[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6665536,"mediaKeyId","2352009-126cafa285d12ef4cadbd616603c41a6","parentId",2352009,"title","Austin Water says AMI rollout is nearly complete; portal estimates nearly 1.2 billion gallons saved by leak alerts","audioSeconds",576,"startMs",2414000,"endMs",2990000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2352009-126cafa285d12ef4cadbd616603c41a6&start=2414&end=2990","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2352009-126cafa285d12ef4cadbd616603c41a6/thumbnail_2414000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6665536/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Austin-Water-says-AMI-rollout-is-nearly-complete-portal-estimates-nearly-12-billion-gallons-saved-by-leak-alerts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6665536-6f44155fe191a5b9de21e83950496ac2/orig.mp4?Expires=1773661387&Signature=VZ0FmIomYCdNUgzY8bgkEUhKMAicMps9ctcl5Xn4eVAlZHMukRuS8s5RIYBMwALASYoAP15EpVwNQL3oAQk7JwYv~-TB8FqfH4kkoaGaBZIF4s2WTaSQownvwKUZYTtf4F~0DddA5NBJ8nb30mT2Oqd6UcOpxTYyd8SgBIcYg4M7kSm0v~14uCL-xd15reXxoG82mLg4IRFQgvPxcc556oQhXZi~ZUMbMrfdYUbVpRJOHMJKzoF-oeZO2Q-qSk8DTjZ-Py~loNY52IbCCiliqDh5OtPewekecRwaK6zjrUwujTEJ-0uWD1oMc3pt1hC~eoTnUhV4IOW5r9sV8cbBGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","Randy Jenkins, assistant director of customer experience at Austin Water, told the Water and Wastewater Commission on Feb. 19 that the myATX advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) deployment is nearly finished and is already delivering customer and conservation benefits.

Jenkins said the utility has replaced roughly 258,957 meters systemwide, with 98.86% of the meter exchanges complete and an average of 99.96% billable reads being delivered to the billing system. He said all data collection units for the network are installed and operating, and that the system is configured so each meter can reach at least three data collectors to provide redundancy.

The customer portal and AMI communications have driven customer engagement, Jenkins said. He reported more than 5 million portal communications sent since deployment began, a portal recruitment open rate around 70% for install notices, and significant leak‑detection messaging: the portal has sent hundreds of thousands of continuous‑usage alerts and estimates customers and the utility together have saved about 1,199,000,000 gallons of water since 2021 through leak notifications and related actions.

Jenkins outlined the remaining work: just over 1,000 meter exchanges remain, including several hundred larger meters that are on backorder and slightly more than 500 small meters that require maintenance tasks before exchange. He said final work on obsolete fire‑demand meters will require a separate engineering and construction procurement.

Commissioners asked several operational questions, including how leak notifications are triggered and how many notifications are ultimately resolved. Jenkins said the threshold was adjusted during deployment to reduce false positives and that staff can provide the commission with the specific gallons‑per‑minute or continuous‑use criteria. He also described customer support processes, including a dedicated call center and a QA process that required two manual meter reads to validate AMI electronic reads before moving customers to meter‑to‑bill electronic reads.

