[00:00:02]
OH 1:00 PM AND LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET THIS MEETING STARTED.
[CALL TO ORDER]
IT'S THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, JULY 3RD, 2024.AND AT IT'S AT THE PERMITTING, PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER EVENT CENTER.
ROOM 1 4 0 5, LOCATED AT 6 3 1 0 WILHELMINA DELCO DRIVE, AUSTIN, TEXAS SEVEN EIGHT SEVEN FIVE TWO.
OKAY, LET'S CALL THE ORDER AND DO A ROLL CALL.
UM, WILL ALL THE REMOTE COMMISSIONERS PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA CAMERAS? ARE YOU THERE? COMM COMMISSIONER KRUEGER? UH, THERE YOU ARE.
CAN YOU HEAR US OKAY? COMMISSIONER KRUEGER? HOW'S THAT MICROPHONE WORKING?
CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY?
I KEEP COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN HERE.
COMMISSIONER RESI IS WALKING UP TO THE MICROPHONE HERE AND BEDFORD IS HERE.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
UM, LET'S GO TO PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.WE HAVE PATRICIA BOBBECK, UH, PATRICIA BROBECK, AND I BELIEVE SHE HAS A PRESENTATION AS WELL.
PATRICIA, ARE YOU THERE? OKAY, WELL, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GO TO OUR IN PERSON, UM, WHILE WE FIND PATRICIA.
WE HAVE KIMERY, DODA, UH, KIMERY.
KIMERY, LET'S GO BACK TO PATRICIA.
PATRICIA, ARE YOU THERE? YES, I AM.
UH, AND I BELIEVE YOU HAVE A PRESENTATION, CORRECT? YES, I DO.
I HAVE, UH, SEVEN, SEVEN SLIDES THAT WERE SENT IN EARLIER TODAY.
IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GETTING THOSE LOADED, I BELIEVE.
AND WHILE WE'RE WAITING, PATRICIA, IN CASE I MISS, UH, DIDN'T SAY YOUR NAME RIGHT, COULD YOU STATE YOUR NAME AND YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
IS DO I START NOW? UH, UH OR DO I JUST SAY, DO WE HAVE, UH, PATRICIA'S, UH, PRESENTATION UP? OKAY.
WE ALMOST HAVE YOUR PRE PRESENTATION, PATRICIA.
WELL, MY NAME IS PATRICIA BOBAK AND I WANTED TO, FIRST OF ALL THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE CITY AND FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ABOUT THE BUTLER LANDFILL CAP.
I'M READY TO GO IF THE SLIDES ARE READY.
OKAY, SO I'M PRESENTING INFORMATION FROM TCEQ AND MR. SCOTT SMILEY OF MIDCON ENGINEERING REGARDING THE GRASS ZONE OF THE BUTLER LANDFILL CAP IN ZILKER PARK.
DIANA PROCTOR AND I HAVE BEEN LOOKING INTO THE USE OF THIS AREA FOR ACL STAGING.
SO IF WE COULD SEE THE FIRST SLIDE, WE SEE AN OVERVIEW OF THE BUTLER LANDFILL SOUTH OF LADYBIRD LAKE, UM, NORTH OF STRATFORD.
AND, UH, THIS IS, UM, EAST OF, EAST OF MOPAC.
WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT THE ENCLOSED AREA THERE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SLIDE.
NEXT SLIDE IS AN ENLARGEMENT OF THAT AREA, AND WE SEE A Y SHAPED, UH, DESIGN IN THE CENTER, A Y ON ITS SIDE, WHICH INDICATES DRIVE AISLES.
THESE ARE ROAD, UH, ROADS THAT HAVE ROAD BASE AND POROUS SURFACE THAT ARE DESIGNED TO CARRY OCCASIONAL HEAVY VEHICLES OUTSIDE OF THAT.
OUTSIDE OF THAT, WE HAVE TOPSOIL, THE GRASSY AREA,
[00:05:01]
WE HAVE TOPSOIL ON TOP OF THE CLAY CAP ON TOP OF THE LANDFILL, AND WHEN THIS IS DRY, IT CAN SUPPORT VEHICLES, BUT WHEN IT'S WET, IT HAS VERY REDUCED STRENGTH.AND IF YOU NOTICE ON THE RIGHT END OF THE MAP, THERE'S A, THERE'S A GATE THAT I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT IN ANOTHER FEW SLIDES.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE 2023 ACL PARKING IN THE STAGING AREA, AND YOU SEE THE DRIVE AISLES THAT ARE MOSTLY CLEAR OF VEHICLES, WHEREAS HEAVY VEHICLES ARE PARKED ON THE GRASSY TOPSOIL ON THE SIDE OF THE DRIVE AISLES.
CAN WE GET SLIDE THREE PLEASE? THERE? SO YOU SEE IN THE CENTER THE DRIVE AISLES ARE PRIMARILY EMPTY AND YOU SEE HEAVY, HEAVY EQUIPMENT ON THE GRASSY TOPSOIL.
IF WE GO TO THE OTHER END OF OUR AREA OF INTEREST, AND LOOK EAST, WE SEE A, A PHOTO TAKEN IN MARCH, 2024 AFTER, UH, A RECENT RAINFALL AND SHOWING RUNNING AND WATER RETENTION IN THE REPS.
AND IF WE LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, WE SEE RAIN FALLING ON ACL, AND THEN SLIDE SIX SHOWS US RAIN AFTER ACL PONDING ON TOP OF THE LANDFILL.
AND SO, IN SUMMARY, TCEQ REQUIRES AUTHORIZATION FOR ANY ACTIVITY THAT DISTURBS THE FINAL COVER OVER A LANDFILL.
THE APPLICANT REQUIRES THE APPLICANT TO ENSURE A FINAL COVER REMAINS INTACT AND REQUIRES AN ENGINEER TO CERTIFY THAT THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY WILL NOT DAMAGE THE INTEGRITY OF A CLOSED LANDFILL.
MR. SMILEY OF MIDCON SAYS A CONCRETE COVER WOULD BE IDEAL, BUT IS OBVIOUSLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE PARK.
SO WE'RE ASKING THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DIVISION TO, NUMBER ONE, PROTECT THE LANDFILL CAP FROM ANY POTENTIAL DAMAGE FROM RAIN DURING ACL FESTIVALS, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, EVEN TO SECURE A PERMANENT ALTERNATE LOCATION FOR THE STAGING OF ACL VEHICLES BEGINNING IN 2024.
OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, PATRICIA.
AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR SENDING US THOSE SLIDES.
THANKS FOR THANKS FOR SHOWING ANY QUESTIONS? UH, NO, NO QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SENDING THE SLIDES TO US, PATRICIA.
UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE HEY, YOU TOO.
NEXT UP WE HAVE RY, AM I ON? CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY.
UH, FIRST, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY OF AUSTIN.
I SINCERELY APPRECIATE ALL THE CONSERVATION EFFORTS, ESPECIALLY NOW WHEN IT'S A HUNDRED BILLION DEGREES OUTSIDE.
AND I JUST WANTED TO, UM, LET Y'ALL KNOW WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO AT THE EXPEDITION SCHOOL.
I'M THE FOUNDER OF THE EXPEDITION SCHOOL, AND GOSH, WE HAVE BEEN SERVING SO MANY INDIVIDUALS ON THE WATER FOR THE LAST QUARTER.
WE HAVE HAD FIRST TIME PADDLERS FROM NEPAL, FIRST TIME PADDLERS FROM HAITI ALL OVER THE AMERICAS AND AFRICA.
WE JUST PUT, PUT OUR FIRST PERSON FROM THE GAMBIA ON THE WATER WHO WAS PRETTY STOKED ABOUT THAT.
AND HE WAS COMMENTING HOW LACK OF BIRDS WE HAD COMPARATIVELY TO THE GAMBIA.
UH, WE'VE ALSO PUT MANY A ISD YOUTH GROUPS ON THE WATER FOR THEIR CLOSING OF SCHOOL, WHICH WAS PRETTY COOL.
AND THEN ADDITIONALLY, WE ALSO WORKED WITH BREAKTHROUGH AUSTIN FOR TEAM BUILDS THESE LAST TWO SESSIONS WITHIN THE LAST FOUR WEEKS.
WE ALSO HAVE TRAINED OVER 4,000 LIFEGUARDS IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, AND WE JUST HAD OUR FIRST LIFEGUARD REPORT A SAVE YESTERDAY.
SO IT'S REALLY AMAZING TO SEE THE YOUTH PUTTING THEIR SKILLS TO WORK AND, AND EMPOWERING THE COMMUNITY AND SAVING THE COMMUNITY.
I JUST WANTED TO PUT IT ON Y'ALL'S RADAR THAT WE ARE INTENT ON
[00:10:01]
BUILDING AN A DA DOCK IN OUR AREA.WE CONTINUE TO FACE CHALLENGES AT OUR PUT AND TAKEOUT AT THE CEMENT BOAT RAMP BECAUSE IT'S QUITE USED CONSISTENTLY WITH, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT WATERSHED AND ALL OF THE OTHER RECREATIONISTS COMING IN.
AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE WITH THE CEMENT BOAT RAMP WITH, WITH, UM, TRAFFIC COMING THROUGH THERE, WE'RE PUTTING KIDS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, AND IT'S VERY SLICK.
SO WE'VE ALSO SEEN A LOT OF FOLKS SLIP ON THAT CEMENT BOAT RAMP.
SO OUR RESPONSE IS TO BUILD SOMETHING THAT'S MORE CONDUCIVE THAT DOESN'T CROSS THE TRAIL.
AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN PARKS DEPARTMENT HAS CHOSEN A LOCATION IN THE LAGOON FOR US TO HELP US BUILD AND, AND MAKE IT A LOT SAFER FOR THOSE PUTINS AND TAKEOUTS FOR OUR YOUTH.
UM, WE'RE FACED STILL WITH CHALLENGES.
WE STILL SEE ILLEGAL BUSINESSES OPERATING AND, YOU KNOW, THEY CONTINUE TO OPERATE EVEN THOUGH WE CONTINUE TO CALL 3 1 1 AND REPORT THESE TO THE CITY.
AND, UM, WE'RE ALSO RECEIVING SOME PUSHBACK ON THE DOCK.
AND WE RECEIVED A ONE STAR GOOGLE REVIEW AFTER THE LAST PARKS BOARD MEETING WITH, UM, US TO STAY AWAY FROM FIESTA GARDENS.
UM, WE'RE STILL OPERATING A HUNDRED PERCENT IN THE HEAT.
UM, IN FACT, WE PICKED UP OVER 2000 POUNDS OF TRASH THIS PAST MONTH OUT OF THE WATER.
AND, UM, WE'RE INVOLVING THE, THE, OUR COMMUNITY TO HELP US DO THAT.
AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO MONITOR THE WATER QUALITY AS WELL.
SO, ANYWAY, UH, WE HOPE THAT Y'ALL HAVE A GREAT SAFE.
UM, SO PLEASE COME SEE US AND WE INVITE Y'ALL TO COME PADDLE WITH OUR ADAPTIVE PROGRAMS ON THURSDAYS AT ONE 15.
SO IF YOU WANNA HAVE YOUR HEART SMILE, COME, COME JOIN US.
UH, CHAIR, ARE WE ALLOWED TO ASK QUESTIONS? NOT TYPICALLY DURING THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.
UM, NEXT UP WE HAVE THE APPROVAL OF THE, UH, WAIT, WE HAVE ONE MORE SPEAKER.
NO, HE'S ON AN ITEM, NOT PUBLIC.
I, I DO WANNA SAY COMMISSIONER PRIMER, IF YOU WANTED TO STEP OUT IN THE HALL, YOU COULD ASK HER QUESTIONS.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM LAST, UH, MEETING TO HAVE ALL THE COMMISSIONERS HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THOSE MINUTES.I'LL MOVE, I'LL MOVE APPROVAL.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BRIMER.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND.
AND WE HAVE KRUGER, EINHORN, RESI, BEDFORD, BRISTOL SULLIVAN, ALL THOSE ABSTAINING.
SORRY, I HAD TO COUNT FOR A SECOND.
[2. Staff briefing on Austin's Drought Contingency Plan and Water Conservation Plan – Kevin Kluge, Water Conservation Division Manager, Austin Water]
UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE STAFF BRIEFINGS, UH, STAFF BRIEFING ON AUSTIN'S DROUGHT, CONTIN, UH, CONTINGENCY PLAN AND WATER CONSERVATION PLAN.AND IS THERE A PRESENTATION FOR THIS? OKAY, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GETTING A PRESENTATION LOADED.
DON'T MIND INTRODUCING YOURSELF.
AUSTIN WATERS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS SERVICES AUSTIN WATER STAFF ARE HERE PRESENTING TWO STAFF BRIEFINGS ON YOUR AGENDA THIS EVENING.
ITEMS TWO AND THREE, I'D LIKE TO PROVIDE SOME BRIEF CONTEXT ON ITEM TWO, WHERE WE ARE PRESENTING ON AUSTIN WATER'S WATER, CONT WATER CONSERVATION AND DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN.
AS YOU MAY KNOW, THESE PLANS WERE PRESENTED TO AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL IN MAY OF 2024 FOR CONSIDERATION AND ADOPTION.
UM, WHILE WE WERE VERY PLEASED TO HAVE THOSE PLANS ADOPTED AT THAT TIME, WE DID RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC THAT, UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO OFFER MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO DISSEMINATE THESE PLANS.
SO WE ARE HERE TO BRIEF YOU ON THE CONTENT OF THESE PLANS.
WE ARE SEEKING ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM COMMISSIONERS AS WELL AS FROM THE PUBLIC, AND WE ANTICIPATE TAKING REVISED PLANS BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL IN NOVEMBER FOR ADOPTION.
SO TONIGHT, WE'LL BE PROVIDING YOU, UH, INFORMATION ABOUT THE CURRENT CONTENT OF THESE PLANS.
WE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION ON HOW THE PUBLIC CAN ENGAGE AND PROVIDE THEIR COMMENTS ON THESE PLANS.
[00:15:01]
AND WE WOULD CERTAINLY WELCOME YOU AS MEMBERS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION TO SHARE YOUR COMMENTS WITH US.UH, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR COMMENTS THIS EVENING.
ALSO THROUGH THE MEANS THAT ARE PUBLICIZED IN THE PRESENTATION.
WE WOULD WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS OR EVEN THROUGH YOUR STAFF LIAISON IF YOU HAVE PARTICULAR COMMENTS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO PASS ALONG TO AUSTIN WATER STAFF.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HEARING OUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT ABOUT THE WATER CONSERVATION AND DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLANS.
MY NAME IS KEVIN KLUGE, AUSTIN WATER CONSERVATION DIVISION MANAGER.
AND AS ANA MENTIONED, THIS FIRST PRESENTATION FOCUSES ON THE WATER CONSERVATION PLAN AND THE DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN.
AS YOU'VE SEE IN YOUR AGENDA, I'M UP NEXT.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL REALLY FOCUS ON SOME OF OUR LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION ACTIVITIES THAT WE'RE PURSUING AT THIS TIME.
UH, A BRIEF AGENDA FOR THIS FIRST PRESENTATION.
JUST HAVE A, A BIT OF A RECAP ON AUSTIN'S WATER SUPPLY, UH, FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT BE AS FAMILIAR WITH IT.
UM, THEN GO INTO DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE CONSERVATION AND DROUGHT PLANNING THAT CITY OF AUSTIN UNDERTAKES AND DISCUSS THE INDIVIDUAL WATER CONSERVATION PLAN AND DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN.
AND THEN NEXT STEPS ON HOW THE PUBLIC COMMISSION, UM, CAN RESPOND AND BE PART OF THIS REVIEW OF THE TWO PLANS.
SO, AS MANY OF YOU MAY BE AWARE, UM, AUSTIN GETS ITS WATER FROM THE HIGHLAND LAKES, PARTICULARLY LAKE BUCHANAN.
AND LAKE TRAVIS IS WHERE THE WATER IS STORED, UH, FOR THE CITY.
THE CITY HAS WATER RIGHTS IN THE COLORADO RIVER, AND AS I'VE MENTIONED, THAT WATER'S STORED, UM, IN LAKE TRAVIS IN LAKE BUCHANAN.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE A CONTRACT WITH THE LOWER COLORADO, COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY, OR LCRA, UM, WHICH OPERATES THE HIGHLAND LAKES.
AS YOU SEE ON THE MAP THERE, WE HAVE THREE WATER TREATMENT PLANTS AND THEY PULL WATER FROM LAKE TRAVIS AND THEN LAKE AUSTIN ALSO.
SO, 'CAUSE WE HAVE OUR WATER STORED BEHIND LAKE TRAVIS AND LAKE OR IN LAKE TRAVIS AND LAKE BUCHANAN, WE'RE ALWAYS VERY COGNIZANT OF THE LEVELS IN THOSE TWO LAKES.
THIS SLIDE, UH, I APOLOGIZE AS AS A, IT IS A SMALL SLIDE, BUT THIS IS A SLIDE THAT THE LCRA PRODUCES EVERY MONTH AND IT DEMONSTRATES HOW MUCH WATER IS STORED IN THE TWO LAKES.
UP AT THE TOP OF THE GRAPH, YOU SEE A GREEN DOTTED LINE GOING ACROSS.
WHEN THE LAKES ARE FULL, THERE IS 2 MILLION ACRE FEET OF WATER.
UM, AN ACRE FEET IS THE TERM WATER MANAGERS OFTEN USE.
IT'S AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, ONE ACRE A FOOT DEEP, ABOUT 326,000 GALLONS.
BUT WHEN THE LAKES ARE FULL, WE HAVE 2 MILLION ACRE FEET OF WATER ON THAT GRAPH.
YOU SEE A DARK BLUE LINE COMING FROM THE LEFT, GOING OFF TO THE RIGHT.
THAT'S THE HISTORICAL VOLUME OF WATER.
UH, IN LAKE TRAVIS AND LAKE TRAVIS AND LAKE BUCHANAN BACK IN OCTOBER, WE WERE HITTING ABOUT 42% OF OUR COMBINED STORAGE IN THOSE TWO RESERVOIRS.
AND YOU SEE IT KIND OF WENT ACROSS THROUGHOUT THE WINTER, REALLY DIDN'T CHANGE MUCH BEYOND THAT 42% UNTIL RECENTLY, BACK IN MAY WHEN YOU SEE THAT BLUE LINE JUMP UP, THAT'S ALL THE RAINS THAT WE GOT IN, IN MAY, WHICH WAS GREAT.
IT WAS A LOT OF, A LOT OF WATER.
UM, BUT IT PUT US UP TO ABOUT 56%.
SO IT CERTAINLY DIDN'T FILL THE RESERVOIRS.
THAT VERTICAL GOLD LINE IS REPRESENTATIVE OF JUNE 1ST.
UM, WE SHOULD BE HAVING NEW PROJECTIONS COMING OUT NEXT WEEK.
UM, BUT THAT GOLD LINE IS SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT CURRENT, UH, CONDITIONS.
AND THEN OFF TO THE RIGHT THERE, YOU SEE HOW LCRA MAKES DIFFERENT PROJECTIONS, WHETHER IT'S A WET, UM, SOME WET, UH, FUTURE OR A A MEDIAN FUTURE OR DRY OR EXTREMELY DRY.
AND THEY MAKE PROJECTIONS ON HOW, UH, THE RESERVOIRS MIGHT RISE OR FALL.
AND YOU'LL SEE THIS AGAIN IN LATER IN THE PRESENTATION WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN, BECAUSE THE DROUGHT PLAN REALLY IS VERY FOCUSED ON THE LEVEL OF STORAGE IN THOSE TWO RESERVOIRS.
SO THAT'S WHERE WE GET OUR WATER.
UM, FOCUSING BACK ON THE CONSERVATION AND DROUGHT PLANNING, UH, TEXAS, THE STATE OF TEXAS REQUIRES THAT WATER UTILITIES UPDATE THEIR CONSERVATION AND DROUGHT PLANS EVERY FIVE YEARS.
[00:20:01]
UM, AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE YEARS ON MAY 1ST THAT, UH, THE STATE REQUIRES THAT UTILITIES SEND IN AN UPDATED CONSERVATION PLAN OR DROUGHT PLAN.WE, WE SUBMIT THEM TO TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD.
THE TWO PLANS REALLY, THE WATER CONSERVATION PLAN FOCUSES ON WATER CONSERVATION DAY IN, DAY OUT.
AND THE DROUGHT PLAN FOCUSES, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, ON ON DROUGHT.
AND THIS PROVIDES JUST A BIT MORE INFORMATION ON AND DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO PLANS.
AS I MENTIONED, THE WATER CONSERVATION PLAN IS DAY IN, DAY OUT, WHETHER WE ARE IN DROUGHT OR OUT OF DROUGHT.
THESE ARE THE ACTIVITIES THAT WE UNDERTAKE FOR THE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IN AUSTIN, UH, TO SAVE WATER.
AND WITHIN THAT PLAN, UH, IT DESCRIBES WHAT WE DO, UM, AND WHAT WE'RE INTENDING TO DO.
AND THEN IT LISTS GOALS FOR THE NEXT FIVE AND 10 YEARS.
IN TERMS OF, UM, TOTAL G-P-C-D-G-P-C-D, SORRY, STANDS FOR GALLONS PER CAPITA DAILY OR OUR PER PERSON WATER USE.
UM, AND THEN WATER LOSS GOALS.
ALSO ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE THERE YOU SEE SOME BULLET POINTS FOR THE DROUGHT PLAN, THE DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN.
AND THAT FOCUSES REALLY WHEN THOSE, THE WATER IN THOSE TWO RESERVOIRS, UM, DROPS DOWN TO PARTICULAR LEVELS.
AND I WANNA TAKE JUST A, A QUICK SIDEBAR HERE AND MENTION THE LCRA.
AS I SAID, THE LCRA LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY, UH, OPERATES THE HIGHLAND LAKES AND WE ARE A, UH, WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH THE LCRA FOR WATER.
SO OUR DROUGHT PLAN HAS TO MATCH RA'S DROUGHT PLAN.
