE OF THE PROJECT.

SO THOSE ARE THE MAIN COST DRIVERS THAT CAME OUT OF THE COLLABORATION WITH THE, UH, ENG, WITH THE, WITH THE CONTRACTOR AND THE ENGINEER.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

THANK YOU.

THE TWO RCAS THAT ARE, ARE FOR THIS PROJECT ARE, THE FIRST ONE IS AN AMENDMENT TO BLACK AND VEATCH CONSULTING ENGINEERING CONTRACT TO, FOR CONSTRUCTION PHASE SERVICES.

SO IT'S JUST GOING TO THE NEXT PHASE OF THE DESTRUCTION.

THE SECOND ONE IS ACTUALLY AMENDMENT TO THE EXISTING MGC CONTRACTORS, UH, CONTRACT TO INCREASE THE, THE ALLOWABLE, UM, LIMIT FROM, UH, AN ADDITIONAL $127 MILLION.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

THE SECOND SEYMOUR PROJECT IS THE EXPANSION ITSELF.

AND, UH, WE CHOSE THIS, UH, TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A SINGLE CONTRACTOR MANAGE MULTIPLE CONSTRUCTION PACKAGES.

ON THE LEFT THERE IS, IS A KIND OF AN IDEA OF ALL THE CONSTRUCTION PACKAGES THAT WE'VE KIND OF IDENTIFIED, UM, FOR THIS PLANT.

UM, AS WELL AS ASSIST WITH THE, UH, WITH PLANT OPERATIONS AS WE TAKE BASINS DOWN AND BRING THEM UP FOR THE CONVERSION OF THE PLANT TO A, TO A NUTRIENT REMOVE REMOVAL.

UM, ALSO COORDINATE THE TIE-INS BETWEEN THE NEW EXPANSION AS WELL AS THE EXISTING PLANT.

WE GOT A LOT OF TIE-INS.

WE GOT A LOT MOVE, UH, WATER AROUND A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY AND TO PROVIDE COMMISSIONING AND STARTUP, UH, PROCESSES 'CAUSE WE'LL HAVE TO DO, UH, KIND OF, UH, ONE TRAIN AT A TIME.

SO WE WANTED TO WALK THROUGH ALL THOSE ISSUES AS WELL AS HAVE ONE CONTRACTOR MANAGE ALL THOSE DIFFERENT AREAS.

ON THE LEFT, WE HAD THE, WHAT WE CALL RENEWAL PROJECTS.

THAT'S CONTINUING OF OUR, OUR STRATEGIC RENEWAL PROCESS OF THE HEADWORKS IN THE IN FLUENT LIFT STATION.

THE EXPANSION, THE 25 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY, THAT'S ACTUALLY THE NEW TREATMENT CAPACITY WE HAVE.

WE NEED TO INCREASE THE IN FLUENT PIPE AS WELL AS THE EFFLUENT PIPE, THE OUTFALL PIPE TO GET THE WATER THROUGH.

WE HAVE SOME TREATMENT CONVERSIONS, THE 75 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY.

WE WILL HAVE TO CONVERT THAT TO THE NEW TREATMENT FOR NUTRIENT REMOVAL AS WELL AS FOR DISINFECTION, WE'RE GONNA GO TO UV.

AND FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE PLANT, WE HAVE THE WET WEATHER TREATMENT FACILITY, UM, TO HANDLE THE I AND I FLOWS THAT COME INTO THE PLANT AS WELL AS WITH THE NEW ATLAS 14 FLOOD, UH, UM, RULES.

I DUNNO IF IT'S CONSIDERED A RULE, BUT THE STUDIES THAT THE PLANT NEEDS A, A FLOOD WALL AROUND IT TO PROTECT IT FROM FUTURE FLOODS.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

THE FOUR, UH, THE FOUR RCAS FOR THIS ARE, UH, PROJECT THREE ARE FOR ENGINEERING, UM, CONTRACTS GOING FROM DESIGN TO CONSTRUCTION PHASE OR THAT RATHER ADDING THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE SERVICES TO THE CONTRACT.

THE FIRST ONE IS THE HEADWORKS IMPROVEMENTS WITH COROLLO.

THE SECOND ONE IS THE I FLUENT LIFT STATION WITH CDM SMITH.

AND THE THIRD ONE IS WITH AECOM FOR THE, UH, PLANT EXPANSION ITSELF FOR THE, FOR PROVIDE, UM, CONSTRUCTION BASED SERVICES.

AND THEN THE FOURTH ONE THERE IS THE SELECTION OF THE SMAR CONTRACT, MWH FOR THE EXPANSION, SEYMOUR CONTRACT FOR $900 MILLION.

THAT'S THE BIG ONE.

AND WITH THAT, I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

IT'S A LOT , UM, COMMISSIONERS, IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, I'LL START WITH COMMISSIONER MURTY.

UH, YOU GOT YOUR HAND UP? GO AHEAD.

THANK YOU CHAIR.

CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES, WE CAN.

UH, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE AUSTIN WATER, DO THESE IMPROVEMENTS IN ANY WAY CONTEMPLATE THE CONTROL OR REMOVAL OF PFAS CONTAMINANTS IN THE, IN, IN THE EFFLUENT? UM, NO.

IT'S, UH, UH, HAVE EVER SAMPLED FOR PFAS IN THE I FLUENT OR EFFLUENT.

I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE, UH, ILU, UH, HAVE TESTED THE EFFLUENT OR EFFLUENT FOR PAS.

UM, AND, AND I, I DO YOU GO AHEAD.

I'M SORRY.

AND I, I, AND I, I SAID THE TREATMENT

[00:15:01]

I AM, I'M NOT KNOWLEDGEABLE OF THE, OF THE WEST BANK METHOD.

THAT'S WHAT WE DID FOR THE BI, UH, BIOLOGICAL PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL.

IF THAT WILL HELP OR NOT, I DO NOT KNOW THAT.

SO, UM, DO YOU ANTICIPATE IN THE FUTURE THERE BEING REGULATIONS IN TERMS OF AFFLUENT QUALITY FOR PFAS? GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONER.

