For single-family homeowners in Northwest Austin City Council districts 6 and 10—who have the highest water usage in the city, according to Austin Water—a 100-year water-management plan could mean a future of ordinances and incentives directly affecting their front lawns and water bills.
Called the Integrated Water Resource Plan, or Water Forward, the plan aims to provide both mid- and long-term plans for the city’s water supply and demand management options. The city is still gathering public input on the plan, which will be completed in 2018 and updated every five years.
In August, the Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force presented future water supply and demand options and the estimated costs of each option as well as how much water the option could produce or conserve.
Why have a 100-year plan?
After the drought that plagued Central Texas from 2007-15, the task force recommended the city of Austin begin to plan ahead for future droughts and the effects of climate change. Marisa Flores Gonzalez, the Water Forward project manager, said the Austin community as a whole should be concerned about water right now. “We’re out of that drought now, but that just means this is a good time to plan,” Gonzalez said. Studies conducted by the task force back up Gonzalez’s belief that Austin should begin planning for future water shortages. In February, Water Forward estimated the city’s water needs in 2020, 2040, 2070 and 2115. Overall with baseline demands, they found the city’s needs during prolonged droughts will increase overtime and by 2115 will exceed the city’s current contract for water with LCRA. Additionally, the task force hired climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe to conduct a climate change analysis. She found Austin’s data consistent with larger-scale trends observed throughout the U.S. and the world. Residents can expect to see increases in annual and seasonal average temperatures, more frequent high-temperature extremes, little change in average precipitation, more frequent extreme precipitation and more summer drought conditions due to hotter weather, Hayhoe’s findings said.Plan’s effect on residents
Aside from caring about the future of Austin’s water supply, Gonzalez said residents should be aware of how the plan will impact their wallets. Because areas in Northwest Austin use more water than other parts of the city, it may be affected more by community costs in the plan. Sharlene Leurig, chairwoman of the Water Forward Task Force and a representative from City Council District 4, hypothesized single-family homes in Northwest Austin City Council districts used more water than other areas of the city because the homes have larger yards and areas of grass. Both Leurig and Gonzalez emphasized Austin Water wants to work with Northwest Austin residents to explore alternative methods of water use, such as collecting and purifying rainwater for reuse. “Maybe the residents who currently have landscapes that are not as water-efficient would be interested in using some of our incentive programs to transform their landscapes and save water,” Gonzalez said. In August, the task force suggested ordinances requiring more water-efficient landscaping and alternative water-use methods would only affect new housing developments. At the same time the city would roll out incentives similar to those ordinances for pre-existing homes. These incentives could possibly include monetary benefits, but Gonzalez said Austin Water will not know the details until early 2018. As the task force considers what part of the plan will be incentive-based or ordinance-based, residents have the chance now to voice their priorities.