Commissioners praised the conservation results and encouraged continued outreach. Jenkins said future work will focus on leveraging AMI for district‑metering, pressure monitoring and enhanced leak detection, and on integrating AMI data into conservation programs and operations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - Water and Wastewater Commission - Feb 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Austin Water reported Feb. 19 that its myATX advanced metering infrastructure deployment is 98.86% complete with 99.96% billable reads and that portal leak notifications are estimated to have saved about 1.199 billion gallons of water since 2021.","taxTitle","Austin, Travis County, Texas","taxId",2819,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6665541,"Commission backs ordinance to allow engineered wastewater ‘flow factor’ billing for on‑site reuse systems",1113,412000,1525000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2352009-126cafa285d12ef4cadbd616603c41a6&start=412&end=1525","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2352009-126cafa285d12ef4cadbd616603c41a6/thumbnail_412000.jpg","/articles/6665541/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Commission-backs-ordinance-to-allow-engineered-wastewater-flow-factor-billing-for-onsite-reuse-systems","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6665541-07eba004ef82e6a3f83e8609d203442d/orig.mp4?Expires=1773661387&Signature=d1y9fnov~0XFiVq92Qx~PtIwGGkDNMD-~kJRvl9I4inpLJmPdXzYZ42hd0KlO2yk7ypf8S6Cm-NPDRE2G7L3Cqm9Ec9c9JqowLJti7ChpezhNq0vWuoQpMTMdnMIyKOe3KlS3Oj5ui7MopLB~VTfbiD8Brl3NJ27ILtsOE~YOSmj5cKNX~UKdhzr-ZsfSGie8jfUku6sCNwL8SWa5GoiSqlL~f7MPefZWLdxtn6N-SXZq~yZdc-W2GQgMyj29gL6CzuAcdBJh3jEGvH-~YWgvebMcZT0uJ0wq~Si-p6P91TRKHV-LTzZ-znHfT6DcoTJtlRBA91wq9cOaFNyxd1gJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City of Austin Water and Wastewater Commission on Feb. 19 voted unanimously to recommend approval of an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 15‑9 to authorize a wastewater flow factor billing method for customers with on‑site water reuse systems and to allow customers with evaporative losses from cooling towers the option to apply for flow‑factor billing at renewal.

Catherine Jasinski, supervising engineer on the reclaimed and reuse plan review team, told commissioners the change is intended to resolve a billing challenge created by on‑site reuse projects required under the Go Purple program. \"The Go Purple program...includes code changes related to on‑site water reuse and reclaimed water connections for commercial and multifamily, new development projects,\" she said, describing the program’s goal of increasing reclaimed water use and extending drinking water supplies. Staff said incentives for some projects are funded by a community benefit charge adding $0.15 per 1,000 gallons to retail water bills to support reclaimed water system expansion.

Jasinski explained that because Austin does not meter wastewater directly, projects that capture rainwater, condensate or graywater and send it to toilets and irrigation complicate a simple gallon‑for‑gallon billing approach. Relying on extra private meters to capture wastewater from nonpotable systems creates extra hardware, maintenance and manual billing work. As an alternative, staff proposed allowing an engineered wastewater flow factor based on project water‑balance calculations submitted with permits.

Using the flow factor, wastewater billed to a customer equals the domestic meter read multiplied by an engineering‑calculated factor that represents the wastewater volume expected to reach the sewer collection system. Jasinski presented an illustrative example in which the domestic fixtures produced 25% of indoor water use while nonpotable toilet supply produced 75%, yielding a factor of 4 — meaning four gallons of wastewater per gallon read on the domestic meter.

Staff noted peer utilities have used engineered approaches: San Antonio Water System offers engineered calculations for commercial customers, and San Francisco planned a similar method but reverted to private meters because of billing‑system constraints. Austin staff said the city’s water‑balance calculator is reviewed by city engineers and validated with demand modeling.

The ordinance would add flow‑factor billing as a fifth wastewater billing method in Chapter 15‑9. For projects required by code as part of Go Purple (for example, large commercial or multifamily projects, or those with cooling towers and certain distance to reclaimed mains), staff said the flow‑factor method would be mandatory; for evaporative‑loss cooling‑tower customers, staff proposed an option to apply for the flow factor at their five‑year renewal using their accumulated meter data.

Commissioners asked about program safeguards and possible fraud. A city engineer who spoke during the meeting recommended project submittals be sealed by a licensed engineer to add accountability; staff said they will review submissions and look for inconsistencies, and that existing permit and plan‑review processes would detect outliers. Commissioners also discussed graywater scenarios and residential incentives; staff said the flow‑factor method can accommodate graywater and that the current proposal applies to commercial on‑site reuse systems, not a widespread residential wastewater credit, though commissioners suggested exploring incentives for residential graywater in the future.