UM, AND THEY HAVE TO BE CONSISTENT.
AND THEY ALSO UPDATED THEIR DROUGHT PLAN, UH, THIS SPRING.
AND THEY HAD A NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT CHANGES THAT WE HAD TO CARRY OVER INTO OUR DROUGHT PLAN.
BUT WE'LL, WE'LL GET MORE ON, ON THAT IN JUST A LITTLE BIT.
ALRIGHT, MOVING BACK TOWARDS THE WATER CONSERVATION PLAN.
UH, A LOT OF TIMES FOLKS IMAGINE OR EXPECT THAT AUSTIN DOES A LOT IN TERMS OF, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES, WATER CONSERVATION.
UM, BUT THESE NEXT SIX SLIDES OR SO, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WHAT WE ACTUALLY DO.
AND THIS IS WHAT'S IN DESCRIBED IN THE WATER CONSERVATION PLAN.
UH, FIRST OFF, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER PROGRAMS, UM, TO HELP INDIVIDUAL, UH, RESIDENTS AS WELL AS PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER WATER UTILITY, NO, I'M SORRY, OTHER WATER, OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS.
I'M GETTING TOO, TOO MUCH WATER IN THERE.
UM, BUT WE WORK WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, AN EXAMPLE OF WHICH IS THE GO GO REPAIR AND PLUMBING PROGRAM.
WE WORK WITH THE AUSTIN HOUSING DEPARTMENT, UH, TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO AUSTIN RESIDENTS WHO ARE OF LIMITED MEANS, UM, HAVE INCOME BELOW A PARTICULAR LEVEL IN HELPING THEM MAKE PLUMBING REPAIRS, UH, TO SAVE WATER, BUT ALSO TO HELP THEM SAVE MONEY.
WE ALSO WORK WITH AUSTIN ENERGY, PARTICULARLY ON AN ALL STAR CONSERVATION KIT IN WHICH WE SEND OUT TO EVERY SIXTH GRADER IN, UH, THE AUSTIN AREA.
UM, WHEREVER AUSTIN ENERGY SERVES, WE SEND EACH ONE OF THOSE SIXTH GRADERS A KIT, UM, THAT PROVIDES INFORMATION AND MATERIALS, UM, DIFFERENT ITEMS TO SAVE BOTH ELECTRICITY AND UH, WATER.
SO WATER CONSERVATION PLANT ALSO INCLUDES INFORMATION ON HOW WE'VE BEEN DOING OVER THE LAST, UH, FIVE YEARS IN TERMS OF OUR WATER CONSERVATION EFFORTS.
SO THOSE NUMBERS ARE IN THE PLAN, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN, IN SEEING THOSE.
WE HAVE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS NOW AUSTIN AND AUSTIN WATER.
WE'VE BEEN DOING WATER CONSERVATION SINCE THE 1980S AND SINCE THAT TIME WE'VE HAD VARIOUS DIFFERENT TYPES OF INCENTIVE PROGRAMS OR REBATE PROGRAMS IN WHICH WE TRY TO FINANCIALLY HELP AUSTIN RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES TAKE ACTION, UM, TO SAVE WATER.
AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE EXAMPLES FOR AUSTIN RESIDENTS.
A LOT, A NUMBER OF LANDSCAPING ACTIVITIES, UH, THAT, THAT THEY CAN UNDERTAKE.
AND WE CAN HELP FUND AS WELL AS A, A FEW WITH POOL, UM, AND SOME SPECIFIC FOR IRRIGATION.
UM, SO THE SPRING AUSTIN WATERS REALLY LEANED INTO THE LANDSCAPE ITEMS. WE'VE REALLY TRIED TO PROMOTE, UH, THE WATERWISE LANDSCAPE PROGRAM TO HELP FOLKS OR ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO CONVERT
[00:25:01]
THEIR TURF TO BEDS WITH NATIVE ADAPTIVE PLANTS TO HELP SAVE WATER.UM, 'CAUSE THE BEDS WILL USE LESS WATER THAN IRRIGATED TURF.
SO WE HAVE, UH, UH, NINE OR 10, UM, INCENTIVE PROGRAMS, QUITE A RANGE THAT RESIDENTS CAN TAKE, UH, ADVANTAGE OF.
COMMERCIAL INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. ALL THE INS OR MOST OF THOSE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS THAT YOU SAW IN THIS LAST SLIDE ARE OPEN TO BUSINESSES ALSO, YOU KNOW, AND THEY'RE SLIGHTLY TWEAKED 'CAUSE THERE'S DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BUSINESS PE, UH, RESIDENTS AND, AND BUSINESSES.
BUT ALL OF THOSE ARE, ARE ALSO AVAILABLE TO BUSINESSES.
BUT WE'VE SEEN THAT A LOT OF THOSE REALLY GO UNDERUTILIZED OVER THE LAST NUMBER OF YEARS.
UM, PARTICULARLY DURING THE PANDEMIC.
THE ONE ACTIVITY I WANT TO MENTION IS BUCKS FOR BUSINESS.
AND THIS IS ONE THAT HAS ALSO BEEN REALLY, UH, IMPACT WAS REALLY IMPACTED DURING THE PANDEMIC.
AND THIS IS A MORE PERFORMANCE BASED PROGRAM.
RATHER THAN SAYING IF YOU REPLACE THIS, A SPRAYER OR A COMMERCIAL CLOTHES WASHER OR WHAT HAVE YOU, WE'LL GIVE YOU X AMOUNT OF MONIES.
THIS IS A PROGRAM IN WHICH WE WORK WITH, UH, COMPANIES, BUSINESSES, AND IF THEY HAVE AN IDEA ON HOW TO SAVE WATER, THEY CAN COME TO US, GIVE US THE IDEA, WE CAN CALCULATE HOW MUCH WATER THEY USE, UM, OR HOW MUCH WATER THEY'LL SAVE RATHER.
AND THEN WE BASE THE REBATE ON HOW MUCH THEY SAVE.
SO THE MORE THEY SAVE, THE MORE THAT THEY CAN GET REIMBURSED.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE CHART THERE ON THE BOTTOM, YOU'LL SAY, WELL, IT HASN'T BEEN VERY WIDELY UTILIZED ALSO.
THE, UH, IT HAS BEEN TOUGH DURING THE PANDEMIC.
BUT JUST THIS YEAR WE'VE HAD A REAL RESURGENCE OF THIS PROGRAM, UH, WITH 18 APPLICATIONS WE HAVE IN HOUSE NOW, AND WE'RE WORKING ON THOSE AND WE EXPECT ABOUT 10 MORE, UH, THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING FORWARD.
BESIDES INCENTIVE PROGRAMS OR REBATES, WE ALSO HAVE A ROBUST, UH, RECLAIMED WATER SYSTEM THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND THIS IS TREATED EFFLUENT THAT IS THEN PUMPED, AS YOU MIGHT SEE ON THE MAP THERE, YOU SEE SOME PURPLE LINES AROUND THERE.
THIS IS OUR, OUR RECLAIMED, CENTRALIZED RECLAIMED SYSTEM IN WHICH WE PUMP THIS TREATED EFFLUENT, UM, BACK AROUND.
AND IT'S USED BY BUSINESSES FOR IRRIGATION OR COOLING TOWER USE.
SO WE CONTINUE TO EXPAND THAT AND TR TO BRING ON NEW CUSTOMERS.
ALSO THIS SPRING THERE IS A BIG PUSH CALLED GO PURPLE.
IT WAS, UH, ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL, WHICH SETS NEW REQUIREMENTS ON BUSINESSES HOOKING UP TO THE RECLAIMED SYSTEM OR UTILIZING ONSITE WATER REUSE SUCH AS RAINWATER HARVESTING OR AIR CONDITIONER CONDENSATE, UM, TO UTILIZE THE WATER WITHIN THEIR BUILDING.
SO THAT'S A, A, A LARGE PIECE OF HOW WE ARE GONNA BE MORE WATER SUSTAINABLE, UH, THE RECLAIMED AND REUSE.
AND FINALLY, IN TERMS OF ACTIVITIES, ANOTHER LARGE ONE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE BEING VERY GOOD STEWARDS WITH THE WATER THAT WE'RE PRODUCING.
UM, AS WE ASK RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES TO SAVE WATER AND BECOME MORE EFFICIENT, WE ARE ALSO WORKING DILIGENTLY TO SAVE WATER, TO AVOID LEAKS OR OTHER WAYS IN WHICH WATER GETS OUT OF THE SYSTEM.
WE HAVE LEAK DETECTION TECHNOLOGY.
OUR RENEWING AUSTIN PROGRAM REPLACES PIPES THAT ARE FAILING OR, OR AT RISK OF FAILING IN THE FUTURE.
AND THEN FINALLY, THE MY TX WATER SYSTEM.
I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'RE AWARE OF IT, BUT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, UH, AUSTIN WATER HAS BEEN DEPLOYING A SMART WATER METER SYSTEM.
SO WE'RE REPLACING ALL OF OUR CUSTOMER WATER METERS, GIVING THEM NEW METERS AND PLUGGING THEM INTO THE MY TX WATER SYSTEM SO THAT CUSTOMERS COULD GO ONLINE AND SEE ALMOST EXACT, WELL EXACTLY HOW MUCH WATER THEY'RE USING IN ONE HOUR INCREMENTS THE NEXT DAY.
SO IF THERE'S A CONCERN HOW MUCH YOU'RE USING, YOU CAN GO ONLINE AND SEE.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR THAT BILL AT THE END OF THE MONTH.
AND IT'S BEEN PARTICULARLY POPULAR BECAUSE IT ALSO HAS A LEAK ALERT, UM, FACTOR CAPABILITY IN THE SYSTEM WHERE IF THE SYSTEM SENSES WATER RUNNING CONTINUOUSLY FOR A SET AMOUNT OF TIME, IT CAN COMMUNICATE WITH RESIDENTS AND LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY MAY HAVE A LEAK.
AND THAT'S BEEN QUITE POPULAR WITH RESIDENTS.
[00:30:01]
SO IN FINAL, IN WRAP UP FINAL SLIDE ON WATER CONSERVATION PLAN.THE PLAN INCLUDED GOALS FOR THE NEXT FIVE AND 10 YEARS.
UH, WE HAVE A TOTAL GPCD, WHICH IS ALL OF THE WATER DIVIDED BY POPULATION.
AND WE HAVE A RESIDENTIAL GPCD OF JUST RESIDENTIAL SINGLE FAMILY, MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL USE, DIVIDED BY POPULATION.
UH, THE BASELINE WHERE THE FAULT LAST FIVE YEARS IS 1 27, AND, AND WE BELIEVE WE CAN GET DOWN TO 1 23 AND THEN ONE 16 IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
AND WE ALSO HAVE SIMILAR GOALS FOR OUR WATER LOSS.
UM, WHETHER IT'S WATER LOSS PER PERSON OR AN INFRASTRUCTURE LEAKAGE INDEX, UM, WHICH IS A, ADMITTEDLY A RATHER WONKY METRIC, UM, IN WHICH YOU DETERMINED YOUR, THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF WATER YOU COULD LOSE DIVIDED BY, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU'RE LOSING NOW.
SO THESE ARE GOALS WE THINK ARE, ARE ACHIEVABLE OVER THE NEXT FIVE AND 10 YEARS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN OUR WATER CONSERVATION PLAN.
AND MOVING ON TO THE SECOND PLAN THAT I'M TALKING ABOUT HERE IS THE DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN.
SOME OF THE MAIN POINTS OF DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN.
UH, IT INCLUDES DROUGHT STAGES AND TRIGGERS, UM, TO HELP US DETERMINE AND IDENTIFY HOW FAR WE IN ARE INTO A DROUGHT, AND THEN AT THOSE DIFFERENT STAGES OF DROUGHT, WHAT ACTIONS WE'RE GONNA TAKE.
AND THEN I'LL HAVE A FINAL SLIDE ON A NOTABLE CHANGES FROM THE LAST DROUGHT PLAN TO THIS DROUGHT PLAN.
HERE WE ARE AGAIN WITH THAT SLIDE THAT I SHOWED BEFORE, SHOWING THE RESERVOIR STORAGE LEVELS FOR TRA IN BUCHANAN.
AND ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE THERE YOU SEE DIFFERENT STAGES THAT AT THE TOP YOU SEE CITY OF AUSTIN, COA STAGE ONE AT 1.4 MILLION ACRE FEET OUT OF 2 MILLION ACRE FEET.
SO ONCE THEY HIT 1.4, WE GO INTO THAT FIRST DROUGHT STAGE, LCRA LEGS BEHIND OUR DROUGHT STAGE, A LITTLE AT 1.1 MILLION ACRE FEET.
AS IT GOES FURTHER DOWN, IT GOES INTO STAGE TWO.
AND WE ARE AT STAGE TWO ARE IN STAGE TWO RATHER, UH, DROUGHT AT, AT THIS POINT, IT'S WHEN WATER GETS DOWN TO 900,000 ACRE FEET.
STAGE THREE IS AT 750,000 ACRE FEET.
AND THEN STAGE FOUR IS AT 600,000 ACRE FEET, WHICH WOULD BE ABOUT 30% OF THE WATER.
AND WE'VE NEVER GOTTEN DOWN TO 600,000 ACRE FEET.
UH, IN THE LAST BIG DROUGHT BACK BETWEEN 2011 AND 2015, WE GOT PRETTY CLOSE, UH, JUST ABOVE 600,000 ACRE FEET, BUT WE DID NOT DIP DOWN INTO THAT 600,000 ACRE FEET OF STORAGE.
SO THE, THOSE ARE THE FOUR DIFFERENT STAGES OF DROUGHT.
THERE IS A FIFTH ONE FOR EMERGENCIES, UM, BUT THOSE ARE THE FOUR ONES TIED TO THE RESERVOIR.
WHAT DO WE DO IN EACH OF THESE STAGES? WELL, ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS DROUGHT AND TO SAVE WATER IN IN TIMES OF DROUGHT ARE RESTRICTIONS ON IRRIGATION, OUTDOOR IRRIGATION.
WE HAVE ONE DAY A WEEK RESTRICTION ON AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION, ACTUALLY IN AUSTIN ALL THE TIME, WHETHER IT'S DROUGHT OR NOT DROUGHT, IT'S 365 DAYS A YEAR.
WE ALWAYS HAVE A RESTRICTION ON ONE DAY A WEEK WATERING FOR AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, COMMERCIAL CAN IRRIGATE.
COMMERCIAL FACILITIES CAN IRRIGATE ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY.
SCHOOLS CAN IRRIGATE ON MONDAY.
UH, RESIDENCES, RESIDENTIAL ADDRESSES CAN IRRIGATE ON, UM, WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY DEPENDING ON ODD.
AND EVEN SO, AS WE GO DOWN INTO THE DIFFERENT DROUGHT RESTRICTIONS, UH, WE DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THEY CAN WATER BECAUSE WE WANNA REDUCE THE, PARTICULARLY IN THE MORNINGS, HOW LATE INTO THE MORNING THEY CAN IRRIGATE.
BECAUSE AS IT GETS WARMER, THERE'S MORE EVAPORATION AND THAT IRRIGATION BECOMES LESS EFFECTIVE.
SO WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO WATER EARLY MORNING OR LATE EVENING.
SO IRRIGATION RESTRICTIONS ARE A LARGE PART OF OUR DROUGHT RESTRICTIONS.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER RESTRICTIONS.
UM, PATIO MISTERS, ORNAMENTAL FOUNTAINS.
ALSO GOLF COURSES ARE RESTRICTED, PARTICULARLY ONCE WE GET DOWN INTO STAGE THREE.
UM, FORTUNATELY, MOST ALMOST ALL
[00:35:01]
GOLF COURSES IN AUSTIN UTILIZE RECLAIMED WATER FOR IRRIGATION.WHAT ABOUT GOLF COURSES? FORTUNATELY, ALMOST ALL OF THEM.
I THINK THERE'S ONE, ONLY ONE GOLF COURSE THAT USES SOME DRINKING WATER FOR IRRIGATION.
BUT ALL THE OTHER ONES USE THAT TREATED EFFLUENT.
UM, SO THEY'RE NOT USING OUR DRINKING WATER TO WATER THEIR LAWNS OR THEIR TEAS FAIRWAYS.
UM, AND THERE ARE OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT THE UTILITY CAN TAKE.
YOU SEE THAT ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE THERE.
WE EXPAND OUR ENFORCEMENT STAFF DURING THE SUMMER.
UM, WE HAVE, WE INCREASE OUR OUTREACH.
UM, WE REVIEW OUR INCENTIVE PROGRAM TO SEE IF WE CAN BULK THOSE UP AS WE GET FURTHER INTO DROUGHT AS WELL AS WORKING WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS.
SO BEYOND RESTRICTIONS, THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO AS A UTILITY AND AS A, A CITY GOVERNMENT TO SAVE WATER.
THE NOTABLE CHANGES BETWEEN THE LAST PLAN AND THIS PLAN.
UM, AND THE LAST PLAN, BOTH LCRA AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAD THEIR STAGE ONE AT 1.4 MILLION ACRE FEET.
AND THIS CURRENTLY LCRA HAS, HAS REDUCED THEIR STAGE ONE TO 1.1 MILLION ACRE FEET.
IN STAGE TWO, AS I MENTIONED, IT'S 900,000 ACRE FEET.
LCRA ACTUALLY ADDED WHAT'S CALLED AN INFLOW TRIGGER.
UM, WHEREAS IF WE WERE IN THE SPRING AND WE HAD 1 MILLION ACRE FEET, AND WE KNOW WE ARE GOING INTO A HOT AND DRY SUMMER, BUT WE SEE THAT THE RIVERS FLOWING INTO THE HIGHLAND LAKES ARE REALLY SMALL, REALLY LOW IN TERMS OF INFLOW.
THIS INFLOW TRIGGER, WE'LL LOOK AT THE IN INFLOW LEVELS IN MARCH AND THEN IN JULY.
AND IF THEY'RE BELOW A DIFFERENT, A PARTICULAR LEVEL, 25TH PERCENTILE OF HISTORICAL USE, THEN THEY'LL KIND OF SUPERCHARGE IT INTO STAGE TWO.
THEY'LL KICK IT INTO STAGE TWO TO SAVE ADDITIONAL WATER BEFORE THE SUMMER GETS GOING.
STAGE THREE, THIS WAS A NEW STAGE WE ADDED.
UM, THERE WASN'T ONE AT THIS LEVEL BEFORE.
PREVIOUSLY WENT FROM 900 RIGHT DOWN TO 600,000 ACRE FEET.
AND WE THOUGHT WE NEEDED SOMETHING IN BETWEEN THERE.
AT THIS NEW STAGE THREE ATHLETIC FIELDS, WHICH HAVE HISTORICALLY HAD AUTOMATIC EXEMPTIONS, UH, TO USE WATER WILL BE REPLACED BY A VARIANCE.
UM, AND IN STAGE THREE, WE WILL NOT ISSUE WARNINGS FOR WATERING VIOLATIONS, UM, AT THAT POINT.
UM, BUT WE'LL, WE'LL ISSUE A CITATION WITH A PENALTY.
UM, HOWEVER THAT CITATION COULD BE DISMISSED, UM, WITH AN ONLINE IRRIGATION CONSERVATION COURSE.
KIND OF LIKE, UM, THE DRIVING, UM, I'M, I'M BLANKING ON THE NAME, BUT IF YOU GET A TICKET FOR SPEEDING, YOU CAN TAKE IT TO COURSE AND GET IT.
UM, DISMISSED DEFENSIVE DRIVING.
UH, THEN STAGE FOUR AT 600,000 ACRE FEET.
AS I MENTIONED, WE'VE NEVER GOTTEN DOWN TO 600,000 ACRE FEET, BUT IF WE DID, UH, WE NOW HAVE SOME VERY, UM, I WOULD SAY VERY, UH, STRENUOUS, UH, ACTIONS THAT WE WILL TAKE.
UM, AS PROMPTED BY THE LCRA, WHEN WE HIT 600,000 ACRE FEET, THERE WILL BE NO IRRIGATION OF WHAT'S, UH, WHAT WE CALL NON-FUNCTIONAL TURF.
ESSENTIALLY THAT'S ANYONE'S YARD IS NON-FUNCTIONAL TURF.
WHAT'S FUNCTIONAL TURF? IT'S AREAS WHERE THEY HAVE SPORTS, WHERE YOU HAVE COMMUNITY EVENTS, UM, WHERE MULTIPLE PEOPLE CAN USE THAT AREA.
SO IT REALLY CUTS OFF ANY IRRIGATION TO A LOT OF, UH, IRRIGATED AREAS.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE MORE MORATORIUM ON PERMITS FOR IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AND NEW SINGLE FAMILY POOL PERMITS.
SO THOSE ARE THE CHANGES TO THIS NEW PLAN, AND WE'RE REALLY LEANING INTO, UM, ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES AND AND RESTRICTIONS AS WE GET FURTHER INTO DROUGHT.
FORTUNATELY, WE DID GET SOME RAIN, SO THAT'S GOOD.
SO IT'S BACKED OFF A LITTLE BIT.
UH, AS, AS ANA MENTIONED, THE COUNCIL ADOPTED THE CURRENT WATER CONSERVATION PLAN AND DROUGHT PLAN, UM, BACK IN MAY 2ND.
UM, BUT WE CONTINUE, UM, TALKING WITH, WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND THE WATER FLOOR TASK FORCE, UH, TO REVIEW THESE PLANS WITH THE INTENTION OF TAKING THESE PLANS BACK TO, UM, COUNCIL IN NOVEMBER WITH APPROPRIATE CHANGES MADE TO THEM AFTER GETTING FEEDBACK FROM STAKEHOLDERS AND THE PUBLIC AND, UH, VARIOUS COMMISSIONS AND TASK FORCE.
AS I MENTIONED, NOVEMBER IS WHEN WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE COUNCIL.
[00:40:01]
UH, FINALLY HOW TO BE INVOLVED.UM, BOTH, BOTH FOR Y'ALL AND ANYONE WATCHING IN THE PUBLIC WHO ARE INTERESTED.
