en.Wedoany.com Reported - Austin Water has launched "Water Forward," a century-long water strategy designed to meet the city's water supply needs for the next 100 years. Approved by the city council in November 2024, the plan's core strategies include water conservation, water reuse, and developing new water sources. Randi Jenkins, Deputy Director of Technical Services, stated that the plan aims to develop and implement environmentally conscious water management strategies to adapt to population growth, drought, and climate change.
Central to the plan is the "GoPurple" program, which achieves water reuse through three methods: on-site water reuse systems that collect roof runoff and air conditioning condensate for toilet flushing, irrigation, and cooling; decentralized reclaimed water systems that treat domestic sewage and distribute it for use in buildings; and centralized reclaimed water systems that pump treated water citywide through a purple pipe network for non-potable use in development projects. To ensure new construction aligns with reuse requirements, starting in May 2026, new commercial, multi-family residential, and mixed-use developments with an area of 250,000 square feet or more must install on-site water reuse systems or connect to the city's centralized reclaimed water system. Jenkins noted that this size threshold will gradually decrease through phased implementation.
The GoPurple program is funded by a Community Benefit Charge (CBC) of 15 cents per 1,000 gallons of water used, resulting in an average monthly water bill increase of $1.47 per household and raising $10 million annually. Development projects that meet reuse requirements are eligible for incentives, including expedited permit reviews and on-site and reclaimed water system pilots. By 2040, Austin Water aims to save 16 million gallons of water per day. Management Engineer Teresa Lutes explained that the team is tracking the number of reclaimed water meters in the centralized system, the length of newly installed water mains, and the volume of reclaimed water used to assess project progress and make timely adjustments. Population growth is a key indicator, tracked in gallons per capita per day. The city currently serves approximately 1.1 million people, a figure expected to exceed 3 million by the next century.
Two years into the GoPurple program, the Permitting and Development Center has installed an on-site blackwater system that treats 5,000 gallons per day, reducing potable water demand by 75%. Some campus-level developments focusing on stormwater and condensate are larger, treating hundreds of thousands of gallons per day. Jenkins pointed out that many projects are using the incentive program to install their own blackwater systems to achieve sustainability goals, saving an estimated 60 million gallons or more annually. Additionally, several county facilities have retrofitted cooling towers to use reclaimed water instead of potable water for evaporative cooling systems, saving hundreds of thousands of gallons per month.
Currently, there are approximately 80 miles of reclaimed water pipes within Austin Water's service area, a significant gap compared to the city's 4,000 miles of potable water pipes. The utility is developing a long-term reclaimed water plan to determine next steps, with current focus on expanding both centralized and decentralized systems and making key infrastructure upgrades. Since 2024, reclaimed water has evolved from a supplemental source used only for irrigation to the city's third utility, serving essential functions like toilet flushing. Principal Engineer Katherine Jashinski stated that the technical feasibility of the program has been proven, and other cities have consulted on related regulations and implementation details.
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