Robert Goode, a former assistant city manager with infrastructure planning experience, will take the helm of Austin Water next month following the departure of the utility's longtime director, Greg Meszaros.
Meszaros tendered his resignation last month after operational failure at Austin Water led to a citywide boil-water notice and left residents and businesses without reliable drinking water over the course of four days in early February. The incident was the third sweeping boil notice during Meszaros' 15-year tenure at Austin Water and the first linked directly to human error; the previous two stemmed from historic flooding in 2018 and Winter Storm Uri in 2021.
Meszaros remains at the utility in the wake of the breakdown to assist with its leadership transition and has appeared before City Council for several hearings about the February situation and the utility's operations. In his February resignation letter, Meszaros credited the utility's work and thanked city leadership for support throughout his time as director.
"I have embraced the job, and I believe I have demonstrated strong leadership and an exemplary work ethic. The job does take a toll, though, and part of being a courageous leader is knowing when it is time to allow others with new energy and insight to come forward. I take full responsibility for any shortcomings at the utility this past week," Meszaros wrote Feb. 11.