WE ARE REALLY WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE FINALIZATION OF THE WATER FORWARD PLAN.
UH, THIS IS AUSTIN'S 100 YEAR WATER SUPPLY PLAN, UM, THAT, UH, AUSTIN WATER UNDERTAKES, THEY'VE BEEN WORKING FOR A WHILE NOW, SO THEY'RE REALLY WRAPPING THAT UP.
AND WE ARE REVIEWING THE CONSERVATION AND DROUGHT PLAN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE WATER FORWARD PLAN AS IT WRAPS UP.
SO A LOT OF THE WAYS TO PROVIDE INPUT TO THE CONSERVATION DROUGHT PLAN ARE REALLY THROUGH THE WATER FORWARD PROCESS.
WE'LL HAVE PUBLIC MEETINGS ON AUGUST 27TH AND 28TH.
THOSE ARE THE TENTATIVE DATES.
AND THEN FOLKS CAN WATCH AND, AND PROVIDE COMMENT AT WATER FORWARD TASK FORCE MEETINGS THAT YOU SEE UP THERE ON THE SLIDE.
AND THEY ALSO HAVE A SPEAK UP AUSTIN PAGE, UH, WHICH FOLKS CAN GET INFORMATION AND LEAVE COMMENTS AND FIND OUT WHO THEY COULD CONTACT.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL OPEN UP ANY QUESTIONS, UM, REGARDING THE CONSERVATION PLAN AND THE DROUGHT PLAN.
UM, LET'S START WITH THE REMOTE COMMISSIONERS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS.
I'M WONDERING IF YOU COULD ELABORATE ON, UM, THE PURPLE PIPE SYSTEM AND HOW EXPANSION HAPPENS, UM, WITHIN THAT SYSTEM.
IS IT DEVELOPER INITIATED? UM, IS THE GROUNDWORK LAID FOR PIPES THAT THEN FOLKS CAN OPT INTO? UM, YEAH, IF YOU COULD JUST TALK MORE ABOUT THAT RIGHT.
YEAH, SO THE PURPLE PIPE SYSTEM, JUST TO ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, WE HAVE ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SEVENTY, A HUNDRED SIXTY, SEVENTY CUSTOMERS THAT UTILIZE RECLAIMED WATER USING ABOUT, UM, 1.6 BILLION GALLONS OF RECLAIMED WATER A YEAR.
UH, WE HAVE 73 MILES OF PIPE, SO I KNOW IT WAS HARD TO SEE ON THAT MAP WITH THOSE VERY SMALL PURPLE LINES, BUT IT'S A RATHER EXTENSIVE PIPING SYSTEM THROUGHOUT CENTRAL AUSTIN.
AUSTIN WATER CONTINUALLY TRIES TO EXPAND THAT BASED ON ON CIP FUNDS AVAILABLE, UM, AND WHAT IS NEEDED.
SO NOT ONLY EXPANDING IT LENGTHWISE SENDING PIPES OUT, UM, BUT WE ALSO LOOKING AT HOW TO EXPAND THAT IN TERMS OF CAPACITY OR, OR PUMP STATIONS, WHATEVER IS NEEDED TO MOVE MORE WATER THROUGH THAT.
SO WE CONTINUE TO WORK TO EXPAND THAT.
UM, WE DO HAVE SOME CUSTOMERS WHO ANTICIPATION IN ANTICIPATION OF GETTING THAT PIPE.
YOU, YOU KNOW, THEY SEE IT COMING, THEY KNOW WE'RE PLANNING.
UM, THEY DO PUT IN PURPLE PIPE SYSTEMS OR, OR SET UP THEIR PLUMBING SO THEY CAN RECEIVE IT, UH, WHEN THEY GET THERE.
THE GO FORWARD, UM, INITIATIVE THAT I MENTIONED, UM, EARLIER, WHICH WAS, UH, ADOPTED, APPROVED BY COUNCIL IN THIS SPRING, REALLY TRY IS INTENDED TO BOLT THAT UP IN TERMS OF PROVIDING ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THAT AND TO PROVIDE, UH, INCENTIVES, UH, COST SHARING, UH, MECHANISMS TO HELP NEW DEVELOPMENT, UM, ENCOURAGE NEW DEVELOPMENT TO HOOK UP TO, UH, THE PURPLE PIPE SYSTEM.
ANA, DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING MORE TO ADD ON THAT? SO THERE'S A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THAT, BUT THAT'S JUST A SNIPPET.
SO HOW DO YOU ALL DETERMINE THEN WHICH AREAS GEOGRAPHICALLY YOU EXPAND INTO? IS IT THROUGH ANTICIPATED DEMAND THROUGH DEVELOPMENT? IS IT, UM, I GUESS I'M STILL NOT CLEAR IF THIS IS KIND OF DEVELOPER INITIATED IN PART WHERE THEY'RE WORKING WITH YOU AND YOU KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE INTEREST DOWN THE LINE, SO THEN YOU'RE EXPANDING THE PIPES TO COVER THEM.
UM, AND I'M THINKING IN PART THROUGH MY OWN PERSPECTIVE AS A VOLUNTEER AT THE FESTIVAL, BEACH FOOD FOREST, UM, WHO'S IN TALKS WITH, UM, TDOT WITH THE UNFORTUNATELY IMPENDING I 35 EXPANSION, WHICH WILL ENCROACH ON OUR LAND AND WE'RE TRYING TO WORK WITH THEM TO SEE IF THEY CAN HELP US, YOU KNOW, WITH PURPLE PIPES ON THE PROPERTY.
AND I'M JUST NOT CLEAR ON HOW THOSE DECISIONS ARE MADE.
AND WHILE I, I I HAVE TO ADMIT, I DON'T KNOW THAT ABOUT HOW THE ANSWER ABOUT THAT SPECIFIC QUESTION ON TXDOT.
UM, 'CAUSE THAT'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE.
BUT IN GENERAL, YES, WE, WE LOOK AT, IN TERMS OF EXPANDING THE SYSTEM, WE LOOK AT WHERE POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS MIGHT BE.
UM, OFTEN THESE ARE COMMERCIAL
[00:45:01]
OR INDUSTRIAL CUSTOMERS THAT WILL UTILIZE THAT WATER FOR IRRIGATION OR FOR COOLING OR INDU INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES.IN SOME WAYS IT, IT SOMETIMES CAN BE A CHICKEN AND EGG THING, UM, ON CUSTOMERS TO USE IT, BUT THEY NEED THE WATER THERE.
UM, BUT TO EXPAND OUT THERE, WE NEED TO AT LEAST BE ABLE TO ANTICIPATE CUSTOMERS BEING IN A PARTICULAR AREA.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S NEXT UP ON THE DOCKET IN TERMS OF WHERE THE NEXT PHASE OF EXPANSION WILL BE FOR THE PIPES? I DO NOT.
I, WE, I CAN GET BACK TO YOU ON ASK, ASK MY RECLAIMED COLLEAGUES ABOUT THAT AND WHERE THEY ARE WITH THE PLAN.
I, I'D BE CURIOUS TO LEARN THAT.
UM, I'VE GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS AROUND SORT OF, UM, THE, THE WATER WATER SENSITIVE INFRAS, UM, UH, LANDSCAPING.
AND I'M WONDERING IF THE AUSTIN WATER UTILITY IS CONTEMPLATING ANY RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND CHANGES IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT RULES TO PROHIBIT CERTAIN PLANTS OR NON-FUNCTIONAL TURF? ONE OF THE THINGS, SO I WORK IN THE LEGISLATURE.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE HEAR IS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO WANNA REMOVE THEIR TURF SOMETIMES RUN INTO HOAS THAT DON'T ALLOW THEM TO REMOVE THEIR TURF.
AND WHEN YOU TALK TO THESE BUILDERS, THEY KIND OF, THEY HAVE A, THEY HAVE A CORPORATE MENTALITY.
SOMETIMES THE CORPORATION IS IN VIRGINIA OR ILLINOIS WHERE PLANTING GRASS IS JUST WHAT YOU DO.
IT'S NOT WHAT YOU DO IN THE, IN THE SOUTH AND THE SOUTHWEST.
SO ARE, ARE THERE ANY RULES CONTEMPLATED THAT WOULD PROHIBIT THE PLANTING OF TURF GOING FORWARD? UH, THE, THE ANSWER IS, IS NO, WE DON'T HAVE ANY RULES.
WE'RE NOT WORKING ON RULES TO PROHIBIT THE PLANTING OF TURF.
BUT I WOULD UH, LIKE TO KIND OF PAUSE THIS QUESTION, RESPOND WITH THE NEXT PRESENTATION.
'CAUSE I THINK THAT REALLY FOCUSES ON THE AREA OF INTEREST.
AND THEN IN THE PRESENTATION YOU TALKED ABOUT SORT OF WATER LOSS OR LEAKS IN THE SYSTEM.
I WAS, I WAS READING AN ARTICLE THAT CLAIMED THAT THE AUSTIN WATER UTILITY LOSES 6 BILLION GALLONS OF WATER IN THE SYSTEM EACH YEAR TO LEAKS.
IS THAT NUMBER ACCURATE? THAT MEAN, THAT NUMBER SEEMED HUGE TO ME.
ME, I HAVE TO ADMIT, I AM NOT SURE IF THAT WHAT THAT NUMBER IS, BUT IT IS A AREA THAT AUSTIN WATERS RECOGNIZING THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO WORK ON.
UM, PARTICULARLY AS WE'RE ASKING MORE AND MORE FROM RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES TO BE EFFICIENT.
THIS, THIS IS A BIG THING THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON.
AND I WAS READING TEXAS 2036 PUTS OUT A, AN ANNUAL UPDATE TO AN EXTREME WEATHER REPORT WHERE THEY TALK ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF, THEY DON'T USE THE WORDS CLIMATE CHANGE, BUT THEY TALK ABOUT EXTREME WEATHER.
AND ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS WITH EXTREME HEAT IS EVAPORATIVE LOSS.
AND I KNOW THAT SOME COMMUNITIES ARE LOOKING AT AQUIFER STORAGE OF GROUNDWATER TO MITIGATE EVAPORATIVE LOSS.
AND I THINK I READ SOMEWHERE THAT THE AUSTIN WATER UTILITY IS EXPLORING THAT.
THE AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVERY, UH, IDEA IS A STRATEGY IN THE 2018 WATER FORWARD PLAN THAT I MENTIONED, THE WATER SUPPLY PLAN.
AND WE, WE AUSTIN WATER, UM, ARE ACTUALLY MOVING TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING THAT IN TERMS OF STUDYING ON WHERE IN THE CENTRAL TEXAS AREA, UH, AN AQUIFER EXISTS THAT WOULD BE BEST SUITED FOR STORING OUR EXCESS WATER.
UM, 'CAUSE IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVERY, THE IDEA IS THAT IN TIMES OF PLENTY, WHEN WE HAVE PLENTY IN THE RESERVOIRS AND WE HAVE EXTRA WATER IN OUR SYSTEMS, WE CAN PIPE THAT TO AN AREA AND, AND PUT IT UNDERGROUND AND ESSENTIALLY STORE IT UNDERGROUND IN AN AQUIFER.
UH, THAT'S HAD SOME DRAW DOWN.
UM, AND THEN IN TIMES OF SCARCITY WE COULD PULL THAT WATER BACK OUT AND OS WATER IS ACTIVELY STUDYING THAT AND WORKING WITH CONSULTANTS AND TRYING TO DETERMINE WHERE THAT WILL BEST FIT.
AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS, WHEN Y'ALL SUBMIT THE WATER CONSERVATION AND DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLANS TO TCEQ AND THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, WHAT DO THEY DO WITH THEM? I, UH, I UNDERSTAND TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY.
I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH THEY DIG INTO THEM.
UM, BUT I KNOW THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, UH, ACTIVELY LOOKS AT THE, UH, WATER CONSERVATION PLAN.
UH, I KNOW BECAUSE THEY'VE ASKED ME
[00:50:01]
QUESTIONS, UH, FROM THE PLAN AND THEY REQUIRE AN ADOPTED WATER CONSERVATION PLAN TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING.UM, SO THE WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THEM, THEY DO A LOT OF WATER PLANNING STATEWIDE AND A LOT OF SCIENCE.
BUT THEY'RE ALSO A BANK, UM, PROVIDING FINANCING FOR WATER UTILITIES AT, AT GOOD RATES BELOW MARKET RATES.
AND ONE OF THEIR REQUIREMENTS IS IF YOU WANT MONEY FROM US, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A WATER CONSERVATION PLAN, UM, THAT MEETS ALL THE PARTICULAR LEVELS.
SO I KNOW THAT THEY REVIEW THEM.
YEAH, I I ASKED THAT QUESTION ONLY IN THE CONTEXT OF, YOU KNOW, OF REGIONAL AREAS ARE REQUIRED TO DO TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PLANS THAT ARE SUBMITTED TO THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AND THEN THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TAKES THE PLANS FOR THE STATE AND THEY PUT TOGETHER A STATE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
I WAS JUST WONDERING IF EITHER AGENCY DOES ANY ACTUAL STATEWIDE DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLANNING OR WATER CONSERVATION PLANNING ON THEIR OWN OR WHETHER THEY, THEY JUST KIND OF COMPILE? WELL, THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD DOES HAVE A, THEY ADMINISTER A REGIONAL WATER PLANNING PROCESS THROUGHOUT THE STATE, UM, IN WHICH THERE ARE 16 REGIONS AROUND THE STATE.
WE ARE IN WHAT'S CALLED REGION K, UM, IT'S, IT'S REALLY THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER, UH, BASIN.
UM, WE'RE PART OF THAT GROUP AND EACH ONE OF THOSE GROUPS PRODUCES THEIR OWN PLAN EVERY FIVE YEARS.
AND THEY USE A LOT OF INFORMATION FROM THE INDIVIDUAL CITIES, COUNTIES, WATER, UTILITIES IN THEIR REGION.
SO WHILE I'M NOT SURE YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TCEQ DOES, I DO KNOW THAT REGION K UH, WILL UTILIZE A LOT OF OUR DATA, WHETHER IT'S IN THE PLANS OR JUST REQUESTED SEPARATELY.
HEY, Y'ALL APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE HAD A PRETTY WET SUMMER SO FAR.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF TROPICAL STORMS AND, AND HURRICANES.
I'VE HEARD A LOT OF TALK ABOUT, UM, I FORGET WHICHEVER ONE IT IS.
EL NINO, EL NINA THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW AND SORT OF, YOU KNOW, HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO END SOON.
UM, SO DO WE KNOW LIKE HOW LONG THAT PERIOD WOULD BE BEFORE IT SWITCHES BACK TO LIKE THE WET PERIOD? UM, BECAUSE I ASSUME IF IT'S DRY FOR A WHILE AND THAT'S CERTAINLY NOT GOOD.
SO BACK, YOU KNOW, THROUGH OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR WE WERE IN LA NINA, WHICH TYPICALLY PROVIDES DRIER CONDITIONS FOR CENTRAL TEXAS.
AND THAT KIND OF FLIPPED IN THE FALL TO, UH, EL NINO AND AS, AND THERE WAS A LOT OF OPTIMISM ABOUT EL NINO 'CAUSE IT WAS CONSIDERED A, A STRONG, UM, EL NINO.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF HOPE THAT WE'D BE GETTING A LOT OF RAIN.
WE REALLY DIDN'T GET ANYTHING OVER THE WINTER, AS YOU MAY RECALL.
UM, SO THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERN, YOU KNOW, BY MARCH, UM, THAT THIS EL NINO IS GONNA PUTTER OUT AND WE WOULDN'T GET ANY RAIN AND WE'D BE GOING INTO A SUMMER.
UM, BUT FORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, BEING, I DON'T KNOW HOW, WHAT THE EFFECT OF EL NINO WAS IN MAY, BUT WE CERTAINLY GOT A LOT OF RAIN, UH, IN MAY.
UNFORTUNATELY THE SCIENTISTS ARE SAYING THAT IT'S SWITCHING BACK NOW, UH, TO LA NINA.
SO WHILE WE THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE A VERY STRONG EL NINO AND WE WERE HOPING TO GET A LOT OF RAIN, IT'S ALREADY SWITCHING BACK, UH, TO LA NINA OR PROJECTED TO SWING BACK TO LA NINA IN THE FALL.
SO HOPEFULLY, UH, THAT EL NINO PATTERN, EVEN IF IT'S LINGERING OR OR LESSENING THROUGH THE SUMMER, IT WILL PROVIDE US MORE RAIN THAN WE MIGHT USUALLY GET IN THE SUMMER.
AND THEN, UH, ANOTHER QUESTION I HAD WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY WE ENTER SORT OF THIS, YOU KNOW, CATASTROPHIC DROUGHT LEVEL FOUR, RIGHT? LET'S SAY IT GETS TO LIKE VEGAS LEVELS, RIGHT? WE'VE ALREADY SEEN TOWNS AROUND HERE, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, KYLE HAS TO START PURCHASING WATER.
'CAUSE I THINK THEY SAW THAT THEY'RE GONNA RUN OUT WATER AT THE RATE THAT THEY'RE GROWING BY LIKE 2026.
I THINK GEORGETOWN SIMILARLY PROJECTED THAT THEY WERE GONNA RUN OUTTA WATER PRETTY SOON.
MAYBE I'M MIXING UP THE DATES IN THE CITIES, BUT YOU KNOW, THEY HAD TO GO OUT AND BUY WATER.
DO WE HAVE ANY PLANS LIKE THAT IN CASE, YOU KNOW, STUFF HITS THE FAN WELL AS PART OF THE WATER FORWARD PLAN? UM, THAT LONG RANGE PLAN THAT I MENTIONED IN, IN TERMS OF AS WE GET DOWN AND FURTHER DOWN INTO DROUGHT STAGES, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS? YOU KNOW, WATER CONSERVATION AND WATER EFFICIENCY ARE REALLY OPTIONS A, B, C, UM, ONLY UNTIL YOU GET DOWN TO D DO YOU GET SOME OF THE MORE, CERTAINLY MORE EXPENSIVE
[00:55:01]
AND MORE, UM, INTENSIVE, UH, STRATEGIES.YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVERY MIGHT BE COMING ON IN A NUMBER OF YEARS, MAYBE FIVE OR 10 YEARS OR SO.
WE'LL BE ABLE TO PULL THINGS OUT OF THAT, PULL WATER OUTTA THAT.
BUT BEYOND THAT, WE'D BE LOOKING MORE TOWARDS DIFFERENT TYPES OF ADDITIONAL TYPES OF REUSE.
UM, SO REALLY CONSERVATION, CONSERVATION, CONSERVATION AND THEN, UH, MORE, UH, INTENSIVE REUSE.
I CERTAINLY FEEL YOU REDUCING AND REUSING IS DEFINITELY, UH, ALWAYS THE CHEAPER OPTIONS.
AND THEN MY LAST QUESTIONS WAS, I THINK YOU MENTIONED THAT, UH, ALL THE GOLF COURSES IN TOWN USE REUSABLE WATER OR PURPLE PIPES, UH, SORT OF EXCEPT FOR ONE.
WAS THAT, UH, DID I HEAR THAT CORRECTLY? THERE, THERE IS ONE.
UM, THAT WHO ARE THEY SO WE CAN SHAME THEM OR IS IT JUST A MATTER OF LIKE BUILDING THE PIPES OVER THERE? I'M NOT AN EXPERT, YOU KNOW, I'M SORRY.
WHAT IS THE GOLF COURSE THAT DOESN'T USE RECLAIMED WATER AND IS IT LIKE A CASE OF LIKE US NOT HAVING THE, BECAUSE THE THING IS, IT'S LIKE, OKAY, DROUGHT LEVEL FOUR, UH, WE AS CITIZENS HAVE TO STOP WATERING OUR LAWN, BUT THE GOLF COURSE STILL GET WATERED.
I HAVE TO ADMIT, I CAN'T THINK OF THE GOLF COURSE'S NAME OFF HAND, BUT, UM, THE GOLF COURSES, YOU, THAT PARTICULAR GOLF COURSE THAT I'M BLANKING ON THE NAME, UH, USES A COMBINATION OF RECLAIMED WATER, UM, AS WELL AS SOME POTABLE WATER.
SO SOMETIMES THROUGHOUT A GOOD PORT OF THE YEAR, THEY CAN OI MEAN THEY CAN USE ALL RECLAIMED WATER.
UM, IT'S ONLY AT CERTAIN POINTS AND THEY HAVE TO INTENSIVELY USE WATER.
THEY TAP INTO THE DRINKING WATER.
SO I BELIEVE, I DON'T THINK THEY'RE THAT CLOSE TO THE RECLAIMED SYSTEM, I'M AFRAID.
RIGHT? 'CAUSE THE RECLAIMED WATER THEY'RE USING COMES FROM, I GUESS YOU CALL IT A PACKAGE PLANT.
IT'S NOT PART OF OUR RECLAIMED SYSTEM.
SO UNFORTUNATELY IT'S NOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO TIE THAT ONE PARTICULARLY INTO A RECLAIMED SYSTEM.
AND I ASSUME IT WOULD JUST BE PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO HAVE IT USED RECLAIMED WATER.
SO AT THAT POINT YOU'RE JUST LIKE, ALL RIGHT, WHATEVER.
WELL, AND WE ALSO TRY TO WORK WITH THEM 'CAUSE THEY, AS WE WERE GETTING CLOSER TO, UH, STAGE THREE, YOU KNOW, THEY CAME IN AND THEY'RE QUITE CONCERNED ABOUT A POINT WHERE THEY'D HAVE TO STOP USING, UM, RE OR DRINKING WATER AS WELL AS ANY BLENDED WATER ALSO.
I ALWAYS JUST, UH, HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH GOLF COURSES THAT MAKE FOR EASY TARGETS.
UH, THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
APPRECIATE, UH, I ASSUME YOU'RE LOOKING AT, UH, OTHER CITIES THAT ARE MORE AGGRESSIVELY TESTED THAN WE ARE, LIKE PHOENIX AND LAS VEGAS AND THE STRATEGIES THEY'RE USING.
