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November 16, 2009
Save water to save money on wastewater bill in Austin
This news release just in from Austin Water Utility:
The Austin Water Utility (AWU) will begin the annual wastewater averaging cycle November 16th to arrive at the wastewater charges for customers for the 2009/2010 service year. AWU encourages customers to always conserve water but customers concerned about their wastewater costs should make special attempts to conserve water during the averaging months.
Between the start of the averaging period in November and the conclusion in March, each customer’s water use is measured for three consecutive monthly billing periods. The water usage for the two monthly billing periods with the lowest daily usage is averaged and is the basis of the wastewater average billing for the year. The month with the highest daily average water use is eliminated from the calculations. Monthly billing is based on the customer’s wastewater average or actual water use, whichever is lower. The new wastewater rate will be reflected beginning in the April 2010 statement.
AWU uses late fall and winter months to establish wastewater averages because less outdoor water is used during this time and measures more accurately indoor household water usage which is returned to the wastewater system.
Customers can go to www.cityofaustin.org/water and listed under wastewater averaging they will find the specific dates for their wastewater averaging period and for more details on wastewater averaging and reducing water and wastewater bills by conserving water.
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October 26, 2009
LCRA to consider moratorium on new water sales
The Lower Colorado River Authority may soon impose a temporary moratorium on new water sales until drought conditions ease.
The goal is to protect water supplies already promised to cities and industrial users along the Colorado River, said General Manager Tom Mason today.
The LCRA board of directors will discuss the moratorium at a specially called meeting Nov. 10 in Austin, Mason said.
“We’re trying to not increase demand on the river and lakes,” LCRA spokesman Robert Cullick said.
The proposal would not affect cities or industrial users with existing water contracts, including Austin.
“If you have purchased water, that’s fine. If you want new water contracts, we will recommend to the board of directors that we temporarily put those on hold until the lakes significantly refill, ending the drought,” Cullick said.
Shoreline residents along the Highland Lakes who are seeking permits for existing water use — those with pipes already pulling out water — would not be affected by the proposal.
Despite recent rains, Central Texas remains in the third year of an intense drought that last summer dropped Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan — the region’s water-supply reservoirs — to less than 40 percent of capacity.
“Those lakes are still less than half full at the end of October — traditionally a rainy month,” Mason said. “We’re in a real hole.”
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July 21, 2009
Barton Springs Pool could close for six to eight months
The Barton Springs Pool could close for six to eight months for repairs to a bypass culvert that routes Barton Creek flows around the pool, according to a City of Austin memo.
The memo does not say when the pool would close.
The culvert, built about 35 years ago, channels creek water that may have contaminants or pollutants around Barton Springs Pool. About six months ago, city staff noticed water leaking from the pool into the culvert, said watershed protection department engineer Stan Evans. Evans said there are about a dozen holes in the culvert. With current drought conditions, the water loss puts pressure on efforts to protect the endangered Barton Springs salamander, he said.
“We don’t know when it will close,” said Stuart Strong, assistant director of the Parks and Recreation Department. “The real restriction is the salamander habitat. When flow from Barton Springs is low, that affects the water levels in Eliza Springs, where the salamanders live. (The two are connected hydrologically, underground.) If we lower the pool for repair, that lowers the water levels in Eliza Springs.”
Repair costs could run from $2.4 million to $4.7 million, according to the July 20 memo, from Victoria Li, director of the Watershed Protection and Development Review Department and from Sara Hensley, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, to the mayor and City Council.
“The best option for repairing the bypass is not clear at this time,” the memo says. “Relative level of disturbance, cost, longevity, flooding, potential impact to the salamander, and time required for pool closure must all be considered. Pool closure during construction will be a major issue for the public from a recreation standpoint and for the city due to lost revenue.”
“Not making any repairs to the bypass is not a realistic option,” says the memo. “Structural failure of the bypass could be a public safety risk, could close the pool for longer than repairs might take, and threaten the endangered salamander.”
Below is a question-and-answer with Stan Evans:
- What is the culvert?
