Reclaimed water main project inches through downtown

Someday, people living and working in downtown Austin will have access to reclaimed water for use in cooling buildings, flushing toilets, manufacturing widgets and irrigating urban greenery – all of which will help conserve the drinking water in Austin. But not quite yet. The project to build the downtown reclaimed water main is not finished, but it is at least shifting into its second phase this month, according to an announcement from the Austin Water utility. This phase will connect the Capitol Complex reclaimed water main (currently under construction) with an 8,500-foot line extending from West Avenue (near the Austin Community College Rio Grande campus) to the south side of Lady Bird Lake at Auditorium Shores. The project is expected to cost $4.9 million.