UM, I, OUR, WE ARE TRACKING VERY CLOSELY THE PROPOSED PFAS REGULATIONS, UM, ALL AROUND, UH, WATER, BOTH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY ON THE DRINKING WATER SIDE.

UM, AND THEN ON THE WASTEWATER SIDE AS WELL.

AND ONLY RECENTLY WERE THERE EVEN APPROVED METHODS, UM, THAT CAN, THAT TO BE USED FOR WASTEWATER FOR TESTING PFAS.

SO OUR, OUR STRATEGY AROUND PFAS CONTINUES TO EVOLVE, UH, IN LOCKSTEP WITH, UH, THE, THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION, UM, FROM THE INDUSTRY.

SO I DON'T THINK WE'RE PREPARED TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT BEING READY AT OUR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANS TO TREAT FOR PFAS, BUT WE ARE, UM, THAT STRATEGY IS, IS, IS, UM, WILL EVOLVE TO ADDRESS THE REQUIREMENTS AS THEY UNFOLD.

AND, UH, THANK YOU DIRECTOR.

UH, BUT IF I MIGHT SAY SOMETHING, I THINK IF YOU'RE GOING TO TEAR APART THIS TREATMENT PLANT AND PUT $900 MILLION INTO IT, IT MAY BE WISE TO CONSIDER THAT VERY LIKELY PFAS LIMITS ARE COMING.

AND IT MAY BE YOU CAN DO SOME ANTICIPATORY THINGS TO BE READY WHEN THEY DO.

AND I, I DON'T PRETEND TO, UH, KNOW MORE THAN YOU DO.

I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE ON TOP OF THIS, BUT, UH, I FELT IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO ASK A QUESTION.

MY FINAL STATEMENT, ARE YOU ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE FUNDING PROGRAM THAT THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD HAS FOR PFAS REMOVABLE PROJECTS, WHICH I BELIEVE INCLUDE 100% GRANT FUNDING? AND IN RELATION TO FOR THE WALNUT CREEK EXPANSION? WE HAVE NOT, UH, UH, I'M NOT AWARE, I, AT LEAST I HAVEN'T SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION.

I'VE SUBMITTED SEVERAL OTHER APPLICATIONS FOR THIS, FOR THIS, UH, EXPANSION, BUT NOT FOR THE PFAS.

WE CAN LOOK INTO THAT.

YEAH, I GUESS AGAIN, WHERE I'M COMING FROM IS IF, AND I KNOW YOU HAVE STAFF THAT WATCH THE CURRENT WATER AND WASTEWATER REGULATIONS AND KNOWING HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET A TRANSACTION THROUGH THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, UH, AND MY SENSE THAT THAT MONEY IS PRETTY AVAILABLE FOR PFAS THAT MIGHT BE WORTHWHILE CONSIDERING LOOKING INTO THIS A BIT TO THE POINT YOU MIGHT MAKE APPLICATION AND SEE IF YOU COULD TAP INTO THOSE 100% GRANT FUNDS THAT I BELIEVE EXIST.

BUT THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT JOB THAT YOU'RE DOING, MIKE.

UH, THAT'S ALL I HAD THAT YOU COMMISSIONER MAXWELL GAINES.

THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

SO YOU HAD MENTIONED THE DURATION OF THE PRIMARY CLARIFIER PROJECT TWO TO FIVE YEARS.

SO WHAT'S THE EXPECTED DURATION FOR THE, THE, UH, A HUNDRED MILLION GALLONS, UH, EXPANSION? YEAH.

UM, IF I MISSTATED IT, IT WAS TWO AND NOW IT'S GONNA BE FIVE FOR YEARS TO GET FOR, FOR BOTH N NO, FOR THE PRIMARY CLARIFIER.

YES.

AND FBS, IT'LL BE A FIVE YEAR PROJECT.

YEP.

IT, WE DON'T EXPECT IT TO BE COMPLETED IN THE UNTIL THE YEAR 2029 VERSUS THE EXPANSION.

WE COMPLETE THIS, HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION ABOUT 2030.

YEP.

SO THE PRIMARY CLARIFIER PROJECT WOULD BE, IN A SENSE, ACTIVE THROUGH MAJORITY OF THE EXPANSION PROJECT? YES.

OKAY, GOOD.

WE'LL, JUST PIGGYBACKING OFF OF COMMISSIONER MORTY'S COMMENT, THAT'S WITH THE DURATION OF THAT LENGTH AND THE EVOLVING REGULATIONS THAT MAYBE THERE MAY BE SOME OPPORTUNITIES AS THE CONSTRUCTION UNFOLDS.

YES.

AND TREATMENT SYSTEMS AND, AND, AND EVERYTHING.

SO OBVIOUSLY IT'S, IT'S NOTHING THAT'S GONNA BE COMPLETED NEXT YEAR AND WE RUN OUT OF OPPORTUNITIES.

SO JUST BEING ABLE TO BE OPEN TO TREATMENTS, UH, FOR POTENTIAL PFAS THAT, UH, COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO KIND OF KEEP OPEN.

DEFINITELY.

AND ONE OF THE ADVANTAGE WITH THE CMAR PROCESS, WE'LL HAVE OWNER, ENGINEER AND CONTRACTOR ALL IN THE SAME ROOM HELPING US RESOLVE AN ISSUE IF WE DO HAVE ONE.

[00:20:06]

THE WALNUT TREAT PLANT, JUST SO WE UNDERSTAND THE MAGNITUDE OF THAT PLANT, IT TREATS APPROXIMATELY HOW MUCH OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN? NO, I JUST, I DO KNOW, AND I I WANNA MAKE SURE THE COMMISSIONERS KNOW THERE'S TWO MAJOR TREATMENT PLANTS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

ONE IS WALNUT CREEK, AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS NEAR OUR AIRPORT, SOUTH AUSTIN REGIONAL.

