Tag Archives: Austin Water Utility
Monday, August 31, 2020 by Mose Buchele
Water
City could store three Lake Austins’ worth of water underground by 2040
Austin gets all of its water from the Highland Lakes, but that might not always be the case. The city recently took a first step toward storing massive amounts of water underground. If the plan works, it could help Austin…
Tuesday, August 18, 2020 by Jessi Devenyns
Water
Austin Water aims to bring new conservation ordinances before Council in December
Timelines across the city have been adjusted or paused following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the ongoing limitations imposed by the “new normal” have not stopped Austin Water from developing new conservation ordinances to bring before City Council…
Monday, August 17, 2020 by Jo Clifton
Parks
Neighbors of Bright Leaf worry about fire risk
After a City Council vote on July 29 allowing the city to take over management of Bright Leaf Preserve from the Austin Community Foundation, some residents worried about what that might mean for their Northwest Austin neighborhoods, especially in terms of…
Thursday, May 14, 2020 by Jo Clifton
Water
With businesses shut, Austin Water’s revenues fall
Austin Water, which contributed an extra $5 million to the city’s utility customer assistance program and cut rates by 10 percent in an effort to help those affected by the coronavirus, has itself felt the impact of business closures on…
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 by Jo Clifton
City Hall
City takes precautions for critical employees
Electricity. Water. Trash pickup. The city of Austin provides all these services and we take it as a given that they will be there when we need them.Even as most Austinites have been ordered to stay home, the employees who…
Monday, March 30, 2020 by Jessi Devenyns
Water
Austin Water reports happier customers and over-budget expenses for first quarter
In a mixed start to the year, Austin Water reported expenses that were 14 percent above budget for the quarter and revenues that were 6.2 percent higher than projections.“We were above our (revenue) budget by $8.79 million,” Christina Romero, Austin…
Friday, March 6, 2020 by Jo Clifton
Water
Digital meter reading coming to Austin Water
Austin Water is preparing to roll out digital water meters that will allow the utility, as well as individual customers, to see how much water each customer is using every hour. Ultimately, every single one of the utility’s 240,000 meters…
Wednesday, February 19, 2020 by Jessi Devenyns
Uncategorized
Water and Wastewater Commission learns cause of foamy water
On Jan. 22, residents in South Austin reported foamy water in their taps following the Austin Fire Department’s extinguishing of a church fire.At the Feb. 12 meeting of the Water and Wastewater Commission, Rick Coronado, the assistant director of Austin…
Monday, January 6, 2020 by Jo Clifton
City Hall
After years of service, Slusher retires from city
After nine years on City Council, about 18 months at Austin Energy and more than 12 years as Austin Water’s assistant director for environmental affairs and conservation, Daryl Slusher hung up his city spurs last week, retiring on Dec. 31.…
Monday, December 16, 2019 by Katherine Corley
Water
Over 60 roadway improvements require relocation of water and wastewater lines
At the Dec. 11 meeting of the Water and Wastewater Commission, Austin Water presented an update on the 65 active transportation improvement projects that necessitate the repositioning of water utility lines. Of those projects, 56 percent are in the planning…
Friday, November 8, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Water
Fighting zebra mussels to be costly
Zebra mussels, the tiny mollusks that have infested lakes from the Great Lakes to Lake Travis, have now proliferated in Lake Austin. “They’re on the docks and on the piers in the millions, maybe the billions,” according to Greg Meszaros,…
Friday, November 1, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Uncategorized
Audit: City water employees misused positions
Two employees of Austin Water misused their positions to generate business for a plumbing business owned by one of the employees, according to an investigative report issued Thursday by the Office of the City Auditor.That business owner/city employee, Rodney King…
Monday, September 9, 2019 by Austin Monitor
Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: Water Forward
In this edition of Austin Monitor Radio, Austin Water Forward program manager Marisa Flores Gonzalez sits down with Monitor reporter Jessi Devenyns to talk water conservation. Specifically, the pair dive into the city’s plan to ensure access to safe drinking…
Friday, July 12, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Water
AW assures: Austin’s lead pipes pose little threat
In the wake of the drinking water scandal in Flint, Michigan, the issue of lead in drinking water has come to the forefront of the nation’s – and Austin’s – attention.Until July 9, Matt Cullen of Austin Water said neither…
Monday, February 25, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Water
Austin Water touts water conservation efforts
Despite Austin’s consistent growth and the city demographer’s prediction that city utilities will need to serve 4 million residents in the next 100 years, Austin Water feels confident that its facilities are up to the challenge.In terms of today’s water…
Friday, February 22, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Water
Permanent zebra mussel solution still 18 months out
Following the odorous indication that a zebra mussel infestation had arrived in Austin waterways earlier this month, Austin Water has been working to come up with a solution to prevent a similar instance from recurring.Austin Water is already working to slow the…
Friday, February 8, 2019 by Andy Jechow
Water
Odd smell in Austin’s tap water likely caused by zebra mussels, city says
If you think your tap water smells strange today, you’re not alone.South and Central Austin residents began noticing the unusual smell Thursday morning. Austin Water initially said work on a waterline was to blame, but in an afternoon update, the…
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 by Mose Buchele
Water
Austin Water report shows big impact of boil order was conservation
Austin Water delivered an “after action” report to City Council yesterday on the weeklong boil-water order enacted during severe flooding in October. The presentation shed more light on what happened to bring about the emergency and what the city might…
Monday, December 3, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Resources
Austin Energy discusses how to resolve repercussions of water bill fiasco
It has been over a year since the water bill saga first made headlines in Austin. However, only now are city utilities releasing a post-mortem report designed to help them avoid a similar situation in the future.While the report that…
Friday, November 30, 2018 by Jack Craver
Water
Council approves 100-year water conservation road map
On Thursday, City Council unanimously adopted a plan to guide Austin’s water use for the next century.“This is a tremendous moment for Austin,” said David Foster, director of Texas Clean Water Action. “If we pass this plan, Austin will become…
