As Austin continues to grow in the face of dwindling natural resources, the city is putting in some safeguards to preserve and replenish what's left of the latter. With the long-term aim of saving 16 million gallons of drinking water per day though reclaimed water and onsite water reuse, the City Council Thursday approved key elements of one of them.
The council voted to approve significant parts of a program it's calling GoPurple, a reference to the color of pipes used to move reclaimed water, signing off on water sustainability code changes, program incentives, and funding mechanisms to support foundational aspects of Austin Water’s Water Forward initiative.
The changes include mandatory water reuse for most large new developments, with possible exemptions for some affordable housing, an agreement with Travis County to provide reclaimed water connections for its Austin courthouse, a step forward in partnering with the county on similar projects.
GoPurple code changes will primarily affect developments greater than 250,000 square feet. Projects of that size built within 500 feet of the city’s purple-pipe reclaimed water infrastructure must connect to it or install an on-site water reuse system.
Under the Water Forward initiative, Austin Water partners with the Lower Colorado River Authority to assess water use and water quality for the Austin region. GoPurple expands reclaimed water infrastructure so that stormwater, air conditioning condensate, and other used water can be collected, treated, and repurposed for flushing toilets, landscape watering, and other purposes not involving drinking water.
Part of the funding to expand the reclaimed water system will come from an additional 15-cent fee for every 1,000 gallons of water Austin Water customers use, which it says will raise the average customer’s bill by $1.47 per month. The charge will not apply to Customer Assistance Program customers.
Austin water will also establish a voluntary rate program, Purple Choice and Purple Choice Plus, for residential and commercial customers who want to support reclaimed system expansion and programs, and it's exploring additional programming to apply excess usage fees when potable water allotments exceed benchmarking.
“Every drop of cheaper reclaimed water that we use for maintaining landscaping and flushing toilets keeps precious drinking water from spiraling down the drain,” said Austin Water's Shay Ralls Roalson in a press release. “Our Water Forward plan ... is critical given the drought we are experiencing now and climate impacts to our water supply in the future.”
The GoPurple program also "addresses generational and long-lasting affordability to Austin Water’s customers by avoiding an estimated $10 million in potential Lower Colorado River Authority annual water-use fees," according to the release.
GoPurple strategies for development projects to meet the new requirements affordably include expanding current incentives to promote water efficiency and conservation, reducing monthly fixed charges, expediting the building permit review process, low-interest loans, cost sharing, and Travis County-administered PACE assessments and financing.