HOW MUCH OF THE CITY DOES WE LIKE TO SAY ABOUT HALF I, BUT I THINK WALNUT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE 'CAUSE THE FLOW AT WALNUT'S GREATER MM-HMM.

.

SO IT'S, IT'S NORTH OF 60 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY.

IT KIND OF FLUCTUATES DURING THE, YOU KNOW, SEASONAL THINGS VERSUS, UH, SOUTH AUSTIN REGIONAL IS USUALLY KIND OF BELOW 50 USUALLY TIMES, BUT WE LIKE TO SAY ABOUT HALF.

SO, AND WE HAVE A PRETTY PROACTIVE WATER, RECLAIMED WATER FOR CONSTRUCTION AT THAT PLANT, CORRECT? CORRECT.

WE HAVE IT CURRENTLY.

WE DO HAVE, UH, WHAT WE CALL A WRI TANK, UH, OUR RECLAIMED WATER INITIATIVE TANK THAT ACTUALLY PUMPS WATER TO THE 51ST STREET.

THANKS.

GOOD.

GREAT.

UH, I HAVE NO OTHER QUESTIONS.

COMMISSIONERS, ANYBODY ELSE HAVE A QUESTION? HEARING NONE.

UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

UH, WE WILL GO BACK TO THE AGENDA.

UM, UH, WE'LL START OFF WITH ITEM NUMBER

[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

DO I HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON THE MEETING MINUTES? ANY, UH, UM, COMMISSIONERS? WE HAVE ANOTHER COMMISSIONER THAT HAS, UM, GOTTEN THROUGH ON, UH, THE VIRTUAL SIDE.

I'D LIKE TO WELCOME COMMISSIONER REIHART.

WELCOME ABOARD.

UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY ON ITEM NUMBER ONE, APPROVAL OF MINUTES.

UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THE MINUTES? HEARING NONE, UH, ALL IN FAVOR? LOOKS LIKE IT'S UNANIMOUS.

EVERYBODY IS VOTING TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.

SO APPROVED.

OH, GIMME A SECOND.

UH, DO I HAVE A SECOND? I GUESS I, I'LL MOVE TO APPROVE.

OKAY.

SO I HAVE A FIRST FROM COMMISSIONER MAXWELL CASE.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? OH DEAR.

I'LL SECOND.

THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONER NA NAVARRO.

UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE.

I'M SORRY.

RAISE YOUR HAND.

THANK YOU.

AND AGAIN, IT'S UNANIMOUS.

WONDERFUL.

ALL RIGHT.

THE PRO MINUTES HAVE BEEN APPROVED.

UH, LET'S GO THROUGH THE REST OF THE AGENDA ITEMS. COMMISSIONERS, UH, I'LL START WITH COMMISSIONER VICE-CHAIR OF MAXWELL GAINES.

DO YOU HAVE ANY RECUSALS OR QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THE ITEMS? NO QUESTIONS.

NO.

RECUSALS.

WONDERFUL.

WONDERFUL.

OR ECHOING.

DID THAT STOP? THAT STOP? MM-HMM, .

OKAY.

UM, SOMEONE HAS THEIR MI NO, BOTH OF YOU ARE MUTED.

OKAY.

WE'RE GOING TO PAUSE WHILE WE CHECK ON THIS TECHNICAL ISSUE.

I, I, I TURNED MINE ON.

OH, TEST.

OH, YOU GOOD NOW, SABRINA? OH DEAR.

YEAH.

RECUSALS, RIGHT? YEAH, I GUESS THE CUSAL BECAUSE IT'S NOT, SO, YES.

ALL RIGHT.

AND WHILE WE TRY TO GET THAT STRAIGHTENED OUT, UM, WE WILL STILL GO AROUND AND SEE WHO HAS QUESTIONS AND RECUSALS.

SO COMMISSIONER REYES, NO QUESTIONS.

NO RECUSALS.

OKAY.

COMMISSIONER BAREL, NO QUESTIONS.

NO.

RECUSALS COMMISSIONER PAN PANZI? NO, NO QUESTIONS.

UH, COMMISSIONER ARDI? NO QUESTIONS.

NO.

RECUSALS AND COMMISSIONER REIHART? NO QUESTIONS? NO.

RECUSALS.

WOW.

EVERYTHING'S ON CONSENT.

UM, I HAVE NO QUESTIONS ON RECUSALS.

[00:25:01]

SO, UM, FOR THE CONSENT

[DISCUSSION AND ACTION ]

DO I HAVE A MOTION? I MAKE A MOTION.

UM, COMMISSIONER PANDURAN MAKES A MOTION.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? I WILL SECOND THE MOTION.

UH, COMMISSIONERS ALL IN FAVOR SHOW BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND IT IS UNANIMOUS.

ALL ITEMS PASS.

UH, CHARLES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.

I THINK THAT MADE IT VERY HELPFUL.

UM, THAT'S A BIG PROJECT.

WE'RE GONNA DEFINITELY WANT UPDATES AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

.

ALRIGHT, UH, MOVING

[14. Staff briefing on My ATX Water program implementation update]

GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

RANDY JENKINS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN WATER.

I'M HERE TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON AUSTIN WATER SMART METERING SYSTEM, MY A TX WATER.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND SO, JUST TO JUMP RIGHT INTO THE, THE DATA AND WHERE WE ARE TO DATE WITH OUR CITYWIDE IMPLEMENTATION, I'VE MENTIONED IN PRIOR BRIEFINGS THAT WE HAVE INSTALLED, UM, AND OUR OPERATIONALIZED ALL OF OUR DATA COLLECTION UNITS, WHICH IS, ARE THE, THE SYSTEMS THAT PULL ALL THE REEDS FROM ACROSS OUR SERVICE AREA INTO OUR BACKEND SYSTEM SO THAT WE CAN BILL OFF OF THEM.

SO ALL OF THOSE ARE A HUNDRED PERCENT INSTALLED AND OPERATIONAL.

AND THEN AS OF LATE LAST WEEK, WE HAVE INSTALLED 210,558 METERS OF 250,000 HAVE BEEN EXCHANGED.