Commissioner Maxwell Gaines moved to recommend the ordinance; Commissioner Marardi seconded. The commission recorded a unanimous vote to recommend approval. Staff said the ordinance carries no direct physical impact and that an affordability impact statement prepared for the ordinance was neutral.","The commission recommended amending City Code Chapter 15‑9 to add a wastewater flow factor billing method for on‑site water reuse systems and to offer evaporative‑loss cooling‑tower customers the option to use flow‑factor calculations; the vote was unanimous.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6665546,"Commission recommends $32.6 million Ross Road North contract with Denucci Contractors",224,142000,366000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2352009-126cafa285d12ef4cadbd616603c41a6&start=142&end=366","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2352009-126cafa285d12ef4cadbd616603c41a6/thumbnail_142000.jpg","/articles/6665546/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Commission-recommends-326-million-Ross-Road-North-contract-with-Denucci-Contractors","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6665546-29790c419653f83f106ede1a7f623072/orig.mp4?Expires=1773661387&Signature=KcU9T19j~CJvH07tpWyrEhOcL1Hi1K4PQVkBso0GO4kVrCPeTsU0IPJs2Q8GaL2TjMbE5n9WFzSUI7IvjH15N5u2jhbni83QpMXM6v5NWkO9nTEnI~cXiK4cUQ4U6YkiWtEr9N12wpEXcqZhOLVXf3vARoprngmb9UiQV2rjhpAD9Gti-HrfFRXHuo-3t1QM26qKGzcQAKWntNid~4OHHIfIx8PhtY~dVh-zN0EMZ3g2wVFssuKxIYWjWgGIHYOazdd3okiipVDzuDlHQVpNXAgLDwyzd6-0kEl~kUlK~BYmdm52mBHydCWaK0ibciPN2I9tC4IKBuLHWYacMIqTvQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City of Austin Water and Wastewater Commission on Feb. 19 recommended approval of a construction contract for the 2020 Bond Substandard Streets project, Ross Road North, with Denucci Contractors LLC for $29,650,594 plus a contingency of $2,965,059.40, for a total contract amount not to exceed $32,615,653.40. The commission voted unanimously to forward the recommendation to City Council.

According to the staff report presented to the commission, $29,669,890.33 is available in the Transportation and Public Works capital budget and $2,945,762.07 is available in the Austin Water capital budget to fund the contract. Commissioners raised questions about how water‑related infrastructure within the project is funded and how bid items are apportioned among partner departments.

Kevin Koehler, listed in the meeting transcript as division manager, Austin Water, explained that the project includes extensive water infrastructure and that the city coordinates bid items across partner agencies to capture efficiencies. \"We break this down in coordination with our partner agencies where their bid items...and then we get the bid items, and we look at that,\" he said, describing the shared-site benefits that reduce mobilization and environmental-control costs.

Commissioner Seon moved to approve the recommendation; Commissioner Reyes seconded. Chairing commissioners called for a hand vote and recorded a unanimous result. No recusals were recorded.

The contract as presented is for construction services tied to the 2020 bond program and includes a contingency to cover potential change orders. Staff indicated they could perform a further analysis of bid line‑item breakdowns if commissioners wanted additional detail before council consideration.

The commission moved on to other agenda items after the unanimous vote. The contract will appear on a future City Council agenda for final authorization and award.","The City of Austin Water and Wastewater Commission on Feb. 19 recommended approval of a $32.6 million construction contract for Ross Road North with funding split between Transportation & Public Works and Austin Water; the vote was unanimous.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Austin Water says AMI rollout is nearly complete; portal estimates nearly 1.2 billion gallons saved by leak alerts

Commission backs ordinance to allow engineered wastewater ‘flow factor’ billing for on‑site reuse systems

Commission recommends $32.6 million Ross Road North contract with Denucci Contractors