The 35 year-old structure is basically a concrete box 10 feet wide and 6 feet tall, running about a thousand feet along the length of Barton Springs Pool. It sits beneath the broad sidewalk down from the main entrance.
- What does the culvert do?
“When we have a rain event, the initial flush from any creek is going to carry contaminants and pollutants from yards and parking lots and what-have-you. The bypass takes the initial load of contaminants into the lower creek without going into the pool.”
- What’s wrong?
“The lower portion has begun to deteriorate. The structure has reached the end of its useful life. It’s just like when you wear a car out. We’re now in the process of determining strategies to repair that or replace it.”
- How many holes and when were they discovered?
The holes were first discovered about six months ago. Now there are about a dozen, each about the size of a pad of paper.
- Why is this a problem?
“We have to maintain as much aquifer water behind this bypass as we can to provide sufficient fresh running water for the endangered salamander species. As we lose water into the bypass culvert, there’s not as much water available for salamanders.”
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July 6, 2009
Water main break could mean big outage for South Austin
A contractor drilling in the 2100 block of Walsh Tarleton Road struck a 54-inch water main this evening, and repairing the line could mean a large water outage for South and Southwest Austin.
Austin Water Utility spokesman Kevin Buchman said the line, near Barton Creek Mall, is one of the major arteries for that part of the city.
While crews have not turned the water main off yet, and residents still have water, repairs could shut off water to a large area of town, Buchman said. Crews are determining the extent of the repairs right now, and may have to shut off the water later on.
More details to come.
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January 7, 2009
City pitching free, water-efficient toilets Saturday
The City of Austin is hosting an event Saturday to draw attention to its toilet-replacement program.
The event, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the downtown Fiesta Mart at 3909 Interstate 35, will have city staffers on hand to explain and demonstrate the advantage of a new toilet that uses less water when flushed.
Homeowners can fill out an application to have the city pay for up to three of the new toilets. If approved, vouchers would be mailed to the homeowner and can be exchanged for a new toilet at several businesses.
“Homeowners will be encouraged to save water, save money, and take a proactive approach to replacing old indoor fixtures,” according to a release from the city.
The city says the new toilets are easy to install, but also offers a $60 rebate to have a plumber do it. For more details, go to http://www.cityofaustin.org/watercon/sftoilet.htm
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October 21, 2008
Mayor touts energy audit plan
Mayor Will Wynn joined realtors and environmentalists at City Hall today to trumpet support for energy audits and voluntary efficiency upgrades for homes and offices in Austin.
The press conference touted the report produced by a city task force charged with finding ways to make existing buildings in Austin more energy efficient as part of the mayor’s Climate Protection Plan.
The task force work generated some controversy, led by the Austin Board of Realtors, when the group was discussing the possibility of mandatory efficiency upgrades when a house is sold. But the final product, as reported in September, calls for mandatory energy audits and voluntary upgrades.
And at City Hall on Tuesday, everyone said they were fine with that idea.
Wynn, flanked by council members Lee Leffingwell and Mike Martinez and representatives from the Austin Board of Realtors and the Environmental Defense Fund, said it’s about “getting info in the hands of consumers” so that “they can then … voluntarily assess the cost effectiveness of energy upgrades.”
Leffingwell said that the Austin community has previously shown that they act when educated on environmental issues, citing voluntary programs to reduce the use of plastic bags, enthusiasm for recycling and additional water conservation in recent years.
“Consumer info can really transform the way we use energy,” said Jim Marston, head of the Austin office of the Environmental Defense Fund. “This is a strategy that will save money and at the same time reduce local air pollution.”
The energy audits will cost about $200 to $300 and be disclosed along with other information when a house is sold.
Approved by the task force in September, the proposal is working its way through city boards and commissions. It will likely hit the City Council agenda in November.
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October 3, 2008
Barton Springs might re-open open Saturday
City officials say Barton Springs Pool might re-open Saturday, but couldn’t say for sure as they worked Friday afternoon to repair a leak in the pool.
There is still a possibility that the pool could remain closed through the weekend.