SO THAT IS CERTAINLY, WE ARE WELL UNDERWAY AND, AND, UM, SEEING THE END OF THE LIGHT AT THE TUNNEL FOR MY A TX WATER.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND SO I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, UM, BUT SINCE THERE ARE A FEW NEW COMMISSIONERS, UH, WITH US NOW, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I HIGHLIGHTED SOME OF THE QA PROCESSES FOR METER TO BUILD THAT WE'VE INSTITUTED WITH THIS PROJECT THAT I THINK HAS SERVED US AND OUR CUSTOMERS REALLY WELL.

I MEAN, QUALITY CONTROL IS CERTAINLY AN INTEGRAL PART TO OUR PROJECT SUCCESS.

EACH METER, AND THIS IS PART OF, YOU KNOW, OUR METER, UH, CONTRACT THAT REQUIRES THE METER TO BE TESTED BY THE MANUFACTURER, UM, BEFORE IT'S DELIVERED.

AND THEN ONCE IT'S DELIVERED, AUSTIN WATER CONDUCTS ADDITIONAL TESTS ON A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF THOSE METERS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE VALIDATING, UM, THE REGISTERED READERS READINGS, UH, FOR THOSE METERS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DEPLOYING ACCURATE DEVICES INTO THE FIELD.

ONCE THE METER IS EXCHANGED, THEN EACH METER UNDERGOES AS 10 STEP CERTIFICATION PROCESS AFTER INSTALLATION.

UM, AND AT A HIGH LEVEL, WHAT THAT INCLUDES IS THAT EACH METER GOES THROUGH MANUAL METER READING FOR TWO ADDITIONAL MONTHS, AND THOSE MANUAL METER READS HAVE TO MATCH WITHIN A VERY CLOSE VALUE OF THE AUTOMATED READ IN ORDER FOR US AFTER THAT TWO MONTH TIMEFRAME TO FLIP IT TO AN ELECTRONIC READ.

SO WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS NO MALFUNCTIONS THAT IT WAS SET UP APPROPRIATELY BEFORE WE FLIP IT TO BILL OFF OF THE A MI READ.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND SO I'LL, UM, BEGIN TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND CUSTOMER INTERACTIONS AND THE BENEFITS THAT WE'VE SEEN BY SEEN BY, UM, IMPLEMENTING THE SYSTEM.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND SO, UH, A FEW HIGHLIGHTS, AGAIN, THIS KIND OF MARCH MARCHES ALONG WITH PRIOR BRIEFINGS THAT I'VE PROVIDED.

BUT, YOU KNOW, SINCE 2020, WE INSTALLED OUR FIRST, UH, FEW METERS IN SEPTEMBER OF 2020.

AND SINCE THAT TIME AND LAUNCHING OUR, UH, THE MYX CUSTOMER PORTAL, UM, WE HAVE SENT 4.5 MILLION PORTAL COMMUNICATIONS.

THOSE HAVE VARIED IN TOPIC, UM, FROM DROUGHT, WATER CONSERVATION EDUCATION, WATER QUALITY REPORT, WHICH, UM, SHOULD BE HITTING YOUR INBOXES SOON.

UM, EMERGENCY AND PLAN SHUTOUTS POTENTIAL WATER PRESSURE CHANGES IN OUR SYSTEM, CUSTOMER SURVEYS AND, AND MANY OTHER THINGS.

SO, UM, WE CONTINUE TO SEE THE VAST BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMER PORTAL AND ALL THAT IT PROVIDES NOT ONLY FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, BUT FOR AUSTIN WATER STAFF TO GET OUT, IMPORT IMPORTANT AND KEY MESSAGES, UM, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, UM, OUR WEEKLY INSTALL AND PORTAL RECRUITMENT.

SO, UM, AS THE MY A TX WATER METER EXCHANGE IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN AND THEN POST IT OCCURRING, WE, UM, SEND

[00:30:01]

AND, UM, THIS CONTINUES TO BE ABOVE THE INDUSTRY AVERAGE.

ANYTIME YOU'RE DOING EMAIL CAMPAIGNS, YOU CAN EXPECT, YOU KNOW, AROUND 30 TO 40% IS EVEN A GOOD, A GOOD VALUE, YOU KNOW, IN THE INDUSTRY.

AND I DON'T MEAN WATER INDUSTRY, I MEAN IN THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY WHERE YOU WOULD, UM, HAVE PEOPLE OPENING AND CLICKING THROUGH YOUR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION.

AND WE, UM, CONTINUE TO BE ABOVE THAT AVERAGE.

ABOUT 70% OF OUR CUSTOMER BASE ARE, YOU KNOW, OPENING THAT EMAIL WHEN WE SEND IT.

SO THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY A TESTAMENT NOT ONLY TO THE, THE PORTAL AND, AND ITS BENEFITS, BUT ALSO TO, UM, OUR CUSTOMER'S INTEREST IN IT.

UM, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO PROVIDED SOME PROACTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH OUR DOWNTOWN CUSTOMERS, UM, ENCOURAGING THEM TO, UM, SCHEDULE THEIR INSTALL APPOINTMENTS.

YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THOSE ARE LARGE BUSINESSES AND SO THOSE ARE, UM, THOSE METER EXCHANGES ARE HANDLED ON AN APPOINTMENT BASIS SO THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT IMPACTING THEIR BUSINESS NEGATIVELY.

SO WE'VE BEEN, UM, ENGAGING WITH THEM AND SETTING UP THOSE APPOINTMENTS, UM, ALONG WITH OUR CONTRACTOR AT CLARA.

AND THEN SOME UPCOMING COMMUNICATIONS THAT ARE PLANNED AND ON THE HORIZON.

UM, I JUST MENTIONED THE WATER QUALITY REPORT, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY WATER CONSERVATION AS WE MOVE INTO THE SUMMER MONTHS.

AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND WE CONTINUE TO KIND OF BEAT THE SAME MESSAGE, ENCOURAGING CUSTOMERS TO SET UP THEIR HOME WATER PROFILE, SET UP A WATER BUDGET.