UH, ARE YOU LOOKING AT CHANGING THE BUILDING CODES TO REQUIRE MORE, UH, EFFICIENT USE OF PLUMBING FIXTURES AND THAT SORT OF THING? WE AREN'T, LOOK, WHILE WE KEEP ABREAST OF THAT, WE AREN'T LOOKING AT INCREASING THE STANDARDS BEYOND FEDERAL AND STATE STANDARDS, UM, OR STANDARDS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN THE PLUMBING CODE.
SO WE'RE NOT FOCUSING ON AT INDOOR USE AT THIS POINT.
UH, RECENTLY WE'VE REALLY BEEN TRYING TO FOCUS ON OUTDOOR USE LANDSCAPE USE AS WELL AS AS REUSE.
UH, BUT THAT'S WHERE WE'VE BEEN FOCUSING AT THIS POINT.
SO AT SOME POINT, ARE YOU GOING TO LOOK AT INDOOR USE? 'CAUSE I, UH, THE REASON I'M ASKING IS THIS, WE'RE GOING TO, WE'RE WE'RE MAKING AN ATTEMPT TO GO TO MORE, UH, MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING.
AND SO ON A PER PERSON BASIS, YOU'RE GONNA WIND UP WITH MORE PEOPLE IN A UNIT AND THEY'RE GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT ALL THE WATER THAT'S USED IN A SQUARE BLOCK, MOST OF THAT'S GONNA BE USED BY AN INDIVIDUAL AND LESS OF IT'S GONNA BE USED FOR LANDSCAPING PURPOSES.
SO YOUR GREATEST SAVING IS GONNA BE USED BY LOW FLUSH TOILET OR SOME OTHER INTERNAL MECHANISM AS OPPOSED TO, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVING THEM PUT ROCKS OUTSIDE INSTEAD OF TURF.
YEAH, I MEAN, THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
AT SOME POINT, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE FOCUSING ON LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION NOW, AT SOME POINT YOU REACH A POINT THAT, UH, YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR OTHER SOLUTIONS.
ALSO, AS I MENTIONED, THAT BUCKS FOR BUSINESS INCENTIVE PROGRAM, WE HAD, I MENTIONED EARLIER, SOME OF SEVERAL OF THE SUCCESSES, A GOOD NUMBER OF 'EM, UH, MAYBE A THIRD OF THEM ARE MULTI-FAMILY
[01:00:01]
BUILDINGS, EITHER NEW ONES OR EXISTINGS THAT ARE COMING TO US AND, UH, INTERESTED IN RE LIKE REPLACING ALL THEIR TOILETS, UH, RIGHT.OR ALL THEIR FIXTURES OR ALL THEIR DISHWASHERS.
UM, AND IT REALLY CREATES SOME SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS WHEN THEY DO THAT WHOLESALE.
SO EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NOT CHANGING THE CODE, WE'VE HAD SOME EXCESS, UH, OVER THE LAST YEAR IN THOSE INDOOR USES.
UM, THIS BUILDING HERE, I BELIEVE USES PURPLE WATER, PURPLE PIPES.
IS THERE, UH, IS THE CITY GONNA MOVE TO USE PURPLE PIPES IN ALL OF ITS FUTURE BUILDINGS THAT IT CONSTRUCTS? I REALIZE THAT IF YOU'RE LEASING A FACILITY, YOUR ABILITY TO MANDATE THAT IS KIND OF LIMITED, BUT, UH, WHEN YOU'RE DOING FROM SCRATCH, YOU HAVE A LOT MORE FLEXIBILITY THERE.
I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S A, ANY POLICY DECISION ON NEW CITY BUILDINGS.
ARE YOU AWARE OF COMMISSIONER? I'M NOT AWARE OF A SPECIFIC POLICY FOR ALL NEW CITY BUILDINGS, BUT I WILL SAY JUST TAKING AUSTIN WATER AS AN EXAMPLE, WE ARE MOVING WITH OUR FACILITIES TO USE, UH, PURPLE PIPE AND AS MUCH EFFICIENCY AS WE CAN WHEN WE DEVELOP OR REDEVELOP FACILITIES.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, OUR HEADQUARTERS BUILDING, WHICH IS LOCATED DOWNTOWN, IS AN OLDER BUILDING, BUT, UM, IT'S NOT FAR FROM THE PURPLE PIPE, UH, LINE.
AND WE ARE WORKING TO RETROFIT THAT BUILDING SO THAT ALL OF OUR NON-POTABLE USES CAN BE, UM, THROUGH PURPLE PIPE, UH, THROUGH RECLAIMED WATER.
WE ALREADY HAVE OUR, UM, AIR CONDITIONING, UH, SYSTEM THAT USES THAT AND WE'RE LOOKING TO GET OUR, OUR TOILET SYSTEM ON THERE.
UH, SIMILARLY AT AUSTIN WATER, AS WE CONTEMPLATE NEW BUILDINGS, UM, WE INTEND TO PUT IN, UH, THE MOST EFFICIENT WATER FEATURES THAT WE CAN.
UM, THE CITY, YOU RIGHTLY NOTED THAT THIS BUILDING IS, UH, HIGHLY WATER EFFICIENT.
IT ACTUALLY HAS AN ONSITE, UM, BLACKWATER, UM, TREATMENT SYSTEM SO THAT ALL OF, NOT ONLY DOES IT CAPTURE THE RAINWATER ON SITE AND USE IT FOR NON-POTABLE USES, BUT THE BLACK WATER FROM FLUSHING IS ALSO TREATED AND REUSED ON SITE.
SO, UM, AUSTIN WATER WAS A PART OF ADVOCATING FOR THAT IN DEVELOPING THIS BUILDING.
AND WE'RE VERY, UH, MUCH LINKEDIN AND CONNECTED WITH THE CITY'S STRATEGIC FACILITIES GOVERNANCE TEAM, WHICH HAS LEADERSHIP ON THOSE ISSUES.
SO I, WHILE I CAN'T CITE A SPECIFIC POLICY THAT WOULD SAY ALL NEW BUILDINGS, I THINK IT'S TOP OF MIND FOR FOLKS WHO ARE WORKING IN FACILITIES ACROSS THE CITY.
I ASK IS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE TRYING TO SET AN EXAMPLE FOR RESIDENTS AND OTHER BUILDINGS, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, OTHER DEVELOPMENTS, YOU CAN BRING THEM OVER TO VARIOUS CITY BUILDINGS AND SAY, GOLLY GEE WHIZ, THIS IS A BUILDING THAT WAS BUILT IN THE 1970S AND WE JUST REMODELED IT AND LOOK HERE AT ALL THE GOOD STUFF WE'VE DONE AND THEN WE JUST BUILT THIS BUILDING AND LOOK AT ALL THE GOOD STUFF WE DID HERE.
SO IF YOU'RE CONSIDERING IT, HERE'S SOME EXAMPLES THAT ARE REAL LIVE STUFF AND WE HAVE RESTRICTED FLOW TOILETS AND FAUCETS AND ALL THIS KIND OF REALLY EXCITING STUFF.
AND IT'S NICE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE DEVELOPERS AND, AND, AND HOMEOWNERS AND SHOW THEM REAL LIVE EXAMPLES OF THAT TYPE OF THING IN ACTION RATHER THAN JUST HAVE IT BE SOMETHING YOU, YOU KNOW, DO A SLIDESHOW ABOUT.
AND SEND OUT FLYERS AND THAT SORT OF THING.
SO THAT, THAT'S KIND OF WHY I ASKED.
AND WE ARE PURSUING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
NOW, UH, YOU IN HERE, IN THE PRESENTATION YOU MENTIONED, UH, SOMEWHERE, I FORGET WHERE THE SLIDE IS.
UH, THERE'S A, WHERE YOU HAVE MULTIPLE PROGRAM BY WHICH YOU CAN REIMBURSE RESIDENTS FOR VARIOUS THINGS.
I GET MY BILLS ONLINE, BUT I NEVER SEE ANY REFERENCE TO THESE PROMOTIONS.
NOW I HAPPEN TO HAVE GONE ON THE CITY WEBSITE AND FOUND THESE PROMOTIONS BECAUSE IF YOU GO THERE EVENTUALLY YOU CAN WANDER AROUND AND FIND THEM.
BUT I NEVER, AND WHEN I ACTUALLY RECEIVED A PAPER BILL, I DON'T RECALL SEEING PROMOTION OF THIS STUFF.
SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, OR MY COMMENT IS I DON'T SEE A VERY AGGRESSIVE ATTEMPT ON YOUR PART TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT TO THE COMMUNITY THAT THESE THINGS ARE AVAILABLE.
AND I, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ALSO DOING AUDITS AND I DON'T SEE THAT THERE EITHER.
AND ALSO THE A TX WATER METERS, I HAD ONE INSTALLED.
[01:05:02]
I MEAN, THEY CAME BY AND THEY PUT IT IN AND THEY SENT ME AN EMAIL AND SAID, GUESS WHAT? AND BUT MY NEIGHBORS WHO WEREN'T AWARE THAT THIS WAS GOING ON FOR WHATEVER THE REASON, YOU REALLY DON'T COMMUNICATE THIS STUFF REAL WELL.THE BOTTOM LINE, I KNOW THAT A LOT OF THE WORK THAT THE PIO DOES, UH, IS THROUGH THE TRADITIONAL MEDIA, UM, PRINT OR RADIO OR, OR SOCIAL MEDIA ALSO.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND YOUR COMMENT AND THERE'S ALWAYS OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN REACH OUT TO PEOPLE.
AND I THINK PIO IS WORKING ON THAT AS WELL AS WITH THE NEW MY A TX WATER SYSTEM, UM, WE'LL HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHICH PEOPLE MIGHT BE MOST RECEPTIVE TO THE DIFFERENT IDEAS.
ALSO PUTTING IT A NOTICE IN THEIR BILL MAY BE USEFUL.
UM, NOW THE AUDITS ARE THESE AUDITS DONE AT THE REQUEST OF THE CUSTOMER? THEY ARE DONE AT THE REQUEST OF THE CUSTOMER.
UM, AND THEY, IN THE CURRENTLY IN THE PAST, THEY'VE BEEN CONSTRAINED TO CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE LARGE WATER USE WATER, UH, USE, UH, SUCH AS I THINK 20, 20,000 GALLONS IN A MONTH OR SO.
UM, AND THAT HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN DUE TO JUST DIFFERENT STAFF CONSTRAINTS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THIS LAST YEAR, AND YOU, YOU, I'M SURE YOU DON'T RECALL SEEING THE, THE GRAPH WHEN I HAD IT UP THERE IS THAT IN 2023 THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DOWNTURN IN THE NUMBER OF AUDIT REQUESTS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED AND, UH, FROM WHAT WE CAN BEST DETERMINE, A LOT OF THAT WAS FROM THIS NEW MY ETX WATER.
UM, WHERE IN THE PAST SOMEONE WOULD GET A BILL FOR 20, USING 25,000 GALLONS OR WHAT HAVE YOU, AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHEN THAT WAS USED OVER THE LAST MONTH OR HOW IT WAS USED.
AND IT OFTEN CREATED A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
BUT NOW WITH THE NEW MY ETX WATER SYSTEM, THEY CAN CALL UP OUR, UM, FO OUR STAFF, UM, AND THE STAFF CAN PULL UP WATER USE.
AND OFTENTIMES IT'S THE CASE OF THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM NOT RUNNING WHEN THEY THOUGHT IT WAS RUNNING, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY MAY HAVE ONLY THOUGHT THAT IT WAS RUNNING ONCE A DAY ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS.
UM, AUSTIN WATER STAFF CAN SHOW THEM THAT, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY IT'S RUNNING MAYBE TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
SO A LOT OF THOSE QUESTIONS HISTORICALLY THAT WE'VE GOTTEN THAT PRECIPITATED THOSE AUDIT REQUESTS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED ON THE PHONE.
JUST SAYING THAT WHEN YOUR WATER IS RUNNING, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT IS AS WE'RE WE'RE REVIEWING THESE WATER CONSERVATION PLANS, IS, IS ALSO NOW REDUCING THAT THRESHOLD SO THAT WE CAN WORK MORE CUSTOMERS WHO MIGHT HAVE HAD A LOWER WATER USE.
UM, BUT WE'D STILL LIKE SOMEONE TO COME OUT AND TAKE A LOOK.
UM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO IN THE FUTURE.
ARE YOU LOOKING AT, UH, CHANGING THE WATER RATES TO, FOR EXAMPLE, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ARTICULATE THIS BEST, BUT YOU WANT TO MAKE THE WATER USE FOR SAY, A HOUSE OF FOUR AS LOW AS POSSIBLE FOR WHAT YOU MIGHT CONSIDER STANDARD USE.
BUT IF THEY GO OVER THAT STANDARD USE, THE COST OF THE WATER GOES UP HIGHER AND, YOU KNOW, STEER STEP IT MORE AGGRESSIVELY WITH THE, IN THE, THE IDEA IS THAT PEOPLE PAY MORE AND MIGHT BE INCENTIVIZED.
YOU USE LESS OR THEY KICK IN MORE MONEY INTO THE KITTY TO PROVIDE FOR BETTER PIPES OR ACCESSING MORE WATER OR, I DUNNO, WHATEVER ELSE.
AUSTIN HAS A, ACTUALLY A VERY PROGRESSIVE, UM, INCLINING BLOCK RATE.
UH, I, I APOLOGIZE, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NUMBERS NOW, BUT AT DIFFERENT, UM, THRESHOLDS OF HOW MANY GALLONS YOU USE, 5, 10, 15, 20,000 GALLONS.
IT, IT GOES UP SIGNIFICANTLY HOW MUCH YOU PAY PER THOUSAND GALLONS.
AND WILL THAT, IS THERE A POSSIBILITY OF VARYING THAT AS YOU ENTER INTO VARIOUS ROUTE STAGES? WE HAVE NOT DISCUSSED THAT IN TERMS OF CHANGING THE RATES.
CHANGING THE RATES IS NOT, UH, AN INSIGNIFICANT, UM, TASK AND CANNOT BE QUICKLY OR EASILY.
BUT IF YOU'RE BEEN IN A STAGE THREE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, FOR EXAMPLE, IT MIGHT ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO REACT DIFFERENTLY.
UM, AND I JUST, ONE THING I NEGLECTED TO, TO MENTION, UH, ON THE SLIDES, BUT AUSTIN CURRENTLY DOES HAVE DROUGHT SURCHARGES WHEN YOU HIT STAGE THREE
[01:10:01]
AND STAGE FOUR.IN STAGE THREE IT'S A THOUSAND DOLLARS, NO $1 PER THOUSAND GALLONS.
AND IN STAGE FOUR THAT DEEP STATE IT'S $3 PER THOUSAND GALLONS.
SO, UH, NOW ON THE WATER, YOU'VE NEVER HAD TO ENGAGE THOSE, BUT, OKAY.
UH, NOW I'M LOOKING AT THE SLIDE THAT SAYS WATER CONSERVATION PLAN GOALS.
UH, IT SEEMS TO ME THE HISTORICAL FIVE, AND I, IF I'M READING THIS WRONG, LET ME KNOW.
UH, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE HISTORICAL FIVE YEAR AVERAGE HERE, AND IT LOOKS LIKE 2034 GOAL IS A, BASICALLY A 12% DROP OR 10% DROP IS TO CON IS TO INCREASE CONSERVATION OR CONSERVATION BY 10%.
IS THAT CORRECT? AM I READING THIS RIGHT? UH, YEAH.
OUR GOAL IS TO GO FROM AN AVERAGE BASELINE FROM 1 27 TO ONE 16.
UM, YEAH, IT'S, I MEAN, I GUESS THAT SEEMS RATHER CONSERVATIVE GIVEN THE FACT THAT WE'RE GETTING A LOT WARMER, A LOT FASTER THAN WHAT EVERYONE ANTICIPATED.
IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT A MORE AGGRESSIVE GOAL WOULD BE APPROPRIATE IN THIS CASE, WHETHER OR NOT IT'S ACHIEVED IS, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER ISSUE, UH, NOW THIS, AND I WOULD, MY MY, MY OTHER COMMENT IS WITH REGARD TO THE LEAKS, UH, THE SAME THING IS TRUE.
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE A, A PLAN TO REDUCE THOSE BY ABOUT 20% OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME.
AND I BELIEVE, UH, COMMISSIONER EINHORN MEN MENTIONED THAT HE HAD READ WHETHER THERE'S 6 BILLION GALLON A GALLONS A YEAR LEAKING OUT, AND HE WASN'T SURE IF THAT WAS A HUNDRED PERCENT ACCURATE FIGURE.
BUT IF WE'RE LEAKING ANYWHERE NEAR THAT MUCH WATER OUT, IT SEEMS TO ME TO BE, WE OUGHT TO GO FOR BETTER THAN A 20% REDUCTION ON THAT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S AN OBSERVATION, RIGHT? YEAH.
THE CHALLENGE WITH THE, THE WATER LOSS IS THAT IT'S, IT'S NOT ALWAYS LEAKING WATER.
SOMETIMES IT'S MISREADING METERS, WHAT HAVE YOU.
SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO PIN DOWN WHERE YOU'RE LOSING THAT WATER, UH, AND IDENTIFYING THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM.
UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO I REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS A BIG PROBLEM WHERE PEOPLE WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT THEIR METER READINGS BEING OFF AND PEOPLE WERE BEING OVERCHARGED BECAUSE OF A LOT OF ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS.
AND THOSE GOT SORTED OUT OVER A PERIOD OF TIME IN SOME MANNER, WHICH I DON'T REMEMBER.
AND THERE'S NO NEED TO RE-LITIGATE IT NOW, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO DEVELOP A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE THOSE $6 BILLION OR 6 BILLION GALLONS ARE GOING.
WHETHER IT'S A, YOU KNOW, A, A MISPLACED DECIMAL POINT OR WE'RE ACTUALLY LOSING THAT WATER.
AND SO BETTER IDENTIFICATION OF WHAT THE LOSS IS.
AND IF IT'S REALLY LEAKING WATER AND IT'S NOT JUST A, AN ACCOUNTING ERROR, THEN WE PROBABLY OUGHT TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE IN REDUCING THAT LEAKAGE FROM, YOU KNOW, THE, FROM, YOU KNOW, 20% TO 30%, YOU KNOW, OR 40% BECAUSE IT'S CHEAPER TO PLUG THE LEAKS THAN TO FIND WATER THAT ISN'T THERE IF WE'RE LIVING IN A DESERT COMMISSIONER.
AND, UM, AS WAS NOTED IN THE PRESENTATION, AUSTIN WATER HAS A MAJOR STUDY THAT'S BEING WRAPPED UP RIGHT NOW ON OUR WATER LOSS ACTIVITIES.
AND SO A COUPLE YEARS AGO WE RECOGNIZED THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS AND, UM, UH, REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WATER LOSS.
SO WE ENGAGED, UM, A CONSULTING FIRM THAT HAS EXPERTISE IN THIS AREA TO LOOK AT, AS YOU SAID, IDENTIFYING ALL THE POSSIBLE SOURCES OF THE PROBLEM.
WE ARE ANTICIPATING GETTING THEIR REPORT BACK THIS YEAR, AND WE'RE ASSEMBLING A TEAM THAT WILL IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THAT REPORT.
SO WE AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY WITH YOU THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN THAT AREA.
UM, WE'VE GOT, AS A FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENT, UM, A REPORT THAT IS GONNA HELP US IDENTIFY WHERE WE NEED TO FOCUS TO GET THOSE IMPROVEMENTS.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT ON THAT.
WHEN, WHEN YOU GET THAT, WOULD YOU HAVE THAT SENT OVER TO US, TO ELIZABETH AND THEN SHE'LL FORWARD IT.
WE'LL ALSO BE BRIEFING OUR WATER AND WASTEWATER COMMISSION ON IT.
WE KNOW IT'S A MATTER OF INTEREST, AND SO CERTAINLY WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU ALL.
UM, ONE THING I'M INTERESTED IN IS BEING ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, GRADE OURSELVES ABOUT HOW MUCH WATER WE USE.
I CAN, YOU KNOW, TAKE MY MONTHLY BILL AND FIGURE OUT
[01:15:01]
HOW MUCH WATER MY HOUSEHOLD USES, UM, BUT TO COMPARE THAT TO THE REST OF THE CITY OR HAVE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE CITY DO IT, WOULD YOU, WOULD YOU EVER BE ABLE TO, LIKE IN A WA IN A WATER AND, UM, UTILITY BILL, SHOW PEOPLE HOW THEY COMPARE TO THE AVERAGE WITHIN THE CITY IN TERMS OF THEIR WATER USE? UM, AND I PAUSE ONLY BECAUSE WITH AUSTIN WE HAVE A COMBINED BILLING ONE BILL WITH A LOT OF THINGS IN THAT BILL.SO YEAH, I I COULD ASK THE ELECTRIC UTILITY TO DO THE SAME THING.
BUT, UM, YOU DO MENTION THE IDEA OF A REPORT THAT RESIDENTS CAN USE, WHETHER IT'S ON THEIR BILL OR SENT THEM A SEPARATELY OR WHAT HAVE YOU, TO SEE HOW THEY COMPARE, UM, WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS AROUND THEM.
YOU KNOW, AS WE COMPLETE THAT, MY TX WATER SYSTEM, AND WE SHOULD BE, UM, COMPLETING IT THIS YEAR, UH, WE WILL HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH RESIDENTS ABOUT THEIR WATER USE.
UM, THERE'S ALWAYS, THERE'S ALWAYS KIND OF A FINE LINE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO HOW MUCH PEOPLE WANT OR HOW MUCH THEY DON'T WANT.
UM, BUT WE RECOGNIZE, AND OTHER UTILITIES HAVE DONE THIS IN THE PAST, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THAT CAN BE A, A GREAT SOURCE OF INFORMATION TO RESIDENTS.
