Austin Water Announces Workshop On Water Reuse Systems

AUSTIN, TX – Austin Water invites anyone interested in incorporating innovative and cost-effective water reuse systems into their building to join the Alternative On-Site Water Use Workshop on June 25.
 
Austin’s 100-year water plan, Water Forward, calls for increased use of alternative waters such as rainwater, stormwater, greywater, and air conditioning condensate to meet non-potable water needs.

Case studies from local and national projects will demonstrate how these projects can be implemented, the benefits they provide and how challenges can be addressed.

The workshop is open to all interested stakeholders and will be beneficial for anyone involved in building, including design architects, building engineers and developers.
 
“Increasing the amount of alternative water available to meet non-drinking water demands will help Austin diversify its water resource portfolio and increase resiliency. We look forward to continuing this dialogue to demonstrate how we can successfully implement these projects in Austin,” said Marisa Flores Gonzalez, Water Forward Program Manager.

At the workshop, Austin Water staff also will present new ordinance concepts focused on requirements that developments over 250,000 square feet submit water balance applications and use alternative and onsite waters to meet indoor and outdoor non-potable demands.

Attendees will be asked to give input on these ordinance concepts.

Staff is working to develop proposed ordinance language by fall 2019 to align with Council directives to develop proposed ordinance language, as feasible, to coincide with the schedule for adopting an updated Land Development Code.
 
“Input from stakeholders is critical as Austin Water works to develop ordinance language on an accelerated timeline. Austin Water encourages affected stakeholders and those interested in these ordinances to attend the workshop and participate in future stakeholder input opportunities,” said Flores Gonzalez.
 
Agenda Overview

Morning Focus: Case Studies in Alternative Onsite Water Systems

• Hear first-hand experiences with designing and building alternative onsite water systems

Keynote Speaker: Paula Kehoe, Director of Water Resources, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

• Learn how the City of San Francisco has increased use of alternative water through ordinance requirements

Afternoon Focus: Water Forward Ordinance Development Workshop

• Give input to help shape future City of Austin ordinance requirements regarding alternative water systems.

Event Details

June 25, 2019, 8:30 AM – 4 PM.
4800 Spicewood Springs, Austin, Texas 78759 (at Austin Board of Realtors Headquarters)
RSVP: https://onsitereuse.eventbrite.com
Lunch will be provided for attendees who RSVP in advance.
  
Contact Marisa Flores Gonzalez, marisa.flores@austintexas.gov or 512-972-0194 for more information. Learn more about the Water Forward Plan at austintexas.gov/waterforward.