AND, UM, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY, UH, ANYTIME THAT WE HAVE MESSAGES ABOUT, UH, OUR RATES, THAT'S, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT TO OUR COMMUNICATION.

SO THAT'S SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE ON THE HORIZON FOR US.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

AND THIS IS, I THINK ONE OF THE MOST, UM, BENEFICIAL ELEMENTS TO THE CUSTOMER PORTAL IS THE CUSTOMER INTERACTIONS.

I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, BUT I'LL SAY IT AGAIN FOR, UM, ANY OF YOU THAT, THAT ARE NEW.

AND THIS MIGHT BE YOUR FIRST BRIEFING ON THE MY ETX WATER PROJECT IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ADJOIN CITY OF AUSTIN UTILITY BILLING SYSTEM.

AND, UM, WHILE THAT HAS MANY BENEFITS, ONE OF THE DISADVANTAGES TO AUSTIN WATER HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN, UM, THE ARM LENGTHS WAY, UH, THAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE, YOU KNOW, THEY, UM, THEY GO THROUGH DIRECTLY THROUGH THE CITY OF AUSTIN UTILITIES TEAM, UM, WHICH PROVIDES GREAT SUPPORT TO AUSTIN WATER.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY AREN'T DIRECTLY TALKING TO AN AUSTIN WATER STAFF MEMBER.

SO WHEN THEY'RE QUESTIONING THEIR WATER WASTEWATER BILL, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOWNSTREAM OF THAT CONVERSATION AND OFTENTIMES ONLY GET PULLED IN WHEN IT'S AN ESCALATED CASE.

AND SO THIS PORTAL HAS REALLY OFFERED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CUSTOMERS TO REACH OUT DIRECTLY TO US WHEN THEY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR WATER WASTEWATER BILL.

UM, AND SO, UH, WE'VE SENT OUT, SO I'LL GET INTO THE NUMBERS A LITTLE BIT.

WE'VE SENT A HUNDRED TWENTY THREE FIVE HUNDRED NINETY NINE, UH, BILL FORECAST NOTIFICATIONS.

AND SO TO THE RIGHT, UM, THAT IMAGE THERE IS A SCREENSHOT OF WHAT THAT BILL FORECAST NOTIFICATION LOOKS LIKE.

SO, UM, IT KIND OF GIVES THEM INSIGHT INTO, YOU KNOW, IF THEY KEEP UP THEIR CURRENT RATE OF PACE WITH THEIR WATER USAGE, IT FORECASTS THEIR CONSUMPTION, AND THEN IT FORECASTS WHAT TIER THAT MIGHT WOULD PUT THEM INTO.

AND THEN IT FORECAST WHAT, UM, THEIR TIERED RATE CHARGE, UM, WOULD CHANGE TO, AND THEN WHAT THEIR FIXED RATE CHARGE WOULD UPDATE TO.

AND SO IT GIVES THEM A LITTLE BIT OF INSIGHT NOT ONLY TO THEIR USAGE, BUT ALSO TO THE BILL IMPACTS THAT THAT HAS.

UM, SO WE'VE SENT OUT NEARLY 125,000 IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS.

AND, UM, OF THAT 40% AFTER THEY RECEIVED THAT NOTIFICATION, UM, HEATED TO THE ADVICE AND BROUGHT THEIR CONSUMPTION DOWN.

AND SO THAT RESULTED IN 32 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER SAVINGS, UH, FOR US AND, AND FOR THEM.

AND, UM, NEARLY 160,000 CONTINUOUS USAGE ALERTS.

SO THAT IS, IN ESSENCE A LEAK ALERT, ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES WE KNOW IT NOT, MIGHT NOT BE A LEAK, UM, IT COULD BE A HOSE BIB LEFT ON IN THE BACKYARD, BUT THAT IS CONTINUOUS USAGE ALERTS.

IT'S, THAT'S ALERTING THEM TO TAKE ACTION, UM, INSIDE THEIR PROPERTY.

AND THEN, UM, NEARLY 20,000 CUSTOMER CONVERSATIONS SINCE 2021.

UM, THE MAIN TOPICS ARE IDENTIFYING LEAKS IN RESPONSE TO THE CONTINUOUS USAGE ALERTS.

YOU KNOW, THAT CERTAINLY GETS THEIR ATTENTION AND THEY WANNA KNOW HOW, WHAT DO THEY NEED TO DO NEXT.

AND, UM, WE HAVE, UH, HOW TO VIDEOS AND THEN ALSO STAFF THAT WALK THEM THROUGH THAT PROCESS.

AND THEN, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT INTERPRETING THEIR CONSUMPTION DATA.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY'VE NEVER ACCESSED BEFORE AND PROBABLY HAVEN'T GIVEN MUCH THOUGHT EXCEPT WHEN THE BILL COMES.

SO THIS, YOU KNOW, OPENS THAT DIALOGUE TO GET THEM INTERESTED IN CONSUMPTION AND, AND HELP THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT ALL OF THESE FACTS, FIGURES, AND USAGE ALERTS MEAN.

UM, AND THEN I'LL, I'LL END WITH, YOU KNOW, UH, ONE OF THE METRICS THAT WE CONTINUE TO WATCH IS MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT SEEING AN UPTICK IN INCREASED BILLING COMPLAINTS OR HIGH BILLS AND OR EVEN A BACKLOG OF, OF OPEN BILLING CASES.

AND THERE HAVE BEEN NONE.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF BUSINESS AS USUAL ON THAT FRONT.

AND, UM, WE'RE SEEING THE BENEFIT

[00:35:01]

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO, I, I ALWAYS HAVE TO OH ONE BACK.

UM, SO, UH, THE PORTAL ESTIMATES THE WATER SAVINGS THROUGH THE CUSTOMER LEAK ALERT SYSTEM.

AND SO SINCE BEGINNING THIS, THIS JOURNEY IN 2020, UM, THE PORTAL ESTIMATES THAT 720 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER HAS BEEN SAVED THROUGH THE CUSTOMER LEAK ALERT SYSTEM.