AND, AND ONE, ONE, UH, RAY OF SUNSHINE IS THAT WITH ALL THE WATER LEAKS, THERE WAS A STORY IN THE AMERICAN STATESMEN THAT OUR TREES BENEFIT FROM THE AMOUNT OF WATER LEAKAGE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COMMISSIONER SIERRA.
THAT'S A, THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
'CAUSE THAT WAS KIND OF MY, MY QUESTION.
I LIVE IN DISTRICT FOUR NORTH CENTRAL AUSTIN, AND A LOT OF THE HOMES WERE ORIGINALLY BUILT WITH CAST IRON PIPES, AND I KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, ARE NEEDING TO REPLACE THEM AND THAT THE COST OF THAT IS AROUND $50,000 TO DO THE COMPLETE, UH, LINE OF PIPING.
UM, I KNOW YOU HAVE PROGRAMS, IT SOUNDS LIKE, TO HELP REPLACE THAT PIPING, IS THAT CORRECT? BUT THERE'S AN INCOME REQUIREMENT FOR THAT, CORRECT? I BELIEVE IT'S A HUNDRED.
UH, THE HOUSEHOLD HAS TO HAVE, UM, AT OR BELOW, I BELIEVE IT'S A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME, UM, FOR, FOR THE CITY.
SO THERE IS THAT INCOME REQUIREMENT.
UM, BUT THAT PROGRAM NOT ONLY CAN ADDRESS, UH, COST WITHIN THE HOUSE, UH, PLUMBING OR FIXTURES, BUT IT COULD ALSO ADDRESS THAT, UM, LINE IF THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THAT LINE.
SO, UM, I'M WONDERING IF WE KNOW HOW MANY HOMES WERE BUILT WITH THE CAST IRON PIPING.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD KNOW? AND I UNDERSTAND THE SURVEYING RIGHT NOW THAT'S BEING PLEADED POTENTIALLY THAT'S A PART OF IT.
UM, BUT I'M CURIOUS IF IT IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW MANY HOMES WE HAVE IN ALL OVER AUSTIN, BUT WITH THE CAST IRON PIPES, UM, THEY, THEY ARE DEFINITELY DETERIORATING.
HAVE THEY HAVE HOLES IN THEM AND, UM, ROOTS RUNNING THROUGH THEM, UM, MIGHT BE GOOD FOR TREES.
BUT I'D LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF THAT PROBLEM AND DEFINITELY INTERESTED IN THE REPORT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT, WHAT ARE THE MAJOR FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO WATER LOSS.
AND, AND I CAN ASK TO SEE IF WE HAVE ANY ESTIMATES OF THE HOMES WITH CAST IRON PIPES.
DO WE, ARE WE ALSO, I KNOW THE A TX WATER LOSS METERS ARE PRETTY NEW.
ONE WAS JUST INSTALLED IN OUR HOUSE JUST A MONTH OR SO AGO.
UM, ARE THERE PLANS TO PROJECT THE, HOW MUCH WATER HAS, LIKE WATER LOSS PREVENTION HAS OCCURRED AT THE NEW METERS? IN TERMS OF THE, LET ME SEE IF I HAVE THOSE NOTES IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH WE CAN SAVE.
DO YOU HAVE THAT? I DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER WITH US, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT, UH, THE, MY A TX WATER SYSTEM THROUGH THE LEAK ALERTS HAS A INDUSTRY, UH, STANDARD PROJECTION OF, UH, AMOUNTS SAVED, AND WE HAVE SAVED MILLIONS OF GALLONS, UM, FOR OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE WOULD GLADLY SEND THAT TO YOU AS A FOLLOW UP POINT.
I WISH WE HAD IT HERE WITH US TONIGHT, BUT WE DON'T, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING WE LOOK AT CLOSELY.
THANKS FOR COMING THIS EVENING.
[01:20:01]
I HAVE A QUESTION ON, UM, THE WATER CONSERVATION, UH, FOR THE RESIDENTIAL INCENTIVE PROGRAM.UM, SO IN HERE YOU SAY WATER TO LANDSCAPING.
I WAS ALWAYS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT A GRAY WATER LINE OUT INTO YOUR LANDSCAPING WAS NOT ALLOWED IN RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY.
UM, IT, IT IS NOT ALLOWED OVER THE EDWARDS AQUIFER RECHARGE ZONE, WHICH IS KIND OF THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CITY.
UM, BUT IT IS ALLOWED ON THE EASTERN SIDE.
AND THEN, UM, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE, UM, COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTIAL AND KIND OF WHERE THEY FALL ON THIS SPECTRUM OF, UM, CONSERVATION, BUT WHAT ABOUT MANUFACTURING? WE'RE SEEING MORE AND MORE MANUFACTURING COME INTO AUSTIN.
IS THERE ANY, AT ANY POINT, DO THEY GET RESTRICTED ON WHAT, UM, THEY CAN USE EVERY NEW DEVELOPMENT COMING INTO THE CITY OF AUSTIN? UH, UH, TO, TO ANSWER PART OF YOUR QUESTION, UM, MUST FILL OUT A WATER BENCHMARKING SURVEY TO SAY WHAT THEY'RE DOING, WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS THEY'RE DOING, HOW MANY FIXTURES, WHAT HAVE YOU, UM, THAT MAKES AN ESTIMATE OF THEIR, THEIR WATER USE.
AND IT ESTIMATES HOW MUCH COULD BE NON-POTABLE WATER, UM, AND HOW MUCH WOULD BE POTABLE WATER.
UM, AND THEN WE MEET WITH THOSE, IF THEY'RE ABOVE 250,000 SQUARE FEET, UH, WE, THEY'RE REQUIRED TO MEET WITH AUSTIN WATER STAFF TO TALK ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR UTILIZING, UH, NON-POTABLE WATER IN THERE.
SO WHILE FOR MANUFACTURING, I'M, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY NECESSARILY REQUIREMENTS OR SPECIFICATIONS ON THEM PARTICULARLY, UH, WE DO HAVE FOR NEW DEVELOPMENTS, UM, PARTICULARLY LARGE ONES, BUT ALSO ONES UNDER 250,000 SQUARE FEET REQUIREMENTS THAT THEY AT LEAST CONSIDER, UH, NON-POTABLE USES.
AND IN SOME CASES, IF THEY'RE WITHIN 500 OR 250 FEET OF A RECLAIMED LINE, THEY DO HAVE TO HOOK UP.
OH, NO, I DO HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION.
UM, ON THE, UH, DETECTING THE PIPES, IS THERE NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT Y'ALL, UM, WISH YOU HAD, UM, TO USE TO HELP WITH THE LEAK DETECTION? OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE USING ALL OF THE BEST TECHNOLOGY THAT'S OUT THERE ALREADY? I WISH I REALLY HAD MY WATER LOSS EXPERT UP HERE, BUT I KNOW THAT THEY DO UTILIZE A NUMBER OF TECHNOLOGIES, UH, SUCH AS, AS I MENTIONED ON THE SMART BALLS WHERE THEY SEND A BALL THROUGH LARGE DIAMETER PIPES OR ACOUSTIC DETECTION MATERIALS, ACOUSTIC DETECTING EQUIPMENT TO LISTEN FOR LIGHT SMALL, UH, LEAKS IN SMALL LINES, AS WELL AS WE'VE PILOTED A NUMBER OF PROJECTS IN WHICH YOU UTILIZE SATELLITES TO TRY TO IDENTIFY, UM, AREAS WITH LEAKS.
UM, BUT I'M NOT AWARE OF IF THERE ARE TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE WISH THAT WE COULD USE, BUT WE HAVEN'T.
MY SENSE OF IT IS WE USE ANY AND ALL TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET.
WE, WE HAVE INVESTIGATED THEM ALL AND WE ARE WILLING TO USE THEM ALL IS, I DON'T VIEW IT AS A LIMITATION OF THE TECHNOLOGY, BUT TO PUT THESE THINGS IN PLACE LIKE THE SMART BALL THAT HAS OPERATIONAL IMPACTS.
SO WE MAY HAVE TO TAKE A LINE OUT OF SERVICE THAT TAKES VERY CAREFUL PLANNING AND TIMING, UM, SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE CUSTOMER IMPACTS.
SO, UM, IN, IN MY MIND, UH, WE ARE, WE DO HAVE ACCESS TO THE TECHNOLOGY WE NEED, UM, AND WE INVEST IN THOSE CONTRACTS SO THAT WE CAN USE IT.
UM, BUT IT'S A BALANCE OF, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO, UH, BASICALLY DEPLOY THOSE TECHNOLOGIES, UM, WITHOUT AFFECTING THE RESILIENCY OF OUR SYSTEM.
THAT WOULD BE MY INITIAL THOUGHT BY SARAH FER.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, I'LL JUST, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, UM, KIND OF ECHO THE, THE DROP STAGE EDUCATION PROGRAM.
I REALIZE THAT'S A REALLY HARD TASK NOW THAT MOST OF US HAVE GONE PAPERLESS ON BILLING.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE THAT AUTOMATIC DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH FOLKS.
UM, AND I HAVE SEEN, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF WHAT Y'ALL ARE PUTTING OUT ONLINE AND IN THE MEDIA AND STUFF, AND SO I THANK YOU FOR THAT.
BUT I DO REALIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF OUR COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS PROBABLY DON'T GET A LOT OF THAT INFORMATION.
I WOULD JUST SAY I DON'T HATE IT WHEN I GET A PUSHED TEXT NOTIFICATION IF THAT'S EVER AN OPTION TO YOU GUYS.
UM, I'M CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, FOR THE, SORRY, GO AHEAD.
[01:25:01]
YOU HAVE WELL, I'M, I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED THAT BECAUSE I, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THAT WE HAVE USED THE MY A TX WATER PORTAL, UM, TO PUSH OUT MESSAGES TO CUSTOMERS.UM, AND OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE, UH, MODERNIZED OUR COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES.
SO WHILE WE DO, WE DO USE BILL INSERTS, BUT NOT EVERYONE OPENS THEIR ENVELOPE THESE DAYS OR EVEN GETS AN ENVELOPE.
BUT WE'RE ON INSTAGRAM, WE'RE ON FACEBOOK, WE'RE ON TWITTER, UH, WE'RE ON ADVERTISING ON KUT, WE'RE IN COMMUNITY IMPACT.
UH, WE'RE IN MULTIPLE MEDIA SOURCES AROUND THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE APPRECIATE THE FEEDBACK FROM YOU THAT, THAT WE NEED TO DO MORE.
BUT I DID JUST WANNA BALANCE IT OUT BY SAYING WE, WE, WE HAVE MODERNIZED THE APPROACH THAT WE USE AND WE ARE TRYING TO USE ALL THE CHANNELS, SO THANK YOU.
UM, THE, THE BIG THING THAT I'M SEEING HERE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF PUTTING RESIDENTIAL ASIDE A LITTLE BIT AND LOOKING MORE AT THAT INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING IS OUR, YOU KNOW, KNOW THE AUSTIN WATER POLICY ON SERVICES EXTENSION REQUESTS.
I'M CURIOUS IF THAT'S BEEN PART OF THE CONVERSATION WHEN WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, THE DESIRED DEVELOPMENT ZONE VERSUS THE DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ZONE.
AND IF THERE'S A CONSIDERATION FOR CHANGING THAT WHERE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, SOME SORT OF CRITERIA AT WHICH YOU, YOU KNOW, IF YOU EXCEED, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ANNUAL WATER USE THAT, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S ANY SERVICE SENT IN REQUEST WOULD ACTUALLY COME TO, TO THIS COMMISSION OR COUNCIL, DO YOU WANNA HANDLE THAT ONE? UH, WHAT I WOULD SAY TO THAT QUESTION, AUSTIN WATER'S CURRENT APPROACH IS THAT, UM, AS A UTILITY, OUR ROLE IS TO SERVE ALL CUSTOMERS ON THE BASIS OF OUR, YOU KNOW, ARE WE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING UTILITY SERVICE TO THEM.
THE CITY HAS, YOU KNOW, OTHER MEANS FOR REVIEWING, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, WHERE, WHERE CUSTOMERS ARE LOCATED AND WHAT ARE APPROPRIATE USES FOR APPROPRIATE PARTS OF THE CITY.
YOU MENTIONED THE DESIRED DEVELOPMENT ZONE, ET CETERA.
UM, OUR, OUR ROLE AS IT AS EVOLVED, UM, IS OUR, OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF EVALUATE ARE WE CAPABLE TO SERVE, UM, AND THEN THAT GOES INTO THE SERVICE EXTENSION REQUEST, UM, ANALYSIS.
SO, UM, AS YOU KNOW, UM, SOME SERVICE EXTENSION REQUESTS ARE APPROVED ADMINISTRATIVELY AND OTHERS THAT MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA GO UP TO CITY COUNCIL AND COUNCIL IS THE FINAL DECISION MAKER ON WHETHER CERTAIN SERVICE EXTENSION REQUESTS ARE APPROVED.
SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, IS THERE A CONSIDERATION FOR, SINCE THIS IS SUCH A, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY DIRE SITUATION, TAKING THE GEOGRAPHICAL COMPONENT OUT OF THAT SO THAT ALL OF THOSE WOULD BE ELEVATED TO HAVING THAT LEVEL OF REVIEW? YOU ARE ASKING SO THAT ALL SERVICE EXTENSION REQUESTS WOULD BE ELEVATED TO COUNCIL REVIEW, NOT JUST THE ONES IN THE DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ZONE SOON, IF, IF THEY WERE TO, YOU KNOW, MEET A THRESHOLD OF, OF ABOVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF CONSUMPTION PER YEAR.
I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY PROPOSAL TO MAKE THAT CHANGE AT THIS TIME.
UH, I'M ACTUALLY LOOKING AT RAMESH BECAUSE WE WORK WITH HIS DEPARTMENT ON SERVICE EXTENSION REQUEST AS WELL.
SO, UH, TO MY KNOWLEDGE THERE'S NOT SUCH A PROPOSAL UNDER CONSIDERATION.
BUT RAMESH, YOU MAY CORRECT ME IF, IF I'M MISSING COMMISSIONER.
THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
AND THE ISSUE OF SCRS ARE BEING ACTIVELY DISCUSSED AND DEBATED AND LOOKED AT RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE NO ACTIVE, UH, UH, PROPOSALS ON THIS STAGE RIGHT NOW TO TAKE EVERY SCR OVER A CERTAIN THRESHOLD OF, UH, CONSUMPTION TO THE, TO COUNCIL.
THE ISSUES OF SCRS ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT IN THE SENSE THAT THEY CAN BE DN XED, AND THERE'S OTHER PIECES TO IT THAT ARE BEING DEBATED AND DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW, BUT THE IDEA OF TAKING AN SCR OVER A CERTAIN CAPACITY TO COUNCIL, THAT'S NOT, NOW I WILL, AND I DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR AUSTIN WATER, BUT I DO KNOW FROM BACK IN THE DAY THAT THEY DO HAVE DIFFERENT RATE STRUCTURES FOR PEOPLE WHO CONSUME MORE THAN THIS CERTAIN AMOUNT OF WATER.
SO THAT, I BELIEVE THEY DO DO THAT.
DO YOU KNOW THAT THE, THE PEOPLE WHO CONSUME, UH, THEIR TIERS WHERE THEY, THEY CONSUME MORE WATER, THEY, THEY GET, THEY GET CHARGED MORE.
THERE'S A DIFFERENT RATE STRUCTURE TO IT.
SO THAT IS CORRECT, THAT THAT WOULD BE A PLACE WHERE HIGHER CONSUME, HIGHER CAPACITY, LIKE HIGHER CONSUMING WATER,
PEOPLE WHO CONSUME MORE WATER CAN GET CHARGED MORE, BUT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD TAKE TO COUNSEL AT THIS MOMENT.
I JUST WASN'T SURE IF THAT WAS PART OF THE CONVERSATION.
I, UM, AND THEN JUST LASTLY, I, THE SECOND TO LAST SLIDE HAS A LINK TO THE WATER FORWARD PAGE, WHICH I APPRECIATE.
I WAS HOPING TO SEE THOSE PUBLIC
[01:30:01]
MEETINGS POSTED THERE, AND IT'S NOT QUITE, MAYBE THERE'S NOT UP YET, BUT IT WOULD BE NICE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT, UM, PORTAL FOR ANY FUTURE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES ON THE, ON THE SPEAK UP AUSTIN PAGE FOR WATER FORWARD.AND I JUST HAD A FEW QUESTIONS.
UM, ONE THING THAT I WAS WONDERING WAS, IS THERE A LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR SOME OF THESE LINES THAT YOU HAVE TO, UM, THAT YOU'RE PLANNING ON REPLACING? LIKE, IT, ARE YOU SAYING LIKE, UM, I GUESS I, I I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT CONSTITUTES OLD, IS IT MORE KIND OF LIKE WHAT IS MADE OF THAT CONSTITUTES LIKE, OKAY, WE HAVE TO REPLACE THIS, OR IS IT LIKE HAVING THIS TYPE OF PIPE AFTER SERVE MINI XX AMOUNT OF YEARS? AUSTIN WATER HAS A, UM, CONDITION ASSESSMENT PROGRAM WHERE EVERY, UM, INCREMENT OF PIPING IS INVENTORIED AND ASSESSED FOR CONDITION.
SO WE KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, A NUMBER OF BREAKS THAT A SEGMENT OF PIPE HAS, UM, EXPERIENCED.
WE KNOW THE MATERIAL, WE KNOW THE AGE OF IT.
UH, WE KNOW OTHER CONSIDERATIONS SUCH AS CAPACITY, UH, AND NEEDED CAPACITY IN A PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO OUR ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, UH, TAKES THAT INTO ACCOUNT AND RATES EVERY SEGMENT OF PIPE.
AND THEN BASED ON THE CONDITION ASSESSMENT CRITERIA, THAT'S HOW WE FUND, UM, REPLACEMENT OF PIPE AND HOW WE FOCUS OUR RESOURCES ON WHICH PIPES ARE IN THE WORST CONDITION OR HAVE THE, THE GREATEST NEED FOR REPLACEMENT.
IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS SAYING A PARTICULAR MATERIAL OR A PARTICULAR AGE.
SO WE LOOK AT THE WHOLE PICTURE IN MAKING THOSE DECISIONS.
AND, UM, I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU HAD LIKE A, A ROUGH PERCENTAGE OF HOW MANY LINES CONSTITUTE, UM, LIKE REPLACEMENT, LIKE OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, OVER 10 YEARS.
IS IT KIND OF BROKEN DOWN BY THAT OR NO, I DON'T HAVE THAT AT HAND, BUT WE'D BE GLAD TO FOLLOW UP AND SHARE THOSE DETAILS WITH YOU.
AND LET'S SEE, I WAS WONDERING LIKE IF THERE'S A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME THAT IT TAKES FOR A REBATE TO BE PROCESSED, TYPICALLY IT TAKES, PROBABLY TAKES SIX WEEKS, SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS BEFORE THEY GET THE CHECK BACK.
AND, UM, IT WAS MENTIONED LIKE YOU HAD LEAK COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE APP.
WELL, LIKE, UM, IF THEY SIGN UP FOR THE PROGRAM THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO, UH, WELL LEAK DETECTION WITH LIKE THE MONITORING OF THE APP.
AND I WANTED TO KNOW IF THE CUSTOMERS ARE NOTIFIED THROUGH THE APP ONLY, OR DOES, OR DOES IT LIKE MAKE AN AUTOMATIC PHONE CALL LIKE, HEY, YOU HAVE SOMETHING GOING ON WITH YOUR PROPERTY OR, YES, THE, WELL, THE MIGHT TAKES WATER SYSTEM, IF IT DOES, UM, OBSERVE A PARTICULAR AMOUNT OF, OF CONTINUOUS FLOW, UM, IT WILL CONTACT THE CUSTOMER.
IT REALLY DEPENDS ON WHAT TYPE OF INFORMATION WE HAVE FOR THE CUSTOMER.
IF WE HAVE AN EMAIL, IT'LL USE AN EMAIL.
UM, IF IT JUST HAS ADDRESS MM-HMM
YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE HOW LONG IT TAKES SOMETIMES TO GET MAIL, UM, FROM ACROSS TOWN, THAT WOULD BE LESS EFFECTIVE.
BUT IT DOES UTILIZE THE CONTACT INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE.
AND I GUESS, UH, JUST ONE LAST THING I WAS KIND OF, UH, WONDERING ABOUT, UH, IN THE PRESENTATION, I THINK IT WAS LIKE THE STAGE THREE, IT WAS MENTIONED THAT, UM, LIKE THE COMPANIES COULD DO BASICALLY LIKE THE, LIKE THE, THE WATER VERSION OF THE DRIVER'S TRAINING BASICALLY TO KIND OF LIKE DISMISS THE PENALTY.
AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF THERE WAS LIKE, UM, LIKE DO THEY STILL PAY A FEE WITH IT OR DOES THAT JUST CANCEL OUT THE WHOLE FEE PERIOD? WELL, WE HAVEN'T HAD TO IMPLEMENT THAT YET, THAT YET, FORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, KNOCK ON WOOD.
UM, 'CAUSE WE, WE'VE MOVED UP AND WE'RE NOT IN, UH, IMMEDIATE, UH, RISK FOR GOING INTO THAT.
UM, BUT THE, THE PROPOSAL FOR WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS THAT IT WOULD, UM, I I GUESS DISMISS IT ENTIRELY.
UM, NOW IF THEY, YOU KNOW, ARE CAUGHT AGAIN, UM RIGHT,
[01:35:01]
YOU DON'T GET THAT SAME CONSIDERATION, UM, BUT IT WOULD DISMISS IT FOR THAT ONE TIME.SO IT'D BE LIKE A ONE TIME DISMISSAL AND IF IT'S A REPEAT OFFENDER, THEN THEY GET THE OKAY.
BECAUSE THAT WAS ONE THING I WAS WONDERING, LIKE IF THEY'RE JUST TAKING A TRAINING
UM, THAT WAS ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAD.
WERE THERE ANY MORE QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND NOW THE NEXT PRESENTATION.
