City officials are navigating community discussions on whether water conservation targets are aggressive enough during the second year of drought restrictions.
Following changes to the city’s Water Forward, Drought Contingency, and Conservation plans in November, Austin Water presented its first quarterly progress report to the Climate, Water, Environment, and Parks Committee of the City Council. As the city deals with climate change and more severe droughts, water advocates have already expressed worries that the plans’ conservation targets fall short.
Since August 2023, Austin has been subject to Stage 2 drought restrictions. The recent significant rainfall that caused devastating floods in Kerrville and sections of the Austin area has partially restored water storage, according to Austin Water Assistant Director Kevin Critendon. “But, you know, this is a marathon and not a sprint in the context of 100-year water supply planning,” he continued.
Shay Ralls Roalson, director of Austin Water, who has been in charge of the utility since soon after Winter Storm Uri, discussed the city’s continuous reorganization in relation to conservation and emergency preparedness plans.
How to reduce our gallons per capita per day (GPCD) was one of the main topics of discussion last fall. “I said,” she said. A five-year conservation goal to reduce community-wide water use to 119 GPCD was introduced in the November plan amendments. Austin averaged 130 GPCD in 2023 and 2024.
According to Roalson, we are not the only ones in Texas seeing a plateau in water demand. That’s really worrying.
Fixing water system leaks is one way to lower water consumption in the neighborhood. Austin’s infrastructure leakage index increased dramatically between 2023 and 2024, according to an external assessment conducted last year. Roalson highlighted enhanced metering at facilities that indicates more water entering the water system than previously estimated, attributing a portion of this rise to an accounting problem.
Roalson also admitted that the leaks were caused by some infrastructure problems. Many of Austin’s water service lines are made of polybutylene piping, which became popular in the 1980s.
We have plenty of that material, but it hasn’t stood up over time. For a while now, removing that content from our service system has been a top priority, she stated. The city’s water main break rate has improved from above the industry average to better than optimal thanks to Austin Water’s Renewing Austin program, which replaces underperforming pipes, Roalson continued.
Customers can also sign up for notifications that can reveal leakage to reduce their water loss since AW implemented smart water meters. After the leaks are fixed, the utility provides adjustments for excessive bills.
City officials think that another way to support conservation efforts is through irrigation management. According to Kevin Kluge, manager of the Water Conservation Division, Austin Water has started examining new irrigation techniques to encourage household water efficiency. Additionally, AW is looking into ways to increase adherence to lawn watering regulations, such as offering infractions a defensive driving training. In order to alert consumers when they are watering outside of their designated periods, the utility is now testing its new smart water metering system.
Additionally, there has been a rise in interest in some of Austin Water’s volunteer initiatives. Between early 2024 and early 2025, the number of applications to AW’s WaterWise Landscape and Rainscape Rebate programs rose by 900 and 350 percent, respectively.
Kluge cited certain advancements in the city’s onsite water reuse and recovered water programs, which the City Council decided to extend in 2024. These systems recycle wastewater for use in irrigation, cooling, and toilet flushing, among other non-potable uses. To increase the size of its reclaimed water system, AW has started five projects. In order to investigate full subsidies for connections, dual plumbing, and reuse systems for extremely affordable housing projects, the utility also finished a feasibility study earlier this year. Developers have expressed interest in working with AW to establish subsidies for these systems, according to Kluge.
The utility is working on long-term measures to diversify and ensure Austin’s future water supply in addition to short-term conservation initiatives. Among the crucial tactics mentioned in the Water Forward Plan are:
- Aquifer storage and recovery storing treated water underground for use during droughts
- Indirect potable reuse treating wastewater through multiple processes until it s safe for consumption
- Potential use of the Walter E. Long reservoir as an off-channel supplement to Austin s water supply
Kluge stated that in upcoming quarterly reports, the company will provide substantial updates on these initiatives.
Ryan Alter, a council member and committee chair, cited the city’s tiered water cost structure as a powerful incentive for conservation. He claimed that while education is important, people’s monthly bills are what truly make a difference.
“We are going to do all of the things and incentivize and disincentivize people with every tool that we have,” Roalson confirmed, confirming that the utility is making use of all available resources.
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