SO IT'S JUST AN ASTONISHING NUMBER AND REALLY, UM, JUST TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THAT IF, YOU KNOW, THOSE LEAKS WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THAT MONTH OR ON THAT DAY, THAT IT WOULD, IT COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY GONE UNNOTICED.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

AND SO, I, THIS IS A LITTLE PLUG, UM, FOR, FOR THE PORTAL AND, AND FOR YOU AND TO SHARE WITH ANY, ANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT, THAT YOU MIGHT BE SPEAKING WITH, BUT, YOU KNOW, HELP US HELP YOU AND SAVE WATER TOO.

SO, UM, WE'VE TRIED TO SIMPLIFY SIGNING UP AND, AND ENGAGING IN THE PORTAL.

AND SO YOU CAN DO THAT IN THREE EASY STEPS.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO STEP ONE, LOCATE YOUR ACCOUNT NUMBER.

UM, YOU WILL NEED THAT IN ORDER TO LOG ON, AND YOU CAN FIND THAT BY EITHER LOOKING AT YOUR BILL OR YOU CAN CONTACT THE CITY OF AUSTIN UTILITIES.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

STEP TWO, TYPE YOUR ACCOUNT NUMBER AND YOUR ZIP CODE INTO OUR WATER SMART PORTAL WEBSITE.

NEXT SLIDE.

AND STEP THREE, I MEAN, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT.

YOU'RE IN IT AND THEN YOU START FILLING OUT YOUR USER PROFILE AND YOU START SAVING WATER AND MONEY IMMEDIATELY.

SO QUICK, THREE EASY STEPS.

IT'S NOT AS COMPLICATED AS IT MIGHT SEEM.

I KNOW A LOT OF ONLINE SYSTEMS CAN BE INTIMIDATING AND YOU'LL BE LIKE, AH, I'LL DO IT LATER, I'LL DO IT LATER.

BUT WE REALLY TRY TO ENCOURAGE CUSTOMERS THAT IT'S EASY, UM, AND, UM, YOU'LL GET THE BENEFIT BENEFIT OUT OF IT IMMEDIATELY.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

AND SO I WANTED TO SHARE THIS, THIS IS REALLY A RECENT, UM, CUSTOMER, UM, QUOTE THAT WE RECEIVED, UH, FROM USING THE PORTAL.

THEY HAD JUST HAD THEIR METER EXCHANGED AND, UM, SENT US A NOTE THAT SAID AS, AS A MASTER PLUMBER.

SO THAT, THAT WAS ANOTHER NOTE THERE.

SO, UM, THIS INDIVIDUAL DOES KNOW, UM, THE, THE PLUMBING WORLD AND THE WATER WORLD.

UM, SO AS A MASTER PLUMBER, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK ABOUT THE NEW ELECTRONIC METERS.

Y'ALL ALERTED ME THIS MORNING THAT I HAD A LEAK AT MY HOUSE.

I WENT OUT AND SURE ENOUGH, MY IRRIGATION BOX IS FULL OF WATER THAT USUALLY COULD HAVE GONE ON FOR MONTHS.

Y'ALL HAVE A REAL WINNER WITH THAT SYSTEM.

SO I JUST THINK THAT IS A TESTAMENT TO THE SYSTEM AND HOW WELL IT'S WORKING FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.

AND, UM, PEOPLE ARE TAKING ACTION, UM, THAT HELPS US SAVE EVERY MOLECULE OF WATER THAT WE CAN.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND WITH THAT, I'LL OPEN IT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE.

COMMISSIONERS.

DO I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER NARIO? YES.

UM, GREAT PRESENTATION.

UM, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OF THE DOWNTOWN CUSTOMERS HAVE HAVE INSTALLED, OR DO YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF WHO HAVE INSTALLED AND WHO HASN'T? I DON'T, BUT I CAN CIRCLE BACK AND GET YOU THAT DATA POINT.

UM, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA SINCE ROUGHLY DECEMBER MM-HMM.

, UM, WHERE WE'VE HAD A CONCENTRATED FOCUS.

SO I'D HAVE, LET ME, LET ME LOOK INTO THAT NUMBER.

OKAY.

THOSE METERS, SINCE THEY'RE LARGER, THEY DO TAKE, YOU KNOW, LONGER TO EXCHANGE AND, AND THAT SORT OF THING.

BUT, UM, I'LL CIRCLE BACK WITH THE COMMISSION ON THAT, ON THAT DATA POINT.

THANK YOU COMMISSIONER MAYOR MURTY, UH, THANK YOU FOR AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION.

I JUST HAVE A COMMENT THAT I READ SOMETHING THE OTHER DAY, THE SAN ANTONIO WAS CHANGING HOW THEY GO AFTER EXCESSIVE WATER USERS, AND I HAVE NO IDEA IF THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS ALREADY DOING THIS, AND I'M NOT GONNA PRETEND TO BE AN EXPERT.

IT SOUNDED LIKE IN THE PAST PEOPLE HAD TO GO TO MUNICIPAL COURT AND DO THINGS THROUGH THE COURT SYSTEM, AND THEY'VE NOW ESTABLISHED A SYSTEM WHERE THEY JUST TACK ON SOME KIND OF PENALTY RIGHT TO THE WATER BILL.

AND I WOULD SAY IN MY MIND, ANY PENALTY THAT COULD BRING EXCESSIVE USERS TO, UH, TO ALERT THEM AND PENALIZE THEM WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA.

BUT I, I DON'T EXPECT AN ANSWER ON THIS QUESTION.

I JUST MENTIONED THAT I SAW THAT IN THE MEDIA THE OTHER DAY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

I HAVE A QUESTION AND A COMMENT.

COMMENT IS A, SO I'LL START WITH MY QUESTION AND COME BACK TO MY COMMENT.