[3. Staff briefing on updates to single family residential landscape transformation activities – Kevin Kluge, Water Conservation Division Manager, Austin Water]
UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE A STAFF BRIEFING ON THE UPDATES TO SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION ACTIVITIES.AND DO WE HAVE THE PRESENTATION UP FOR THAT ONE? I, OH YEAH, I FORGOT ABOUT THAT.
UM, I THINK THAT'S A DIFFERENT PRESENTATION, RIGHT? CORRECT.
IT SHOULD BE THE LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION ACTIVITIES.
WELL AGAIN, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
AGAIN, MY NAME IS KEVIN CLUEY, WATER CONSERVATION DIVISION MANAGER, AND THIS BRIEFING WILL BE ABOUT, UH, RECENT ACTIVITIES TO ADDRESS LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION THAT WE HAVE.
THE LAST PRESENTATION REALLY TALKED ABOUT PLANS AND LOOKING FORWARD, THIS PRESENTATION REALLY GETS MORE INTO THE ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION, WHAT WE'RE DOING, UM, TO, TO SAVE WATER.
UH, THIS IS KIND OF A LOT OF DISCUSSION WE HAD JUST IN THE LAST MEETING ABOUT WHY WE NEED NEW WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES.
LAKES ARE JUST OVER 50% FULL HIGHLAND LAKE INFLOWS.
UM, I BRIEFLY MENTIONED THOSE IN THE LAST PRESENTATION, BUT THAT'S THE WATER COMING INTO THE LAKES IN 2022.
THAT WAS THE LOWEST ON RECORD IN TERMS OF COMING INTO THE LAKES.
2023 WAS THE FOURTH LOWEST ON RECORD IN TERMS OF WATER COMING INTO THE LAKE.
SO THAT WAS A REAL CONCERNING TIME WHERE YOU DIDN'T SEE A LOT OF WATER COMING INTO THE LAKES.
UH, AS I I MENTIONED, EL NINO IS LOOKING TO SHIFT OVER TO LA NINA, AND WE HAVE DROUGHT STAGE TWO RESTRICTIONS.
THE LAST BULLET THERE, NOTES THAT THE PER PERSON WATER USE HAS, HAS DECLINED AND REALLY KIND OF PLATEAUED OVER THE LAST NUMBER OF YEARS.
IN 2011, WE HAD A PER PERSON WATER USE OF 1 62.
AND THEN WE WENT INTO THAT BIG DROUGHT.
WE HAD A LOT OF ADJUSTMENTS IN HOW PEOPLE USED WATER.
WE HAD RESTRICTIONS ON IRRIGATION, AND IT GONE DOWN TO ABOUT ONE 20, UH, MID ONE TWENTIES IN TERMS OF PER PERSON WATER USE IN 15, 16, 17.
BUT IT'S BEEN BUMPING UP A LITTLE BIT AND IN THE LAST TWO YEARS IT, IT IS GONE UP, UH, A BIT MORE.
EVEN SO, EVEN THOUGH WATER USE ALWAYS GOES UP TO SOME DEGREE IN HOT DRY TIMES, WE HAVE NOTICED WE, WE DON'T HAVE THAT DECLINE THAT WE HAD IN THE EARLY PART OF 20 11, 20 15.
SO MORE THINGS ARE NEEDED TO MOVE THAT GPCD DOWN, UH, LIKE WE MENTIONED JUST A BIT AGO.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON IS COMING OUT OF THE 2018 WATER FORWARD PLAN, THE A HUNDRED YEAR PLAN FOR AUSTIN WATER IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND ONE OF THE STRATEGIES IN THAT 2018 PLAN, UH, WAS A LAND LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY.
AND IT WAS INTENDED TO TRANSFORM THE LANDSCAPE OF NEW HOMES FROM THE TRADITIONAL TURF DOMINATED LANDSCAPE.
UH, TWO, ONE THAT WILL USE LESS DRINKING WATER, UH, TO IRRIGATE IT.
THE, UM, STRATEGY WAS INTENDED TO POSSIBLY LIMIT EITHER TURF OR IRRIGATION.
IT DIDN'T REALLY GO INTO A LOT OF SPECIFICS IN THE STRATEGY PLAN, BUT IT DEFINITELY HAD A STRATEGY OR A SAVINGS GOAL OF, OF 2,500 ACRE FEET, UH, BY 2040, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WATER TO SAVE FROM A STRATEGY.
SO THERE IS A GOAL AT THE END OF THE STRATEGY ON HOW MUCH THEY WERE HOPING THAT IT COULD SAVE.
SO WE BEGAN IMPLEMENTING THIS STRATEGY SEVERAL YEARS AGO IN 22 AND 23, ESSENTIALLY 2022 WAS A BIG, UH, LISTENING SESSION, UH, VACUUMING
[01:40:01]
UP ALL KINDS OF IDEAS FROM STAKEHOLDERS, FROM THE PUBLIC ABOUT HOW WE COULD BEST TRANSFORM LANDSCAPES OF NEW HOMES THAT WILL SAVE DRINKING WATER.AND THEN 2023 WAS REALLY A YEAR CONTINUING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND DETERMINING WHICH TYPES OF ACTIVITIES COULD ACTUALLY BE IMPLEMENTED AND, UM, WHICH WAYS WE WANT TO GO.
BECAUSE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAD HEARD FROM STAKEHOLDERS IS, WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO, MAKE SURE IT'S GONNA SAVE WATER.
IT'S NOT GONNA BE JUST AN IDEA THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY GONNA SAVE WATER.
AND WHATEVER YOU'RE GONNA DO, MAKE SURE YOU CAN IMPLEMENT IT SO IT'S NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT'S ON THE BOOKS, UM, BUT IT'S NEVER REALLY GONNA BE IMPLEMENTED.
SO THAT'S OR WAS A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE HEARD FROM THE PUBLIC, FROM STAKEHOLDERS, FROM OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS.
AS I MENTIONED, WE TALKED TO A GOOD NUMBER OF INTERNAL CITY STAKEHOLDERS, DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WEREN'T GETTING CROSSWISE WITH ANYTHING THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO DO, UH, IN THEIR OWN PARTICULAR AREAS OF FOCUS.
AND WE HELD A NUMBER OF STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, STAKEHOLDERS TO DIFFERENTIATE THAT FROM, FROM PUBLIC MEETINGS.
WE HAD SPECIFIC STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT GROUPS.
WE REACHED OUT TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT GROUPS AND THESE WERE THE ONES THAT RESPONDED TO US AND SAID, WE WANT TO COME TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHAT, WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING TO DO.
UH, HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION, UH, WE SPOKE TO THEM, A LOT OF THEIR CONCERN WAS REALLY FOCUSED ON, UH, PROJECT DELAYS.
YOU KNOW, WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO, DON'T SLOW DOWN THE PROCESS.
UM, SPOKE TO THE CENTRAL TEXAS PROFESSIONAL IRRIGATION ASSOCIATION, LOCAL IRRIGATORS.
UM, THEY PARTICULARLY SUPPORTED THE IDEA OF INCREASED ENFORCEMENT IN TERMS OF BETTER SYSTEMS, BETTER IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, BECAUSE THESE ARE PROFESSIONALS WHO TAKE PRIDE IN THEIR WORK.
AND WHEN THEY SEE SUBPAR WORK GOING IN, THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THAT, UH, CORRECT OR NOTED.
UM, SO THEY SUPPORTED ENFORCEMENT WHEN IT LED TO GREATER OR BETTER SYSTEMS, AND THEY SUPPORTED, UM, BETTER HIGHER EFFICIENCY SYSTEM COMPONENTS.
WE ALSO SPOKE TO THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, THE, THE TEXAS NURSERY AND LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION.
ALSO, A LOT OF THEIR CONCERNS WERE FOCUSED AROUND LIMITING SPECIFIC TYPES OF PLANTS.
THAT WAS, UH, THEIR PRIMARY CONCERNS.
AND WE ALSO HAD DIFFERENT MEETINGS, UH, FOR DIFFERENT UTILITIES AROUND TEXAS.
UH, AS NOTED BEFORE, THERE ARE OTHER CITIES IN THE STATE, UM, SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, PHOENIX, LAS VEGAS, WHO ARE FACED WITH DIRE CIRCUMSTANCES, ARE REALLY LEADERS IN TERMS OF WATER CONSERVATION.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE CITIES INSIDE TEXAS THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED LEADERS ALSO, IN TERMS OF THEIR SPECIFIC SITUATIONS, WHETHER IT'S FRISCO WITH DOING IRRIGATION INSPECTIONS AND CHECKUPS OR, OR NEW BRAUNFELS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH BUILDERS TO SHOW MODEL HOMES WITH, WITH LESS TURF.
UM, THERE ARE CITIES AROUND THE STATE THAT WE HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH TO SEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND HOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE MOVING FORWARD ALSO.
SO AFTER REALLY A WHOLE YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF OF TALKING TO THE PUBLIC, TALKING TO STAKEHOLDER ORGANIZATIONS, TALKING TO OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, OTHER UTILITIES ACROSS THE STATE, WE REALLY SETTLED ON A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES THAT WE BELIEVE CAN TRANSFORM LANDSCAPES OF NEW HOMES.
AND THIS IS REALLY FOCUSING ON NEW SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL.
WE HAVE A LOT OF OTHER THINGS GOING ON FOR OTHER MULTI-FAMILY, COMMERCIAL, WHAT HAVE YOU, BUT THIS PARTICULAR, UM, SET OF ACTIVITIES THEY FOCUS ON NEW SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AND THESE 10 ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAVE REALLY CAN BE BROKEN DOWN INTO THREE DIFFERENT BUCKETS.
YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, WE WANT TO BUILD WITH SAVINGS.
WHEN THE HOUSE IS BUILT, WE WANT IT TO HAVE AS GOOD A LANDSCAPE AS IT CAN, UH, TO SAVE WATER FROM THE OUTSET RATHER THAN HAVING TO ENCOURAGE CUSTOMERS TO RETROFIT THEIR LAWNS YEARS LATER, WHICH IS ALWAYS MORE EXPENSIVE AND, YOU KNOW, IS MORE PAINFUL TO BE HONEST, UH, THAN GETTING A GOOD LANDSCAPE TO THE BEGINNING.
SECOND BUCKET IS TO SET CUSTOMERS UP FOR SUCCESS IN TERMS OF IRRIGATION.
SOME CUSTOMERS WILL ALWAYS HAVE INSTALLING AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM, AND WHEN THEY DO, WE WANT
[01:45:01]
THEM TO HAVE THE BEST IRRIGATION SYSTEM THAT THEY CAN, UM, AS IT GOES FORWARD.AND THEN FINALLY, TO ENCOURAGE ALTERNATIVE WATER IN THE LANDSCAPE BESIDES USING DRINKING WATER ON OUR PLANTS AND TURF.
SO THOSE ARE THE THREE STEPS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED TO TRANSFER LANDSCAPE AND NOW GOING TO THE INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES THAT WE'RE PURSUING TO IMPLEMENT, UH, TO PRODUCE THOSE SAVINGS.
UM, THIS REALLY STARTS AT THE BASE, AT THE SOIL LEVEL, UH, AS WELL DOCUMENTED THAT GOOD SOIL, UM, WITH A GOOD AMOUNT OF COMPOST WILL SAVE THAT WATER.
WE'LL SUCK IT UP AND HOLD IT FOR THE PLANTS TO USE INTO THESE HOT AND DRY PERIODS.
UH, LAWNS IN WHICH A TURF IS PUT OVER AN INCH OF, OF DIRT, UH, WILL ALWAYS STRUGGLE, UH, TO STAY ALIVE, UM, NO MATTER HOW MUCH WATER YOU PUT ON IT.
SO WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS AT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES TO REALLY ENHANCE THE SOIL INSPECTION, THE INSPECTIONS THAT THEY DO, THE ENVIRONMENTAL INSPECTIONS TO REALLY INCLUDE SOIL IN THOSE INSPECTIONS.
THERE'S ALREADY A REQUIREMENT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT NEW DEVELOPMENT HAVE A MINIMUM OF SIX INCHES OF TOP SOIL.
UM, AND WE ARE WORKING WITH DSD TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS GONNA BE HAPPENING FOR ALL NEW NEW HOMES.
THE SECOND POINT THAT WE HAVE UP ON THE SLIDE IS REQUIRED RESIDENTIAL PLANT LIST.
UH, COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS CURRENTLY HAVE A LIST IN OUR ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA MANUAL IN THE APPENDIX, THAT LIST, UH, ADAPTIVE AND NATIVE PLANTS, UH, THAT WILL SAVE WATER AND THE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPERS NEED TO USE PLANTS FROM THAT LIST.
WE ARE LOOKING AT TRYING TO WORK ON HOW TO ADAPT THAT FOR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT.
UH, SOME OF YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE GROW GREEN GUIDE, VERY POPULAR, UM, THROUGHOUT CENTRAL TEXAS.
UM, AND THIS IS REALLY WHAT WE'RE MODELING THAT ON THIS IDEA OF REQUIRING, UH, NATIVE AND ADAPTIVE PLANTS TO BE PUT INTO NEW HOMES.
SECOND SLIDE OR NEXT SLIDE RATHER.
UH, THIS IS THE SECOND SLIDE FOR THAT BILL WITH SAVINGS.
UM, BUCKET OF IDEAS WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING, UH, TO INCLUDE IN THE, UH, LOCAL AMENDMENTS OF THE, UH, UM, UNIFORM PLUMBING CODE THAT THAT'S BEING CONSIDERED NOW AND WILL BE BE TAKEN TO COUNCIL IN SEPTEMBER.
A LIMIT ON THE IRRIGATION AREA.
UH, THERE'S THE QUESTION ABOUT LIMITING TURF.
UM, AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THE REAL, THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION ON LIMIT TURF OR LIMIT IRRIGATION.
UH, THE FINAL, UM, SOLUTION WE FEEL IS THE BEST ONE TO DO IS TO LIMIT AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION.
UM, THE POINT BEING THAT NOTHING PUTS OUT A LOT OF WATER LIKE AN AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM.
UM, AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON IS REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF DRINKING WATER THAT GOES ON TO OUR LAWN.
SO NEW HOMES PERMITTED AFTER 2025, UM, CAN PUT AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM IN 50% OF THEIR LANDSCAPE AREA, WHICH YOU IMAGINE TO BE A FRONT YARD OR THE BACKYARD.
AND THAT PRODUCES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SAVINGS BY LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF IRRIGATION SYSTEM YOU CAN PUT INTO A HOME.
NOW SHIFTING OVER TO SETTING CUSTOMERS UP FOR SUCCESS.
SOME CUSTOMERS WILL ALWAYS HAVE, UH, OR WANT TO HAVE AN AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM IN THEIR THEIR YARD.
UM, MOVING FORWARD AGAIN, WE ARE WORKING TO INCLUDE IN A LOCAL AMENDMENT OF THE UNIFORM PLUMBING CODE THAT WILL TAKE EFFECT IN JANUARY, 2025, REQUIRING PRESSURE REDUCTION DEVICES IN NEW IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. HIGH PRESSURE IN AN AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM CAN WASTE A SIGNIFICANT, A LOT SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WATER WHEN YOU'RE PUSHING MORE WATER THAN THAT IRRIGATION SYSTEM WAS DESIGNED FOR.
PUSHING THAT THROUGH, IT CREATES A LOT OF MISTING AND OVER SPRAY AND THAT MISTING JUST EVAPORATES AND IS NEVER EFFECTIVE IN WATER WATERING YOUR LAWN.
SO A LOT OF WATER CAN BE SAVED BY PUTTING ONLY AN APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE THROUGH THAT AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM.
SO NEW IRRIGATION SYSTEMS WILL HAVE TO HAVE EITHER PRESSURE REGULATING HEADS OR IF THE PRESSURE IS HIGHER ENOUGH, A PRESSURE REGULATING VALVE ON THE MAIN IRRIGATION LINE TO PUSH THAT PRESSURE DOWN SO IT'S NOT BLASTING OUT, UH,
[01:50:01]
WATER AND WASTING IT.ALSO, WE WILL BE REQUIRING POST INSTALLATION INSPECTIONS, UM, FOR ALL NEW AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT AUSTIN WATER WILL BE TAKING ON.
UM, AS PART OF THE PLUMBING INSPECTION FOR NEW HOMES, AUSTIN WATER STAFF WILL BE GOING OUT AND ENSURING THAT THAT AUTO, THAT IRRIGATION SYSTEM MEETS STATE CODES AND, AND ANY LOCAL CODES LIKE THE PRESSURE REDUCING DEVICES.
AND IT'S SET UP WELL FOR THE CUSTOMERS AS THEY COME IN.
'CAUSE WE REALIZE A LOT OF NEW HOMEOWNERS COME IN AND THEY MAY NOT HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AND IT MAY BE SET UP A WAY THAT IS JUST GONNA BE USING A LOT OF WATER AND SURPRISING THE CUSTOMER.
SO WE'LL BE DOING AN INSPECTION ON THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM AND THEN WE'LL BE FOLLOWING UP WHAT WE PROJECT IS 90 DAYS WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THIS, UM, A CHECKUP, OFFERING A CHECKUP TO NEW HOMEOWNERS TO COME OUT AND SEE IF IT IS STILL SET UP CORRECTLY.
SO THAT'S HOW WE'RE GONNA SET UP CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, SET THEM UP FOR SUCCESS AND SAVE MORE WATER.
AND THEN THAT THIRD BUCKET OF ACTIVITIES ENCOURAGE ALTERNATIVE WATER.
UM, WE WANNA LIMIT HOW MUCH DRINKING WATER WE PUT OUT.
SO WE, UH, ALSO WILL BE WORKING, ARE WORKING TO INCLUDE IN THE UNIFORM PLUMBING CODE REQUIREMENT FOR NEW HOMES.
NEW HOMES BUILT AFTER OR PERMITTED AFTER JANUARY, 2025.
WE HAVE LAUNDRY ROOMS ON AN EXTERIOR WALL, UM, AND ARE NOT OVER THE EDWARDS AQUIFER ZONE AND THEY'LL BE, THE HOME BUILDERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO HAVE PIPING THAT ALLOWS THE CLOSED WATER DISCHARGE TO, UM, NOT GO INTO THE SEWER, BUT COULD ALSO GO WITH A THREE-WAY VALVE INTO A STUB OUT ON THE EXTERIOR PART OF THE WALL.
SO THIS WILL GIVE AN OPTION FOR NEW HOMEOWNERS THAT IF THEY WANT TO DO LAUNDRY LANDSCAPE, THEY CAN, UM, IF THEY DON'T WANT TO, THEY DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING.
UM, BUT IF THEY ARE INTERESTED, THEY ALREADY HAVE THAT PLUMBING INSIDE THE WALLS, UM, WHICH IS WHAT MAKES DOING LAUNDRY LANDSCAPE AFTER THE HOUSE BILL IS BUILT VERY DIFFICULT.
I MENTIONED THERE'S A WATER SUPPLY ESTIMATE OF 3,500 GALLONS.
WE DON'T CONSIDER THIS A SAVINGS MORE AS AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE.
UM, WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO BESIDES USING DRINKING WATER ON YOUR LAWN? AND THAT'S TO USE LAUNDRY TO LANDSCAPE.
WE RECENTLY MET WITH THE MECHANICAL AND PLUMBING BOARD AND THEY HAVE A, A NUMBER OF GOOD QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO REALLY HELP CUSTOMERS WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS, UM, SUCCEED WITH AN EXTERIOR SYSTEM BECAUSE THE EXTERIOR SYSTEM, WHILE IT CANNOT IRRIGATE WHOLE LAWNS, IT CAN BE USED TO WATER PLANTS OR DIFFERENT BEDS IN THAT RELATIVE AREA.
UM, BUT IT'S A, A, A GRAVITY SYSTEM.
GRAVITY FED SYSTEM IS NOT PUMPED.
UH, SO IT DOES REQUIRE SOME INFORMATION.
SO WE WILL BE PROVIDING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO CUSTOMERS.
UH, ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NEW HOMEOWNERS IS TO HAVE A, A PLACARD NEAR THE VALVE AND SAY, THIS HOME IS SET UP FOR A LAUNDRY TO LANDSCAPE SYSTEM TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION, GO TO THIS QR CODE OR, OR THIS WEBSITE.
UM, AND WE WILL HAVE NEW INFORMATION.
WE'LL HAVE AN UPDATED, UM, DESIGN GUIDE THAT THEY CAN USE.
AND WE'LL ALSO BE OFFERING INCENTIVES IF PEOPLE WANT TO UTILIZE THIS.
UM, CURRENTLY WE HAVE AN INCENTIVE TO DO LAUNDRY AND LANDSCAPE, WHICH NO ONE'S EVER TAKEN US UP ON TO, TO BE HONEST.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE IT IS CHALLENGING TO DO LAUNDRY AND LANDSCAPING EXISTING HOME.
UH, BUT WE THINK WITH HOMEOWNERS HAVING THIS OPTION, UM, THAT THEY'LL BE MORE AMENABLE TO AN INCENTIVE FOR THE COST OF MATERIALS.
AND WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT INCLUDING AN INCENTIVE TO PAY PART OF ANY, UH, LABOR COSTS, UH, FOR INSTALLING THIS BECAUSE THIS IS A NEW AREA FOR TRADITIONAL IRRIGATORS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T WORK WITH GRAVITY FED SYSTEMS OR, OR EVEN SYSTEMS THAT WOULD BE THIS SMALL.
UM, SO THIS IS SOMETHING NEW THAT IRRIGATORS, UM, WE'RE HOPING TO ENCOURAGE SOME OF THEM TO LOOK INTO AS A SERVICE THAT THEY PROVIDE.
SO LAUNDRY LANDSCAPE, WE'RE HOPING TO, WE HAVE SOME REQUIREMENTS ON THE NEW HOMES AND HOPING TO ENCOURAGE IT INTO THE FUTURE.
AND THIS IS THE, THE FINAL, UH, UM, SLIDE REGARDING THE ACTIVITIES ALSO FOR ENCOURAGING ALTERNATIVE WATER.
