Conservation: How We're Doing

In May 2007, City Council approved a list of recommendations expected to save up to 32 million gallons of water a day during peak watering season over the next 10 years. On July 29, Austin Water Utility Director Greg Meszaros reported on the progress of each recommendation. Here are some highlights.

Water Use Management Ordinance (limits watering days for residential and commercial properties): Water-use data shows that customers are generally complying with the new restrictions, despite the drought, and that reports of water waste have increased dramatically (1,597 violations were reported in May and June, compared to 93 during those months last year and 135 in May and June 2006).

Irrigation Audits: Since hiring two additional staff members, the Water Conservation team has performed twice as many irrigation evaluations in May and June as in the same time periods in 2006 and 2007.

Public Information: Several planned outreach efforts have come to fruition in addition to Ray Benson's "Observe & Conserve" jingle, including the formation of the Citizens Water Conservation Implement­a­tion Task Force; monthly meetings bringing together "representatives from environmental, business, and community interests"; and an educational focus on the links between electricity generation, water use, and greenhouse-gas emissions.

Plumbing Fixture Retrofits: Council is expected in September to consider an ordinance requiring "mandatory retrofits of toilets, cooling towers, commercial clothes washers, and rain shut-off devices for irrigation systems"; in October, they'll consider an ordinance limiting the amount of water used at car washes.

Water-Wise Landscaping: The Austin Water Utility and the Watershed Protection and Law departments are developing "ordinances on soil-depth minimums, mandatory irrigation audits for commercial properties and residences with high-water use, and landscape requirements for new residences."

Billing Changes: The Austin Water Utility is conducting a cost-of-service study on conservation rates (which ensure that the more water a customer uses, the more the customer pays) – expected completion date is April 2009.

Reclaimed Water Projects: A reclaimed-water tank is currently under construction at the Mueller development, while the Austin Water Utility is in talks with both the Aviation Department (on the scope of reclaimed-water use at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport) and the Parks & Recreation Department (on a reclaimed-water main at Roy G. Guerrero Park).