“We’re hoping to have it open Saturday morning,” said Stuart Strong, acting director of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department. “But we’ve never done this particular repair before, so the pool might not re-open this weekend.”
Strong said pool workers noticed Friday morning that water levels appeared to be dipping at the pool, which is just south of downtown along Barton Springs Road.
Around 9 a.m. the city closed the pool. As workers at the two entrances turned away visitors, the pool staff discovered water was leaking through cracks into an underground tunnel next to the pool.
The tunnel is about five feet high and eight feet wide and runs parallel to the pool on its north side, underneath the sidewalk. During rains the tunnel shunts excess, dirty water from the creek that feeds Barton Springs Pool.
The wall between the pool and the tunnel occasionally springs tiny cracks through which water leaks, Strong said. The cracks usually get patched quickly and aren’t a cause for concern, he said.
This time, Strong said, larger cracks appeared at the bottom of the tunnel.
“There’s enough of them that the level of the pool has dropped” about a foot, Strong said Friday at about 4:30 p.m.
There are too many cracks to patch, Strong said. Instead, the city will dam the downstream end of the tunnel and then fill it with water. When the tunnel fills, the pool’s water cannot leak into it, Strong said. Thus the pool should stop leaking and refill to its normal level.
Strong said the city had already been planning to do significant repairs to the 30-year-old tunnel this year. The city will begin designing those repairs next week, he said. The tentative plan is to leave the tunnel filled until those repairs are done.
Strong said the leaks will not affect the city’s plan to spruce up the pool and its accompanying amenities, such as the bath house. The City Council has already set aside $6.2 million for the short-term repairs, which include the tunnel work.
On Friday afternoon, a few people walked up to the pool entrance and walked away disappointed. One woman berated the man she came with for not calling ahead. Others seemed to react with resignation or irritation.
“When I come to Austin this is the one thing I always want to do,” said Sierra Sintic, a University of Texas at Dallas student hoping to swim in Barton Springs during her weekend visit. “It’s a big deal. There are a lot of people trying to figure out what’s going on.”
Silvia Kurth and her adult daughter, Miriam Kemter, were among those turned away at the gate. Barton Springs had been among the list of things Kemter had planned to see while visiting from Switzerland. At gate workers’ suggestion, the visit to Barton Springs was replaced by one to Deep Eddy, a swimming hole off Lake Austin Boulevard just west of MoPac Boulevard.
“It’s always nice to try new things,” Kemter said with a slight shrug.
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September 22, 2008
Austin ranked 13th in sustainable city survey
Austin has been ranked 13th most sustainable U.S. city by SustainLane.com, an online source of articles and recommendations about green living.
The site ranked 50 cities for the list released today, based on a variety of criteria, including water and air quality, local food sources and availability of public transportation.
Austin received high marks for its air quality, green building standards, energy and climate change policy, planning and land use. The lowest scores came in availability of local food sources and public transportation ridership.
The full list is topped by Portland, with Mesa, Ariz. bringing up the rear. Austin was the highest ranking Texas city, followed by Dallas (24th), San Antonio (33rd), El Paso (38th) and Fort Worth (39th).
Austin had won the 14th place slot in 2006, slipping from its 6th place finish in 2005. There was no list published in 2007.
An example of Austin’s continuing push for Earth-friendy priorities was on display this morning as representatives from local environmental groups gathered at a South Austin apartment complex Monday morning to push energy-efficiency upgrades for multi-family housing.
A city task force, convened as part of the Austin Climate Protection Plan, recently made recommendations aimed at increasing the energy efficiency of existing homes, apartments and businesses. The group recommended energy audits, but stopped short of proposing mandatory upgrades for homeowners.
For apartments and multi-family properties, the task force pitched the idea of a database that would list average utility bills at apartment complexes in hopes to give renters more information before they pick somewhere to live. The hope is that landlords would improve the efficiency of units to attract tenants.
If landlords actually make the energy efficiency upgrades, “the savings to Austin as a community would be enormous,” said Luke Metzger of Environment Texas, noting that utility bills would be lower and Austin could delay building additional power plants.