[01:55:01]
TRYING TO NOT ONLY ENCOURAGE HOMEOWNERS TO ENCOURAGE TO INSTALL RAINWATER HARVESTING TANKS, AND WE DO THAT NOW, BUT WE ARE ALSO GONNA TRY TO WORK WITH HOME BUILDERS TO FIND A WAY TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO INSTALL RAINWATER HARVESTING TANKS IN THE NEW HOMES.SO WHEN HOMEOWNERS COME IN, IT'S ALREADY SET UP FOR THEM.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE WORKING ON.
UM, SOMETIMES IT IS CHALLENGING TO DETERMINE WHAT WILL ACTUALLY INCENTIVIZE, UM, INDIVIDUALS OR HOME BUILDERS IN THIS CASE TO INSTALL THIS.
UH, BUT THIS IS A, WE'RE HOPE SOMETHING WE'RE HOPING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IN TRYING TO ENCOURAGE HOME BUILDERS TO OFFER THIS ALTERNATIVE SUPPLY RATHER THAN THE USING DRINKING WATER ON THE LANDSCAPE.
AND THIS IS JUST A SUMMARY OF ALL OF THOSE ACTIVITIES AND, AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS ON THAT MIDDLE, UM, COLUMN SHOWS THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT WE WOULD EXPECT FROM THESE ACTIVITIES.
UH, THE ITALICIZED ONES FOR LAUNDRY AND LANDSCAPE, UH, OR RAINWATER HARVESTING ARE NOT CONSIDERED SAVINGS.
WERE CONSIDERING THEM AN ALTERNATIVE SUPPLY.
BUT JUST IN TERMS OF SAVINGS, WE BELIEVE THAT NEW HOMES WITH THESE PARTICULAR ACTIVITIES, UH, COULD SAVE ABOUT 14,600 GALLONS OF WATER A YEAR, WHICH IS ABOUT HALF OF WHAT WE CALCULATED IS THE AVERAGE IRRIGATION WATER USE, UH, FOR RECENTLY BUILT HOMES.
SO IT'S GONNA SAVE ABOUT HALF IN TERMS OF IRRIGATION.
AND WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE AVERAGE WATER USE OF RESIDENTS IN AUSTIN, THAT 14,600 GALLONS OF WATER IS ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MONTHS OF SOMEONE ELSE'S WATER THAT THAT'S PROVIDING.
SO THESE ARE EXCITING ACTIVITIES THAT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT, UH, AND WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD ON THAT.
UH, WHETHER WORKING WITH DSD, UM, UM, IN TERMS OF THE SOIL OR, UH, POTENTIALLY PLANTS OR WORKING TO INSTALL REQUIREMENTS IN THE UNIFORM PLUMBING CODE, I'LL BE GOING TO THE COUNCIL IN SEPTEMBER.
UM, WE'RE HAPPY TO BE MOVING FORWARD WITH THESE.
SO WITH THAT, UH, NEXT SLIDE AND I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, WE'RE GONNA CUT REAL QUICK TO SECRETARY BRISTOL 'CAUSE SHE HAS A HEAD OUT.
AND I'M SORRY THAT I HAVE TO LEAVE, UH, OTHER COMMISSIONERS, BUT IT IS MY BIRTHDAY.
DRAKE'S ON COMMISSIONER BRISTOL
UM, OKAY, SO I DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
UH, FIRST OFF, UH, I AM DEFINITELY GONNA LOOK INTO, UH, THE INCENTIVE FOR, UM, THE LAUNDRY TO LAWN.
THAT'S JUST, I ALWAYS THOUGHT I COULDN'T, SO I'M SO EXCITED THAT I CAN.
UM, SO, UH, IT SAYS HERE IN THE STAKEHOLDERS MEETING, UH, YOU WORKED A LOT OR YOU WORKED WITH THE TEXAS NURSERY AND LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION.
I KNOW FROM MY EXPERIENCE WITH THEM IN THE PAST THAT THEY REALLY PUSH THOSE ADAPTIVE PLANTS AND THOSE INVASIVE PLANTS.
HOW DO YOU, HOW ARE THEY COMING TO THE TABLE AND IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE WILLING TO, UM, NOT PUSH AS MUCH IN THIS PROGRAM? WELL, THEY CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE, UM, NATIVE ADAPTIVE PLANTS.
UM, BUT THEY ARE A STATEWIDE ORGANIZATION FOR ALL LANDSCAPES IN ALL NURSERIES.
UM, SO THEY WERE REALLY HESITANT IN TERMS OF WHEN WORKING WITH US IN A REQUIRED PLANT LIST OF CHOOSING THOSE PLANTS THAT ARE IN AND THOSE PLANTS THAT ARE OUT.
I THINK THAT WAS A CHALLENGE THAT THEY HAD AS AN ORGAN ORGANIZATION WHO WERE TRYING TO PROMOTE EVERYONE.
UM, AND THEN, UM, MY NEXT QUESTION, UM, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT A RESIDENTIAL.
UH, WHAT ABOUT SCHOOLS? ARE Y'ALL FOCUSING AT ALL ON SCHOOLS? I MEAN, THEY HAVE A LOT OF PROPERTY WITHIN THE CITY AND UM, THIS SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SOME REAL POTENTIAL THERE FOR HAVING THESE INCENTIVES ALSO BE AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
WELL, AT THIS POINT WE'RE JUST FOCUSING ON SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, THAT'S AUSTIN.
ISD AND, AND OTHER SCHOOLS OR SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF, UM, IT MAY BE IRRIGATED TURF, UH, IN THEIR SCHOOL CAMPUSES FOR COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS.
AND THESE WOULD BE CONSIDERED COMMERCIAL, UM, IN THE AUSTIN WATER.
UM, SYSTEMS HERE, UH, DO HAVE TO HAVE ANNUAL OR BIANNUAL CHECKUPS OF ALL THEIR AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEMS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE NECESSARY COMPONENTS.
[02:00:02]
THERE'S NOT ANY BREAKS OR WHAT HAVE YOU.SO FOR COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS SUCH AS SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THERE IS A REQUIREMENT AT LEAST TO MAINTAIN THE, UH, IRRIGATION SYSTEMS MAKE THERE THE BEST POSSIBLE.
WE DO OPEN THAT UP TO, IN TERMS OF LANDSCAPE CONVERSIONS, IF THEY'RE INTERESTED IN DOING LANDSCAPE CONVERSIONS, THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR SCHOOLS, UH, DISTRICTS.
UM, BUT IT DOES REQUIRE A COST EVEN WITH OUR INCENTIVES.
THAT'S, I THINK IS CHALLENGING FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO MAKE THAT CONVERSION.
I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, ALL Y'ALL'S PRESENTATIONS, SO THANK YOU.
OKAY, UH, LET'S START WITH THE REMOTE COMMISSIONERS.
UH, COMMISSIONER KRUEGER, WE SING NO SINGING.
NO, NO QUESTIONS FOR ME RIGHT NOW.
UH, YEAH, APPRECIATE THIS PRESENTATION AS WELL.
UH, YOU KNOW, LIKE COMMISSIONER BRISTOL SAID, YOU KNOW, I THINK OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, SCHOOL ISDS AND, AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES ARE ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, HEAVY, I DON'T KNOW IF TARGETS IS THE RIGHT WORD, RIGHT? BUT SORT OF LOW HANGING FRUIT FIRST STUFF THAT WE CAN DO, UH, AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, SORT OF, UH, REFORM WISE TO HELP ENCOURAGE, UM, MORE RESPONSIBLE, UH, LANDSCAPING.
UM, I WAS WONDERING, DO LIKE THE STUFF THAT Y'ALL WERE TALKING ABOUT, UM, AS FAR AS LIKE, YOU KNOW, STUFF THAT WE'RE GONNA REQUIRE OR, YOU KNOW, UH, ENCOURAGE BUILDERS TO DO, ARE THERE ANY INCENTIVES THAT Y'ALL ARE ROLLING OUT THERE? SORT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING TO THOSE AS FAR AS LIKE THE LAUNDRY STUFF AND THEN ALSO THE, UH, THE RAIN WATER STUFF IN TERMS OF NEW INCENTIVES THAT WE ARE, UM, EN ENVISIONING, IT PRIMARILY WOULD BE THE LAUNDRY TO LANDSCAPE AND THE RAINWATER HARVESTING.
UM, RATHER THAN THE, UM, OTHER ONES ARE MORE REQUIREMENTS THAT HAVE TO BE MET.
YEAH, THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION.
COMMISSIONER BRIER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN? YEAH, I I HAVE ONE.
UM, SO YOU SHOW A LOT ABOUT THE SAVINGS AND THEN YOU MENTIONED LIKE TALKING TO THE HOME BUILDERS ABOUT INCLUDING RAINWATER CAPTURE, BUT YOU DON'T MONETIZE THAT.
IS THERE ANY WAY YOU CAN GET IT TO PENCIL OUT BY SHOWING THAT PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT A HOUSE WITH RAINWATER CAPTURE HOW THAT THEY'D BE ABLE TO RECOVER THE COST FOR THAT RAINWATER CAPTURE AFTER A CERTAIN NUMBER OF YEARS? THAT IS ONE THING THAT, SO THAT IT PENCILS OUT BASICALLY.
UH, IT, IT, THAT IS SOMEWHAT CHALLENGING IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE.
'CAUSE ALL THE SAVINGS ACCRUE TO THE HOME BUILDERS HOMEOWNER OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS AND ALL THE COSTS, UM, GO TO THE BUILDER.
NO, BECAUSE THE BUILDER COULD ADD ON THE COST FOR HAVING ADDED THE WATER CAP WATER RAINWATER CAPTURE IT.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WE MEANT, WE'VE DISCOVERED THAT WE DIDN'T THINK OF IS A CHALLENGE FOR THE HOME BUILDERS IS NOT SIMPLY THE COST, UH, BUT THE MATERIALS.
UH, FOR INSTANCE, SOME HOME BUILDERS HAVE STOPPED PUTTING IN GUTTERS ON THEIR NEW HOMES, AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE GUTTERS RIGHT, YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK.
UM, SO THAT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE WITH THAT, WHETHER IT'S THE, THE HOME BUILDERS FINDING THE MATERIALS OR THE, THE LABOR TO PUT THOSE IN.
SO THAT WAS AN UNEXPECTED CHALLENGE THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TRY TO WORK WITH.
WELL WHEN YOU MOVE, WHEN YOU START TO WORK WITH LIKE MULTIFAMILY, IT SHOULD BE EASIER TO DO THAT BECAUSE OF THE SCALE.
UM, BUT I'LL, I'LL MENTION THAT MY, MY WIFE AND I DID PUT IN RAINWATER CAPTURE AND WE HAVEN'T HAD TO USE ANY TAP WATER FOR IRRIGATING OUR, WE, WE DON'T EVEN HAVE A LAWN.
WE HAVE LANDSCAPING ON OUR LOT, SO I, I'M PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT WE'VE SAVED A LOT OF MONEY.
YEAH, I JUST WANNA HAVE COMMENT BASED UPON WHAT, UH, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN SAID.
WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE AN, WE DON'T HAVE AN HOA
UH, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT.
UH, I INVESTIGATED PUTTING RAIN WATER CAPTURE ON MY HOME WHEN WE PUT IN, UH, SOLAR PANELS AND UH, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE I LOOKED AT THE BOTTOM LINE OF MY WATER BILL AND IT SAID WHATEVER IT WAS.
AND THEN I LOOKED AT WHAT PART OF THAT BILL WAS ACTUALLY WATER AND IT WAS ALMOST LITERALLY NOTHING
[02:05:01]
COMPARED TO THE OTHER FEES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.AND IT WOULD LITERALLY TAKE ME 50 YEARS TO RECAPTURE THE COST OF PUTTING A, YOU KNOW, THAT RAINWATER CAPTURE SYSTEM IN THERE.
NOW, OBVIOUSLY IF IT HAD BEEN DONE AT THE TIME THE HOUSE WAS BUILT, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD'VE BEEN PERHAPS WORTHWHILE BUT TO RETROFITTED ON OUR HOUSE AT THE TIME IT WAS, YOU KNOW, NOT FINANCIALLY FEASIBLE.
ON THE OTHER HAND, THE SOLAR PANELS WORK.
COMM, COMMISSIONER SIERRA, I'M HAVING SUCH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU VICE CHAIR FER.
UM, JUST CURIOUS WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS, IF Y'ALL TALKED TO SOME OF SORT OF LIKE THE MASTER NATURALIST OR NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY OF TEXAS, I'M THINKING OF NOT JUST, UM, YOU KNOW, SORT OF THIS LANDSCAPING EDUCATION AND INCENTIVES, BUT YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE WATER REBATE PROGRAMS AND THINGS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AS WELL TO GET THE WORD OUT.
'CAUSE UM, I'M LOOKING AT THE WEBSITE AND THERE'S A LOT MORE THAN, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE EVEN MENTIONING HERE.
SO IT'S REALLY GREAT RESOURCE.
UH, I DON'T RECALL THEM, UH, MENTION AS PART OF THE STAKEHOLDER PROCESS HAVING A SPECIFIC MEETING WITH THEM.
UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, WE DO HAVE A LONG STANDING ACTIVE WATER WISE LANDSCAPE PROGRAM THAT WE TALK ABOUT WHERE YOU'RE CONVERTING OVER FROM TURF TO PLANTS.
AND I KNOW THOSE STAFF MEMBERS OFTEN MEET WITHIN THAT MASTER MASTER GARDENERS AND NATURALIST, UM, PARTICULARLY IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
SO THEY DO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM.
I JUST THINK THAT COULD BE A GOOD RESOURCE FOR GETTING THE WORD OUT.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, I WAS WONDERING IF LIKE PEOPLE THAT HAVE LIKE, UH, PRE-CONSTRUCTED HOMES, IF THERE WAS A, IF THERE WAS AN AVENUE FOR THEM TO PROACTIVELY AND BE LIKE, COME AT YOU AND BE, AND, AND REQUEST YOU INSPECT THEIR, THEIR WATER QUAL, NOT WATER QUALITY, BUT THEIR WATER SYSTEM TO SEE, UM, I GUESS LIKE HOW IF THEY HAVE A SPRINKLER SYSTEM, LIKE INSPECT THAT TO SEE LIKE HOW, UM, RELIABLE IT IS OR HOW, UM, EFFECTIVE IT IS WITHOUT A PENALTY
WITHOUT HAVING TO USE 25,000 GALLONS IN A, IN A MONTH.
UNFORTUNATELY WE DON'T HAVE ANY SUCH SYSTEMS TO JUST GO OUT AND CHECK SYSTEMS, UM, UH, WITHOUT RESPONDING TO A HIGH LEAK OR HIGH USE INCIDENT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS? WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
[4. Presentation, discussion and recommendation on the Community Investment Budget – Kathy Mitchell, Equity Action. Sponsored by Commissioners Sullivan and Krueger]
UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS, UH, PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION ON THE COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUDGET.
UH, ELIZABETH MONK WATERSHED, WE DO HAVE A PRESENTATION, BUT I NOTICED THAT KATHY MITCHELL IS NOT HERE AND PERHAPS IT'S SOMETHING ON MY END THAT I, I'M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED.
UH, WE DO HAVE SOMEBODY HERE TO SPEAK ON IT AND ALL, EVERYTHING WAS UPLOADED AS BACKUP.
UH, GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN.
WELL, I MEAN I, I WASN'T EXPECTING TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN TO READ THE RESOLUTION BECAUSE WE ALREADY HEARD FROM KATHY MITCHELL AND UM, I THOUGHT WE COULD SIMPLY GO THROUGH THE RESOLUTION.
YEAH, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ THE RESOLUTION AND THEN MR. LEBINSKI CAN SPEAK, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
I DO HAVE IT PRINTED OUT FOR THE OFFICERS.
I GOT IT IF I NEED TO READ IT.
SO THIS IS, UM, THE ITEM HERE IS, UM, ABOUT THE COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUDGET.
I BELIEVE WE DID THIS A YEAR AGO ALSO.
UM, SO THIS IS JULY 3RD, 2024 COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUDGET PROPOSAL, A MOTION BY MYSELF AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER KRUEGER.
UM, WHEREAS MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY THREATENED BY FOOD APARTHEID AND INSECURITY, HEAT ISLANDS AND LIMITED ACCESS TO GREEN SPACE CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND ITS RESULTANT NATURAL DISASTERS, POLLUTION AND POOR HEALTH AND HOUSING INSTABILITY AND HOMELESSNESS.
AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO VARYING DEGREES HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THESE INEQUITIES AND PLEDGED TO CURTAIL THEM, INCLUDING THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN AND THE FIRST EVER AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE FOOD PLAN.
AND WHEREAS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE A MORE EQUITABLE CITY AND SEE THE FRUIT, UH, THE FRUIT
[02:10:01]
FRUITION OF THESE PLANS AND OTHER EQUITY ORIENTED POLICIES, THE CITY MUST APPROPRIATELY, UH, FUND THEM WITH INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.AND WHEREAS EQUITY ACTION HAS ORGANIZED A BROAD COALITION OF SUPPORT FOR THE FY 2025 COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUDGET AFTER PUBLIC INPUT THROUGH RESEARCH AND ENDORSEMENTS FROM MORE THAN 40 ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING THE SIERRA CLUB, THE AUSTIN REGIONAL GROUP, UM, UH, BLACK LIVES VEGGIES, UH, AUSTIN ENVIRONMENTAL DEMOCRATS SAVE OUR SPRINGS ALLIANCE, FRUITFUL COMMONS, THE SUNRISE, UH, MOVEMENT, AUSTIN AND OTHERS.
AND WHEREAS THE CITY MANAGER AND HIS OFFICE WILL SOON DRAFT A PROPOSED FY 2025 BUDGET FOR THE CITY COUNCIL'S APPROVAL.
WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MAY ADVISE THE CITY COUNCIL ON MATTERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPORTANCE, INCLUDING AS THEY RELATE TO FUNDING INITIATIVES RELATED TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND INTERSECTING ISSUES.
THEREFORE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THAT THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE INCORPORATES THE ENTIRETY OF THE COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUDGET PROPOSAL INTO THE FORECASTED BASELINE FY 2025 BUDGET.
UM, AND JUST TO BACK THIS UP, I WILL TELL YOU THAT THIS BUDGET DOES INCLUDE ELEMENTS THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, INCLUDING $1.3 MILLION FOR THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
UM, 2 MILLION FOR WATER CONSERVATION AND LEAK DETECTION, 2 MILLION FOR PARKS MAINTENANCE, UH, 400,000 FOR LANDSCAPE CONVERSION THAT WE HEARD FROM, UH, IN THE SPEAKERS EARLIER.
AND SO, UM, THESE ARE ALL ELEMENTS THAT ARE PART OF THIS, UH, COMMUNITY INVESTMENT, UH, BUDGET.
AND DO YOU WANNA SECOND IT? SECOND IT COMMISSIONER KRUEGER? WELL DO WE HAVE TO HEAR FROM THE, OKAY.
I DUNNO IF YOU'RE SPEAKER, IS THERE MICROPHONE ON? IT SAYS ON, OH NO.
UM, DO WE HAVE A SECOND FOR THAT MOTION? COMMISSIONER KRUEGER, IT'S YOUR TURN
THIS IS THE LANGUAGE, UM, THAT I WROTE LAST YEAR THAT WE PASSED, I BELIEVE UNANIMOUSLY.
UM, I'M JUST CURIOUS IN ONE OF THE, WHEREAS STATEMENTS WHERE WE, BECAUSE IT IS THE SAME LANGUAGE FROM LAST YEAR ENDORSEMENTS FOR MORE THAN 40 ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING ET CETERA.
UM, I DIDN'T SEE AUSTIN ENVIRONMENTAL DEMOCRATS ON THE LIST THIS YEAR, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF I MISSED IT.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S WORTH AMENDING THAT JUST FOR UPDATED ACCURACY FOR THIS YEAR.
BUT I IN GENERAL, VERY MUCH STAND BEHIND THIS.
I ALSO DIDN'T SEE SUNRISE MOVEMENT, I DON'T THINK.
WELL LET'S EXCISE THOSE TWO JUST TO BE SAFE.
SO I WOULD SAY, AND ENDORSEMENTS FROM MORE FROM DOZENS OF ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS INCLUDING, AND THEN THAT LIST EXCISING AUSTIN ENVIRONMENTAL DEMOCRATS AND SUNRISE AUSTIN.
WELL, I GUESS WE ALREADY HAVE A MOTION, SO I DON'T KNOW.
I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE AN AMENDMENT TO INCLUDE THAT.
WE SHOULD BE, WE DIDN'T HAVE A SECOND YET.
YEAH, WE DIDN'T HAVE A SECOND YET TECHNICALLY.
SO I'D LIKE TO, YOU CAN SECOND, I MEAN, FROM PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES, YOU CAN SECOND IT AND THEN IMMEDIATELY OFFER THAT AS AN, AS AN AMENDMENT.
I WILL SECOND AND THEN I WILL OFFER AN AMENDMENT, UM, FOR THE WHEREAS STATEMENT WHERE IT STARTS WITH, WHEREAS EQUITY ACTION HAS ORGANIZED, AND I'D LIKE TO CHANGE IT TO SAY, AND ENDORSEMENTS FROM DOZENS OF ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING THE SIERRA CLUB, AUSTIN REGIONAL GROUP, BLACK LIVES VEGGIES, SAVE OUR SPRINGS ALLIANCE, FRUITFUL COMMONS AND OTHERS.
[02:15:04]
AND, UM, ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS TO THAT? AMENDMENTS? WELL, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION.I'M JUST HAVE A QUESTION WHY WE'RE NOT LISTING ALL OF THEM IN, I MEAN, WE, THAT WE ONLY LISTED THE ONES THAT WERE, HAVE AN ENVIRONMENTAL RELATION.
I MEAN, WE MENTIONED THAT THERE ARE DOZENS.
I, I, LIKE I SAID, I'M JUST CURIOUS.
I MEAN, THESE, THESE SUGGESTIONS OVERLAP.
