Austin Water outlines field-testing plan for aquifer storage and brackish desalination, seeks additional council authorization

An Austin Water presenter briefed the Water Forward Task Force on early site planning and a phased community engagement strategy for aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) and brackish groundwater desalination field testing focused on Eastern Travis County.

Staff said they have previously received City Council authorization for up to $6,000,000 to hire HDR for early analyses and have used roughly half of that amount. About $3,000,000 remains to cover early desktop updates and pre-drilling work, which staff said can be approved administratively. For more extensive field testing that includes test-well drilling, pump tests, laboratory analyses and geochemical studies, staff told the task force they will request additional City Council authorization in late May: "an additional $15,000,000" to cover expanded scope, which staff described verbally as bringing the total contract amount to about $21,000,000 (the transcript includes inconsistent wording that also referenced $22,000,000; staff clarified the additional request would be subject to Council action on the planned schedule).

Staff said the expanded field-testing scope would cover drilling of up to four exploratory wells, geophysical logging, core sampling, pump testing and water-quality/compatibility studies; they emphasized this phase is data collection only and would not authorize large-scale piloting or the subsurface injection that a full ASR pilot would require. The presenter told the group that yield estimates for a Trinity-Aquifer ASR project in Eastern Travis County are likely to be materially lower than earlier Bastrop-area estimates'potentially about a third of prior yield estimates'and that field results will inform updated yield and cost estimates.

Stakeholders asked whether city-owned land could be used for test wells and what permitting and coordination would be needed with nearby water users; staff said initial test-well work will prioritize city-owned properties and will include outreach to local water providers such as the City of Manor. Staff outlined a three-phase engagement plan (internal and early stakeholder engagement Jan—May; broader community outreach May—Sep with open houses and targeted outreach to environmental groups, neighborhood associations, large customers and regional entities; then milestone communications as sites are selected) and said the Water/Wastewater Commission review is scheduled for May 20 and City Council consideration is planned for May 28.

Staff also acknowledged community sensitivities about using parkland and potential concerns about groundwater districts. They said they will coordinate with city departments (including Watershed Protection, Austin Energy and Parks & Recreation) and examine permitting, environmental and cultural-resource constraints as part of the site-selection process. If Council authorizes the expanded scope, staff said drilling could begin in 2027 and additional authorizations would be required before any full pilot or construction.