UM, WHEN YOU SAY 70 MILLION GALLONS ESTIMATED WATER SAVINGS, SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS, I MEAN, AM I UNDERSTANDING THAT NUMBER RIGHT? SO BEFORE WE HAD A MI, WE WERE LOSING THAT MUCH IN TERMS

[00:40:01]

IS THAT KIND OF, AM I ON THE RIGHT TRACK THERE? UM, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT IT'S NECESSARILY UNDETECTED.

I THINK WHAT IT'S ESTIMATING IS THAT WITHOUT A, YOU KNOW, A TEXT MESSAGE OR A PHONE CALL NOTIFICATION, AN EMAIL FROM THIS SYSTEM, THAT LEAK COULD HAVE GONE UNDETECTED.

UM, AND SO IT, IT, IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, UNDETECTED LEAKS, BUT I THINK WHAT EVENTUALLY WOULD HAPPEN IS THAT, WOULD THAT LEAK IN THAT VOLUME OF WATER WOULD SHOW UP IN A CUSTOMER BILL? MM-HMM.

.

AND I THINK WHAT THAT THEN BECOMES IS AN UNEXPLAINED HIGH BILL WHERE THE CUSTOMER SAYS, I DON'T KNOW.

THERE'S NO WAY I USE THIS WATER.

AND NOW WE HAVE TOOLS THAT WILL SHOW WHAT TIME OF THE DAY, IS IT CONTINUOUS, DID IT SPIKE? WHEN DID IT START? SO MAYBE THEY CAN START TO PIECE THAT PUZZLE TOGETHER.

SO I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WOULD, IT WOULD BE, UM, ALL OUT UNNOTICED 720 MILLION GALLONS, YOU KNOW, BUT I THINK IT'S THE TIMING AND THE TIME SENSITIVITY AROUND AROUND IT.

THAT MAKES SENSE.

THANK YOU.

AND MY COMMENT IS, UM, GREAT PRESENTATION.

I DO HAVE A MI, UH, I DO HAVE AN A MI METER AND ABOUT A MONTH BACK I DID RECEIVE A, A TEXT MESSAGE WHEN I HAD HAD A LARGE BODY USE.

SO IT DOES WORK.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

I CAN GIVE YOU A QUOTE IF YOU NEED TO , WE'LL TAKE 'EM ALL.

I HAVE ONE MORE.

WELL, UM, I'M, I'M ASSUMING WITH THIS TECHNOLOGY, YOU HAVE ALL THESE PUSH NOTIFICATIONS TO LET, UM, CONSUMERS KNOW WHAT STAGE WE ARE IN.

IS THAT, IS THAT CORRECT? IF LIKE, IF WE'RE IN A STAGE THREE DROUGHT, OR DO YOU HAVE THAT, IS THAT, DOES THIS TECHNOLOGY ENCOMPASS THAT? IT DOESN'T ENCOMPASS AN AUTOMATIC PUSH NOTIFICATION? UM, WE WOULD HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, INPUT THAT SURE.

BACKEND COMMUNICATION AND THEN PUSH IT AND MAKE IT GO THROUGH THE SYSTEM.

SO IT'S, UM, SO YES AND NO, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.

TOTALLY.

SO IT'S NOT AUTOMATICALLY BUILT IN WHERE THE SYSTEM KNOWS THAT WE'RE AT STAGE THREE, BUT WE CAN MANUALLY DO THAT.

AND WE DID THAT WHEN WE WENT FROM STAGE ONE TO STAGE TWO MM-HMM.

, UH, LAST YEAR, I DON'T RECALL THE DATE EXACTLY, BUT WHEN WE MADE THAT MOVE, WE USED THE PORTAL TO NOTIFY, UM, THE COMMUNITY.

AND, AND BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THE WATER USAGE, UH, I THINK TO, UM, UH, COMMISSIONER MORTY'S POINT, EXCESSIVE USERS.

WHAT, WHAT, WHAT'S THE RESPONSE FROM YOU GUYS WHEN YOU ARE BASICALLY SEEING THIS? SO WE PARTNER, UM, IN, IN THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE TEAM, WE PARTNER WITH, UM, OUR WATER CONSERVATION DIVISION.

MM-HMM.

, UM, TO EVALUATE THOSE AND, AND HAVE EDUCATION WITH THE CUSTOMERS.

WE OFFER IRRIGATION AUDITS, SO YOU KNOW, IF IT'S LIKELY IRRIGATION, UM, TYPE ABUSE, UM, WE WILL GO OUT AND DO AN INSPECTION THERE AND WALK THROUGH THE CUSTOMER WITH THAT.

YOU KNOW, I KNOW PART OF, UM, SOME OF THE PLANNING EFFORTS UNDERWATER FORWARD AND OTHER PLANS, YOU KNOW, WE ARE LOOKING AT WHAT DOES, UH, AFTER DEPLOYMENT, AFTER EVERY CUSTOMER HAS THEIR A MI METER, WHAT ARE SOME DIFFERENT TOOLS THAT WE SHOULD EVALUATE AND LOOK TO USE, UM, IN THE FUTURE? AWESOME.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

UM, SO IF MY CALCULATIONS ARE RIGHT, YOU'RE ABOUT IT FOR THE 84% COMPLETION.

SO IMPORTANT QUESTION HERE.

WHEN AM I GONNA GET MY A MI METER ? OUR DIRECTOR WANTS TO KNOW THE SAME THING.

.

OH, I GOT MY FINAL.

YAY.

UM, YEAH, THERE, THERE'S NO, I KNOW.

I SOON, BY THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR, I'M EXCITED.

YEAH.

BUILT UP A LOT OF EMOTION INSIDE OF ME, SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHEN I GET IT.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

I HAD A QUICK QUESTION.

UM, GOING BACK TO THE DOWNTOWN, UH, COMMUNICATION TO CUSTOMERS DOWN THERE, IS THAT JUST COMMERCIAL OR IS THAT ALSO MULTI-FAMILY? IT'S BOTH.

OKAY.

OKAY, GREAT.

UM, WE'VE COME A LONG WAY.

UM, FOUR YEARS AGO IT WAS A LITTLE, IT WAS VERY CHALLENGING.