ENVIRONMENTAL, HUMAN, JU, UM, YOU KNOW, JUSTICE, HUMAN RIGHTS, UM, KIDS, ET CETERA.
WHAT, WHAT WERE THE ONES YOU LISTED IN THERE? UM, THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN PLAN.
1.3 MILLION, 2 MILLION FOR WATER CONSERVATION? NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
WHAT ORGANIZATIONS WERE, DID YOU
DID THAT, THAT YOU WANT LISTED IN THE, IN THE THING.
IT'S SIERRA, IT'S WHAT'S SHOWN IN THE RESOLUTION.
NOT THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEMOCRATS AND NOT THE, UH, SUNRISE ORGANIZATION.
I, AGAIN, I, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET SOME CLARITY.
I SAW REWILD A TX, BUT I DIDN'T HEAR OF THAT OFF.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD ADDITION ACTUALLY, INSTEAD OF ONE OF THESE.
'CAUSE LAST YEAR I WAS JUST PULLING OUT, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL RELATED ORGANIZATIONS, UM, AND THAT'S WHY I LISTED THOSE BY NAME AND THEN SAID OTHERS.
SO I WOULD PROPOSE ADDING REWILD A TX.
WELL, WELL, UM, DO WE HAVE A SECOND? WELL, YEAH, WE HAD A SECOND.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HANDS.
WE HAVE KRUGER, EINHORN, RESI, FER, BEDFORD, CHIRA, SULLIVAN, AND BRIMER.
[5. Discussion on the draft recommendation from the Urban Forestry Committee on supporting Austin’s tree canopy – Richard Brimer]
OKAY.UM, NEXT UP WE HAVE COMMITTEE UPDATES, DISCUSSION ON THE DRAFT RECOMMENDATION FROM THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMITTEE ON SUPPORTING AUSTIN'S TREE CANOPY.
BE, WELL, MY NAME'S ON IT, BUT, UH,
BUT SINCE MY NAME'S ON IT, I'M GONNA START, THEN I'LL, UH, TOSS THE BALL OVER TO HER.
UH, THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMITTEE SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME MEETING, UH, FORMALLY AND INFORMALLY OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, TRYING TO PULL THIS TOGETHER.
AND THE INTENT OF THIS IS TRY TO MORE AGGRESSIVELY DEVELOP THE TREE CANOPY, UH, IN AUSTIN OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS.
THE ORIGINAL GOAL WAS TO GET IT DONE TO 50% BY 2050.
WE'D LIKE TO BRING THAT IN, UH, TO 2040.
WE'D ALSO LIKE TO PUT ADDITIONAL EMPHASIS ON, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, EAST AUSTIN AS OPPOSED TO JUST MAKING IT KIND OF JUST AUSTIN.
WE'D LIKE TO FORCE THAT TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF EAST AUSTIN.
UH, SO WE'VE GOT A LIST OF THINGS.
WE WERE ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO VOTE ON IT THE LAST TIME WE KIND OF RAN OUT OF TIME BECAUSE OF, LIKE, WE DO, WE HAVE MEETING TIME.
BUT PART OF THE ISSUE WAS, UH, STAFF WANTED TO PROVIDE US SOME FEEDBACK.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO REALLY KIND OF ADEQUATELY GET THAT AND HAVE THE APPROPRIATE DISCUSSION.
SO AS CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE, I DECIDED WE WOULD WAIT UNTIL THEY WERE ABLE TO GIVE US SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
WE WILL MEET AGAIN AT THE NEXT MEETING, HEAR WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY, AND THEN INCORPORATE THAT, MAKE A VOTE AND THAT SORT OF THING.
MY PERSONAL FEELING IS WE PROBABLY COULD CONDENSE IT INTO A FEW SMALLER, YOU KNOW, NOT HAVE 15 ITEMS, HAVE 10, YOU KNOW, SOME OF IT'S REDUNDANT, DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THERE'S SOME THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE INCLUDED IT IN HERE 'CAUSE WE'D LIKE TO GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM EVERYONE.
SO, UH, WE'RE NOT HERE TO VOTE ON IT OR ANYTHING.
WE'RE HERE JUST TO PRESENT IT AND GET EVERYONE'S COLLECTIVE FEEDBACK ON, ON THINGS.
SO, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEND MELINDA AND, UH, MARIANA AND, AND COLIN WAS ALSO, UH, IN, ON THE WHOLE, UH, AFFAIR AS WELL.
SO SEND US BACK, UH, IF YOU WOULD, ANY, ANY COMMENTS TO IMPROVE IT.
IF YOU, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IT IS, IT, IT SPLIT INFINITYS OR, UH, WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU'VE GOT, SEND IT OVER TO IT.
MELINDA, DO YOU HAVE ANY, UH, YOU KNOW, COMMENTS ON ANYTHING SINCE YOU WERE THE PRIMARY AUTHOR OF YES, I, YOU
[02:20:01]
KNOW, ITS DEFINITELY COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, BUT I, THIS RESOLUTION REALLY, OR RECOMMENDATION REALLY IS, UM, DETAILED.IT REALLY TRIES TO ADDRESS ALL THE, ALL THE LEARNINGS THAT WE'VE HAD SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE COMMISSION FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF VARIOUS ASPECTS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS.
THERE'S JUST THIS QUESTION OF, OKAY, YES, WE HAVE, WE HAVE A GOAL OF 50% TREE CANOPY BY 2050, BUT HOW ARE WE EVEN CREATING BENCHMARKS TO MEET THAT GOAL? AND WHAT ARE THE, WHAT ARE OUR NEEDS TO ENSURE THAT WE MEET THE GOAL? I DON'T THINK WE REALLY HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUPPLY OF TREES AND THE DIVERSITY OF TREES THAT WE NEED, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE.
UM, BUT I, I'M NOT SURE IF I NEED TO READ THIS NOW INTO THE RECORD.
SO WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH YOUR COMMENTS, WE'LL GO TO THAT BEFORE WE GET FEEDBACK FROM THE REST DIVISION.
UM, YEAH, I THINK WITH THAT THEN I'M READY FOR PUBLIC FEEDBACK.
WELL, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ABOUT IT.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, WHATEVER IT IS.
BUT YOU CAN EMAIL 'EM OVER BOBBY LELINSKI SAVER SPRINGS.
I'M REALLY JUST, I'M AN EASY TONIGHT.
I'M JUST HERE TO, UH, EXPRESS SUPPORT AND GRA UH, VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK THAT THE COMMITTEE DID.
I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FOLLOW ALONG ALL THE PROCESS, BUT WE'RE EAGER TO HELP SUPPORT THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE TIME YOU SPENT ON THEM.
UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN WORKING GROUP.
ACTUALLY, BEFORE WE MOVE ON, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IF, IF THIS IS A OPPORTUNITY FOR DISCUSSION, YOU KNOW, IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS, I'D LIKE TO HEAR THEM NOW SO THAT WE CAN GET FEEDBACK BEFORE OUR NEXT MEETING.
I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, BUT I SKIMMED OVER IT BEFORE THIS MEETING AND I'M JUST GENERALLY IN SUPPORT OF IT.
SO APPRECIATE THE WORK Y'ALL DID.
I, YEAH, I ALSO WANTED TO ADD, UM, YEAH, WE WANTED TO BRING IT TO YOU ALL TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, FEEDBACK MORE, MORE IDEAS FROM DIFFERENT FOLKS.
UM, WE ARE DELAYING THIS IN PART, AS I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER SHERA MENTIONED, OR COMMISSIONER BRIMER TO GET FEEDBACK FROM, UM, DSD STAFF IN PARTICULAR ON CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE CODE THAT THEY THINK ARE GERMANE TO HELP MAKE SOME OF THE LANGUAGE MORE RELEVANT, UM, AND ACCURATE.
UM, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS FOR US TO THINK ABOUT THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN OUR URBAN FORESTRY COMMITTEE MEETING IS, DO WE WANT THIS TO BE AN ASPIRATIONAL DOCUMENT OR ONE THAT IS REALISTIC? NOT THAT IT NECESSARILY HAS TO BE ONE OR THE OTHER, BUT YOU KNOW, WE SPENT TIME TALKING ABOUT HOW WE DO HAVE THESE GUIDING DOCUMENTS AT THE CITY LEVEL, BUT WE'RE NOT REALLY MEETING ANY OF THE BENCHMARKS FOR SUCCESS FOR THEM.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHAT COMMISSIONER SHEER BROUGHT UP IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE PLAN TO ACHIEVE THIS? SO WE ARE KIND OF KEEPING THAT IN MIND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, QUOTE UNQUOTE MAKING OUR GOALS MORE AGGRESSIVE.
IS, IS THAT IN THE HOPES THAT A MORE ASPIRATIONAL DOCUMENT WILL MOVE THE NEEDLE FURTHER OR IS THAT NOT THE DIRECTION TO GO IN? SO I THINK THAT'S JUST SOMETHING PHILOSOPHICALLY FOR US TO THINK ABOUT.
AND THEN I ALSO WANNA HIGHLIGHT SOMETHING THAT I'M ESPECIALLY EXCITED ABOUT, UM, WHICH IS NUMBER SEVEN, ADJUST THE PAYMENT RATES TO THE URBAN FOREST REPLENISHMENT FUND BI-ANNUALLY BASED ON INFLATION OVER THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS AS CALCULATED BY THE US GOVERNMENT'S CPI.
THAT RATE HAS NOT BEEN INCREASED SINCE 2012.
WE ALL KNOW WE'RE PAYING MORE FOR RENT, WE'RE PAYING MORE FOR GROCERIES, WE'RE PAYING MORE FOR EVERYTHING THAN WE WERE IN 2012, BUT WE'RE STILL CHARGING, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPERS AND, AND VIOL CODE VIOLATORS THE SAME AMOUNT AS WE WERE IN 2012.
SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS LONG OVERDUE AND I'M EXCITED IN PARTICULAR TO SEE THAT BROUGHT INTO, BROUGHT INTO THIS DOCUMENT.
UM, BUT WE DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE THIS DOCUMENT EVEN BETTER.
WE WANT THIS TO BE THE BEST THAT IT CAN BE.
SO AGAIN, YEAH, I DON'T WANT US TO MOVE ON LIKE TOO QUICKLY FROM THIS BECAUSE WE'VE PUT IT ON THE AGENDA FOR A REASON SPECIFICALLY TO GET FEEDBACK AS LARGE OR AS SMALL FROM ANYONE ELSE HERE WHO ISN'T ON THE COMMITTEE.
UM, YOU KNOW, BEFORE WE MEET AGAIN.
WE, WE MEET AGAIN ON THE 5TH OF SEPTEMBER, SO IT'S
[02:25:01]
NOT AS IF, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO SEND BACK YOUR FEEDBACK TONIGHT.SO THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF TIME FOR YOU TO, YOU KNOW, PONDER THE GREATER SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS AND, AND GET BACK.
BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO GET FEEDBACK SOONER RATHER THAN LATER BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T DO IT SOON, THEN YOU FORGET AND THEN, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S THE ONLY SENSE OF URGENCY IS WE'D PREFER YOU NOT FORGET.
'CAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT WE GET YOUR FEEDBACK.
DO, UM, DO YOU GUYS HAVE, UM, ANY REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE COUNTY ON YOUR GROUP? NO, THE REASON I BRING THAT UP IS BECAUSE I WAS HAVING A, I WAS TALKING TO A FRIEND OF MINE WHO WORKS ON TRANSPORTATION ISSUES FOR TRAVIS COUNTY AND I MENTIONED, UH, THE FACT THAT ONE OF MY FRIENDS FROM THE CONGRESS FOR NEW URBANISM HAS A BIG CAMPAIGN GOING FOR MORE STREET TREES.
AND IT USED TO BE THE POSITION OF THE CITY THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT STREET TREES BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE COLLISIONS THAT AUTOMOBILES WOULD HAVE WITH STREET TREES.
BUT NOW THEY'VE REVERSED THAT BECAUSE TREES PROVIDE SO MUCH BENEFIT AND EVERYBODY SEES THAT, WELL MY FRIEND FROM THE COUNTY SAID THAT THE, UH, COUNTY TRANSPORTATION PEOPLE DON'T FEEL THE SAME WAY.
AND SO THEY'RE NOT IN FAVOR OF STREET TREES OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN WITHIN TRAVIS COUNTY.
DID HE SAY WHY? THEY DON'T FEEL THE SAME WAY BECAUSE OF CONCERNS ABOUT COLLISIONS.
WE PROMISE WE WON'T PUT IN TREES OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS IN THE COUNTY.
SO THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN ISN'T A PROBLEM.
WELL NO, I WAS, I WAS JUST SURPRISED ABOUT THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD SOME ENLIGHTENMENT HERE IN THE CITY, BUT MAYBE IT'S NOT UNIVERSAL.
IF WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO TRAVIS COUNTY, WE COULD POSSIBLY TALK TO WILCO AND HAYES AS WELL SINCE THERE ARE REPORTS OF AUSTIN THERE WITHIN THE YEAH, TRUE.
THAT, YOU KNOW, JUST IN CASE YOU FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT COMPLICATED ENOUGH WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING, YOU KNOW? MM-HMM.
I WAS JUST GONNA SAY LIKE, I LIKE THE IDEA OF LIKE ACTUAL, UM, ASPIRATIONS, WELL, ACTUAL GOALS OR, UM, JUST BECAUSE IT'D BE EASIER TO HOLD LIKE PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE FOR IT.
LIKE ASPIRATIONS KIND OF LIKE ACHIEVABLE RIGHT.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER KRUEGER.
WE WANNA SEE ASPIRATIONAL GOALS.
WE CAN ALL JUST WATCH CAPTAIN PLANET, RIGHT?
FIRST OF ALL, I LIKE THE ASPIRATIONAL AND THAT LIKE, AS YOU SAID, THAT IT'S SORT OF AN AGGRESSIVE, UM, STANCE OF, OF PUTTING THIS FORWARD BECAUSE I THINK IT, THIS IS, WE'RE IN A TIME THAT IT CALLS FOR IT AND I DON'T KNOW THAT I REALLY TRUST THAT ONE 41% NUMBER.
'CAUSE AS WE, YOU KNOW, TALKED ABOUT BEFORE THE MEETING, I THINK THAT SATELLITE IMAGERY WAS TAKEN BEFORE THE LAST BIG STORM WHERE WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT IN THESE COMMITTEE MEETINGS WE LOST A LOT OF OUR TREE CANOPY.
UM, I'M CURIOUS IN Y'ALL'S CONVERSATIONS, AND I HAVEN'T BEEN ON THIS COMMITTEE AS LONG, SO MAYBE THERE'S A REASON THAT IT WASN'T INCLUDED.
I KNOW IT'S PROBABLY EXPENSIVE, BUT, UM, CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HAVING THE CITY FUND, UH, KIND OF AN URBAN FOREST INVENTORY OF TREES, UM, IN CITY PROPERTY AND RIGHT OF WAY RATHER THAN JUST RELYING ON THE SATELLITE IMAGERY.
WE DIDN'T DISCUSS THAT MOST OF OUR SURVEYING DISCUSSION WAS JUST LIMITED TO THE GIS MAPPING.
SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DISCUSS.
I WANNA SAY THAT IT MIGHT BE PART OF THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY'S RECOMMENDATIONS AS PART OF THE CLIMATE INVESTMENT PLAN, BUT I MIGHT BE WRONG.
UH, I WILL SAY THIS, I KNOW PAR DOES DO INVENTORY BECAUSE IF YOU GO TO MINI CITY PARK, THERE'S A, A DISC ABOUT THE SIZE OF A QUARTER ON A LOT OF THE LARGER TREES WITH A NUMBER ON IT.
YEARS AGO I ASKED THEM WHY IN THE WORLD DO WE HAVE THESE DISCS? AND APPARENTLY IT'S AN INVENTORY THAT THEY DO OF TREES AND APPARENTLY IT'S HERITAGE TREES OR SOME OF THE LARGER PROTECTED TREES.
SO SOMEONE SOMEWHERE IS DOING THIS FOR SOME PURPOSE.
NOW THE CITY MAY NOT BE DOING IT EVERYWHERE FOR EVERY TREE, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO LIKE, TO KEEP BETTER TRACK OF WHAT WE'VE GOT.
I KNOW THEY'RE DOING IT FOR HERITAGE TREES, BUT THE LAST ACTUAL CITYWIDE TREE SURVEY WAS 2008 AND I THINK IT WAS JUST A SUB-SECTOR AND THEY HAD TO ACTUALLY EXTRAPOLATE FOR THE WHOLE CITY.
AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT WHOLE CITY, OBVIOUSLY IT'S, I'M TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC PROPERTY PARKS AND RIGHT OF WAY.
UH, I THINK THAT ALSO COMES INTO PLAY, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST WITH OUR TREE CANOPY GOALS AND CLIMATE EQUITY GOALS, BUT ALSO DISASTER PREPAREDNESS.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THESE, THESE MAJOR STORMS. UM, AND I FEEL LIKE IT CAN ALSO KIND OF IDENTIFY IF THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WE WERE TO CONSIDER, UM, AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW, EXPENSE AND WHAT THAT WOULD ACTUALLY ADD TO THIS IF IT WOULD BE TOO MUCH BLOAT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE WEAK SPOTS POTENTIALLY IN THE, THE URBAN TREE CANOPY WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE DEMOGRAPHY, LIKE ACTUALLY THE, THE AGE OF THE TREES, YOU KNOW, WHERE IF YOU HAVE JUST LIKE THIS, THIS REALLY MATURE CANOPY AND YOU HAVE THESE MASSIVE
[02:30:01]
STORMS THAT COME THROUGH AND YOU DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, THESE YOUNGER, UM, DEMOGRAPHY OF TREES.JUST, JUST SOMETHING TO CONSIDER, I THINK, IF BEEN WORTH.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY THOUGHTFUL RESOLUTION AND I I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
SO IF YOU THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE, EMAIL US.
I MEAN, THAT'S THE MAIN THING.
DON'T, YOU KNOW, IF YOU THINK OF SOMETHING LATER, DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT YOU DIDN'T SAY IT NOW EMAIL US AND WE'LL, YOU KNOW, BE HAPPY TO CONSIDER IT AND MAKE THE CHANGES AS NECESSARY.
SO THANK YOU FOLKS FOR YOUR INPUT.
[6. Update from the Bird-Friendly Design working group on their first meeting on July 1st – Jennifer Bristol]
UM, NEXT UP WE HAVE, UM, THE UPDATE FOR THE BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN WORKING GROUP ON THEIR FIRST MEETING OF JULY 1ST.AND, UH, SO COMMISSIONER BRISTOL ASKED ME TO REPORT ON THIS, UH, COMMISSIONER EINHORN WAS THERE, COMMISSIONER KRUEGER WAS THERE.
UM, THE WOMAN FROM THE TEXAS, OH, WELL, YEAH, WELL THAT'S THE THING.
SO THERE WAS A, A PERSON FRONT REPRESENTING TRAVIS AUDUBON WHO WAS THERE.
AND PART OF WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT WAS HAVING SEMI-REGULAR MEETINGS.
WE WILL MEET AGAIN ON JULY 23RD.
UM, WE ARE RECRUITING MORE MEMBERS FOR THE WORK GROUP.
UM, THERE HAD BEEN, UH, COMM UH, COMMISSIONER BRISTOL HAD APPROACHED COUNCIL MEMBER POOLE ABOUT HAVING THIS COME DOWN FROM THE CITY COUNCIL TO ANOINT US.
UM, BUT APPARENTLY WE'RE JUST ANOINT OURSELVES.
SO THIS IS AN, A REGULAR WORK GROUP IN WHICH WE CAN HAVE OUTSIDE MEMBERS AND, UM, AND, BUT WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO KEEP IT BELOW THE QUORUM FOR THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
CAN'T Y'ALL HAVE FOUR RIGHT NOW? NO, WE JUST HAVE, UH, KRUGER, EINHORN, MYSELF AND BRISTOL FOUR.
SO, UM, SO ANYWAY, THERE'LL BE MORE REPORTING ON THIS, BUT WE'VE ONLY HAD ONE MEETING YET AND WE'RE GONNA BE RECRUITING FROM, UM, HOME BUILDERS AND UM, UH, ARCHITECTS AND, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS.
OH, AND ALSO, UM, THERE'S A NUMBER OF DOCUMENTS THAT WE DISTRIBUTED AMONG OURSELVES ALSO THAT HAVE, UM, WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING.
AND, UH, APPARENTLY NOBODY ELSE IN TEXAS IS, IS APPROACHING THIS.
UH, SO WE'RE HOPING TO LIKE PUT A STAKE IN THE GROUND ABOUT TEXAS BEING BIRD FRIENDLY, UM, WITH THIS.
SO ANYWAY, THEY'LL, WE'LL BE REPORTING ON THIS MORE IN THE FUTURE.
ANYTHING ELSE? I THINK, UH, YEAH, I THINK YOU COVERED MOST OF IT.
I MEAN, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED AT THE PROSPECT.
UM, WE'VE SET A TIMELINE FOR OURSELVES WITH A HOPE OF HAVING A RECOMMENDATION THAT WE CAN PRESENT TO THE PUBLIC, UM, AT THE LATEST BY NEXT APRIL AND KIND OF TIMING IT WITH MIGRATION SEASON.
UM, BUT ARE REALLY LOOKING TO GET A, A DIVERSITY OF OPINIONS AND INPUT INTO THIS TO MAKE THIS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY COMPELLING THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, PUT, PUT FORTH, UH, BEFORE COUNCIL AND HOPEFULLY GET SOME GOOD SUPPORT.
SO YEAH, AGAIN, WE'RE OF COURSE OPEN TO ANY EMAILS OR IDEAS THAT FOLKS HERE HAVE OR PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE LISTENING.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY FEATURES, AGENDA ITEMS? OKAY.UM, WELL,
I, UH, NO, IT'S MORE SHOCK
WELL, WITH NO OBJECTIONS, UH, IT IS 8 35 UNLESS ADJOURN THIS MEETING.