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Austin Water presents first quarterly Water Management Strategies report; small rise in quarterly per‑capita use
Summary
Austin Water delivered its first quarterly implementation report for water-management strategies on May 21, showing increased residential rebate activity and leak-alert savings and a 1-gallon-per-capita rise in quarterly GPCD compared with Q1 2024.
Austin Water presented its first quarterly implementation report on May 21, covering January–March 2025, with metrics and milestones across five strategy areas: water conservation, water loss, reclaimed water and on-site reuse, conservation outreach and water-supply projects.
Kevin Kluge, Water Conservation Division Manager, told the commission the quarterly slide deck is a new, ongoing product intended to provide timely, repeatable metrics; staff said all quarterly data are preliminary and subject to annual validation.
Key takeaways in the presentation: - Rebates: Q1 2025 saw a notable increase in landscape-related residential rebates compared with Q1 2024; staff credited public-information outreach for much of the uptick. - Leak alerts and smart meters: Deployment of Austin’s MyATX smart meter system has increased leak alerts and estimated savings reported for Q1 compared with Q1 2024, as the metering system continues to be rolled out. - Water-loss work: Staff reported progress implementing Black & Veatch recommendations on water-loss reduction and increased funds for service-line replacement; water-main break counts and infrastructure-leakage-index measures are weather-sensitive and showed mixed trends for the quarter. - Reclaimed water/on-site reuse: The reclaimed system grew modestly (two new reclaimed meters reported, total 222), and three on-site reuse construction permits were approved in the quarter. Staff emphasized the Go Purple incentive changes (approved earlier in the meeting) and ongoing work to expand purple‑pipe projects. - GPCD (gallons per capita daily): The quarter-to-quarter comparison showed total GPCD in Q1 2025 was one gallon per capita higher than Q1 2024; staff noted that GPCD is primarily an annual metric and single-quarter comparisons have limitations.
During Q&A commissioners pressed staff on participation in Go Purple incentives, the reliability and automation of metrics reporting, and the status of long-term supply projects such as aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) and indirect potable reuse. Staff said the Go Purple program had three historical applicants (two active projects), that outreach and demonstrations should increase voluntary participation, and that the quarterly report is intended to be a sustainable slide-deck product that staff will refine.
Why it matters: the quarterly report is intended to provide earlier, regular feedback to council, the commission and the public on progress toward Austin’s water-conservation and supply goals, and to track implementation milestones for generational projects.
Ending: Staff asked commissioners and stakeholders for feedback on the report format and metrics; Austin Water plans quarterly updates and additional analysis of volumetric yields in future reports.
