Pflugerville public works, utilities report shows low water loss, big utility CIP and a push on district metering and conservation

Pflugerville — Public Works and Utilities staff told the City Council that development review, floodplain management and a large slate of utility capital projects are under way as the city grows, and they highlighted several operational programs intended to cut water loss and prepare the system for expansion.

At a presentation to council, Director of Development Engineering Robin Mika summarized development‑review activity over the previous year: the department reviewed 21 public improvement plans (water, streets, wastewater and drainage), handled 15 development agreements and processed multiple site development and disturbance permits. Mika said the city’s floodplain administrator reviews floodplain development applications and coordinates with FEMA and the Texas Water Development Board; she also said Atlas 14 flood mapping increased mapped floodplain areas and that the city no longer permits new structures in floodplain areas.

Mika noted a number of active projects and subdivisions, including Long Point Industrial (awaiting a TxDOT driveway/donation agreement), Lakeside Meadows and Meadowlark Preserve. She told council a roadway impact‑fee study is underway and said consultants will present a draft with maximum assessable fee calculations before the council considers rates.

Brandon Pershing, utility director, briefed council on water treatment, distribution and conservation programs. He described a major capital project to replace membrane trains at the water plant and said an existing train costs roughly $1 million; the plant has five trains. Pershing said the city is adding pretreatment to protect the new membranes and expects the expanded facility to come online in 2026. He said operators will receive extensive training on the new equipment.

Staff described efforts to use smart meters and district‑metering areas (DMAs) to reduce unaccounted water loss. Pershing and staff said the city’s AMI enrollment in the WaterSmart portal was about 19 percent in early 2024; customers who sign up receive leak alerts. Since the portal’s launch, staff estimated residents and the city detected roughly 2,500,000 gallons saved from leaks identified before bills were issued. The utility reported an unaccounted‑for water rate of 3.11 percent, below the American Water Works Association benchmark of 10 percent.

The utility overview also described a GoAqua platform that integrates SCADA, GIS and hydraulic modeling for real‑time operational decisions, a pilot leak correlator program to pinpoint leaks within neighborhoods and multiple conservation rebate programs (rainwater harvesting, irrigation evaluations, a "Flourishing Floral" rebate for 0‑scaping) that have partner funding from LCRA.

On wastewater, staff said the central treatment plant recently had 40‑year‑old sludge holding tank diffusers replaced and negotiated lower bulk chemical costs; the wastewater group continues to manage an industrial pretreatment program for high‑strength dischargers.

Public Works operations directors summarized street and drainage work, traffic‑signal monitoring and pavement maintenance. The city’s new traffic‑signal monitoring platform (referred to in the presentation as Syntrax mobility) and battery backups were cited as measures to reduce outages, and staff said they perform planned pavement preservation and scheduling across a five‑year plan.

Abby Morrison, public‑works services director, outlined right‑of‑way and real‑estate acquisition workload: the city currently has 23 CIP projects in acquisition covering 364 parcels and typically takes about six months to acquire needed easements, she said.

Staff emphasized the size of the forthcoming utility capital program: Pershing said three utility‑fund CIP projects make up roughly $500 million of the utility CIP portfolio to serve long‑term growth.

Council members asked for follow‑up on several items, including the roadway impact‑fee review assumptions for service‑unit calculations and the treatment of parking requirements in the Unified Development Code.

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