WE WERE HAVING A LOT OF UPSET CUSTOMERS AND OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS FAILING DUE TO LACK OF KNOWLEDGE, PROBABLY MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

AND THIS HAS REALLY RECTIFIED THAT.

AND SO KUDOS TO YOU GUYS FOR GETTING THIS GOING AND, AND THE PARTNERSHIP FROM AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, AND EVERYTHING.

I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THIS ISN'T NO LONGER REALLY AN ISSUE FOR US.

IT'S TAKEN CARE OF.

SO GOOD WORK.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ITEM? HEARING NONE, WE WILL MOVE ON TO

[15. Update from the Joint Sustainability Committee meeting regarding conservation and sustainability initiatives ]

UH, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL GAINES.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

SO ON UH, APRIL 24TH, WE HAD THE REGULAR, REGULARLY CALLED MEETING FOR THE JOINT

[00:45:01]

AND THEN, UH, WE HAD A SPECIAL MEETING THE NEXT WEEK AFTER THAT, UM, BECAUSE OF THE, OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTMENT PLAN AND TRYING TO FINALIZE THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE, UM, IN ORDER TO MEET THE DEADLINES THAT WERE, UH, PROVIDED TO US.

UM, AND SO, UH, AT THE THIRD, THE MEETING ON THE 30TH, WE VOTED ON AND APPROVED THE RECOMMENDATIONS.

AND, AND SO BASICALLY JUST TO GIVE YOU A, A LAYOUT, THERE WAS BASICALLY FOUR SUBGROUPS IN THIS, UH, PROCEDURE, I GUESS THROUGH THIS JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.

UM, THIS WAS THE CONSUMPTION GROUP, NATURAL SYSTEMS, SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS AND TRANSPORTATION.

AND SO VARIOUS COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO ARE COMMISSIONERS ON OTHER COMMISSIONS WERE PARTS OF THOSE DIFFERENT SUBGROUPS.

AND THEN THEY WORKED TOGETHER, UM, TO BRING THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, TO THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.

AND SO JUST TO MENTION A FEW OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WAS, UH, VOTED AND APPROVED, UM, NOT TO GET INTO ANY SPECIFICS, BUT JUST THE BIG IDEAS.

UH, SO LIKE THINGS LIKE AUSTIN RESOURCE AND RECOVERY, FLEET ELECTRIFICATION, SO THINKING YOUR DUMP TRUCKS, UH, GOING AND GETTING FUNDING TO ELECTRI ELECTRIFY, YOU KNOW, THAT, UH, ZERO RAISED, UH, BUSINESS INCENTIVES, LOW CARBON, UH, CONCRETE FUND, UH, CITY OWNED COMPOSTING FACILITY, UH, PRESERVATION OF EXISTING AGRICULTURAL LAND.

UH, SO THESE ARE BIG IDEA KIND OF THINGS, RIGHT? UH, COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC TREE INVENTORY.

SO DID NOT KNOW THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN DOES NOT ACTUALLY KNOW HOW MANY AND WHAT TYPES OF TREES ON CITY PROPERTY THAT THEY, UH, CURRENTLY EXIST.

UH, ENERGY AND WATER DASHBOARD FOR CITY, CITY FACILITIES.

UM, EXTENDING CAP, METRO PICKUP ZONE, UH, SERVICE ZONES, UH, INSTALLING ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS AT MULTIFAMILY HOMES.

UH, UM, UM, UNITS, UH, UM, EXPANDING AUSTIN ENERGY'S ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAMS. UH, UTILITY OWNED OR CONTRACTED ROOFTOP SOLAR.

SO, UH, A LOT OF BIG IDEAS AND A LOT OF THESE HAVE BIG NUMBERS ON THEM BECAUSE THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, BIG THINGS.

SO, UM, NOT WANTING TO BE LEFT BEHIND ON THAT FROM A WATER STANDPOINT.

UM, AND, UM, I SUGGESTED A FEW, UH, PLACES WHERE MAYBE SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDING COULD HELP.

AND THAT WAS DISCUSSED AMONGST THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.

AND THOSE TWO WERE, UH, ASSISTANCE IN FUNDING IN THE WATER LEAK DETECTION AREA.

UH, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S, UH, MANY, MANY MILLIONS, IF NOT BILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER LOST AND THROUGH WATER LEAKS AND SO ON A YEARLY BASIS.

SO I FELT LIKE PROMOTING THAT AND GETTING SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS INTO THIS PLAN IF EVERYTHING HOPEFULLY PANS OUT.

AND THEN THE OTHER ONE THAT WAS VOTED AND IMPROVED ON WAS, UH, INCREASING THE RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPE REBATE PROGRAM.

SO OBVIOUSLY, UM, IRRIGATION DEMAND IS HUGE AND SO THE OPPORTUNITY FOR EXISTING STRUCTURE, UH, PROPERTIES TO CONVERT, UM, THEIR LANDSCAPING TO A LOWER WATER USE COULD REAP BENEFITS.

AND SO THE INCENTIVE PROGRAM IS THERE, UM, BUT THE THOUGHT OF ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THAT.

AND, UM, SO THOSE TWO SUGGESTIONS FROM A WATER STANDPOINT WERE VOTED AND APPROVED ON.

UH, SO THE NEXT PROCESS IS, UH, THE STAFF IS, UH, PUTTING TOGETHER SUGGESTIONS, UM, AND THEY'RE WORKING WITH COUNCILMAN ALTER'S, UH, OFFICE.

AND SO ALL OF THIS IS GONNA COME TOGETHER MAGICALLY AND THEN A PROCESS WILL BE CREATED WHERE THEY'LL HAVE A NICE, UH, UH, TOOLKIT OF ALL THE, UM, DIFFERENT RECOMMENDATIONS AND, AND THE AMOUNTS OF MONEY.

AND THEN IT WILL GO ON TO, UH, THE NEXT STAGE, WHICH IS ATTEMPTING TO FIGURE OUT THE FUNDING OF THAT.

SO, SO THAT'S THE UPDATE FROM THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS.

DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THAT WAS VERY, VERY INTERESTING.