But David Foster, state program director for Clean Water Action, said he doubted landlords would make efficiency upgrades because energy costs — and savings — often fall to tenants.
“There’s no real incentive on the multi-family side to make these energy efficiency improvements without mandates,” Foster said.
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September 10, 2008
Task force favors voluntary energy upgrades
A task force charged with finding ways to make Austin homes more energy efficient has backed away from mandatory upgrades, instead favoring required energy efficiency audits and incentives.
The task force, including real estate agents and mortgage brokers, unanimously approved their final report Wednesday. In a series of separate votes on sections of the report, a handful of task force members voted to make upgrades mandatory, but most opted to keep them voluntary.
The report will go before various city boards and commissions before reaching the City Council as an ordinance for consideration later this fall.
“This draft report, minus mandatory back stops, probably doesn’t have everything that everyone wants, but that’s in the nature of the compromise,” said Phillip Schmandt, task force chairman. “I think it’s a real strong step forward.”
The recommendation closes the task force’s months-long controversial discussion. The Austin Board of Realtors have been vocal about their opposition to anything mandatory.
“We are pleased with the outcome,” said Socar Chatmon-Thomas, chairwoman of the Austin Board of Realtors. “We applaud the work of the task force and are absolutely blown away that the mandatory portion was defeated.”
The first draft of the plan considered by the task force called for an audit and energy efficiency improvements, such as installing compact flourescent lightbulbs or sealing air ducts, worth up to a certain percentage of the purchase price of a home. The buyer would have had to make upgrades before selling the house again.
A second draft floated the idea of voluntary participation targets that could trigger mandatory upgrades if they were not met in two consecutive years. That idea is still in the report, but with the caveat that a majority of task force members did not support it.
Mayor Will Wynn, who included energy efficiency upgrades for existing homes in his Austin Climate Protection Plan that was passed by council in 2007, said he was comfortable with the idea of a mandatory energy audit and voluntary upgrades.
“These programs are going to be so obviously cost effective and self financing that whatever target we set will be blown out of the water,” Wynn said.
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July 18, 2008
City Hall certified as wildlife habitat
The city’s copper-coated headquarters is also a wildlife habitat. Who knew?
On Monday, the National Wildlife Federation will officially designate City Hall as a “certified wildlife habitat” in a ceremony with Mayor Will Wynn and Council Members Lee Leffingwell and Mike Martinez.
Then, volunteers will give tours of the building’s wildlife-friendly features, most of them related to landscaping.
According to Alice Nance, the city’s conservation program coordinator, some of the things that qualify City Hall as a wildlife habitat are the use of native plants in landscaping, the waterfall and pond, and even the cracks between the limestone blocks that provide shelter for little critters.
Don’t expect to see any deer bounding across the plaza anytime soon, though, despite the “wildlife habitat” designation. Urban areas have their own wildlife, Nance said.
“Primarily we’re talking about, in the urban area, butterflies and songbirds, things that can fly in and crawl in,” Nance said.
The City Hall habitat certification is part of a larger project, launched last year, to have the entire city named a “Community Wildlife Habitat” by the National Wildlife Federation. For more information about the project, including a challenge to neighborhoods, check out www.keepaustinwild.com.
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June 26, 2008
Austin launches climate protection plan Web site
Austinites have yet another place to go for green information.
The City of Austin today announced the launch of its Austin Climate Protection Plan Web site, www.coolaustin.org.
The site includes information about the Austin Climate Protection Plan, a rotating “Green Tips” feature and links to other programs with environmental intentions, such as tree plantings, solar rebates and weatherization programs for lower income and elderly residents.
People interested in receiving conservation tips and other information via e-mail can go to the site and sign up to be part of the “Climate Community.”
The Austin Climate Protection Plan, pushed by Mayor Will Wynn and passed by the city council last year, establishes multiple goals, including making city operations carbon neutral by 2020 and better energy efficiency in homes and buildings.
“This Web site is the first step in a series of community engagement efforts we’ll take this year to make sure everyone who wants to can play a role,” