Water Forward task force outlines lessons for 2029 plan updates, urges stronger interdepartmental collaboration

Austin Water staff told the Water Forward Task Force on Jan. 1 that they will change the approach to updating the city’s Water Forward, water conservation and drought contingency plans for the 2029 cycle, with an emphasis on reducing update burden, front‑loading technical work and increasing cross‑department participation.

City staff said the task force asked for fewer, more substantive updates rather than heavy five‑year rewrites, and suggested shifting toward a lighter 4–5 year update cadence with a more rigorous 10‑year review. Staff said they will “front load some of the difficult technical work to avoid rushing at the end” and continue to use scenario planning approaches including probabilistic forecasts.

Why it matters: The task force’s recommended changes aim to free staff time for implementation of plan strategies while preserving analytic rigor for long‑range decisions. Staff described efforts to make technical tools — demand forecasting models, climate/hydrology projections and vulnerability analyses — easier to update between full plan cycles.

Key details: Staff described the disaggregated demand model used in recent planning as a scripted, Python‑based tool that ingests QA/QC billing data from hundreds of thousands of accounts and requires geospatial processing. Staff noted that advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) will add higher‑frequency, geolocated data that offers opportunities and added complexity for demand forecasting.

Staff also reported feedback from the task force to increase involvement by the City of Austin’s equity office and to consider adding the equity office as an ex officio member of the task force. Staff said the task force’s ex officio membership structure was set by city council resolution and that any formal change would require council action.

The presenter said staff will develop an onboarding process for ex officio members and partner departments so those members can more readily participate in technical discussions and implementation work. Austin Water staff said they are already collaborating with the city demographer, housing and planning departments to align population and employment inputs that feed the demand model.

What task force members said: Members urged continued coordination with Watershed Protection, Planning, Housing, Transportation and the Office of Climate Action and Resilience. Several members encouraged staff to present disaggregated demand results — maps and time series — so the group can see how water‑use patterns shift across Austin neighborhoods and tailor conservation messaging and programs accordingly.

Looking ahead: Staff said they will document technical lessons learned, update models and tools for faster future updates, and begin scoping consultant procurement in late 2025–early 2026. Procurement timelines may require work well in advance of full plan updates.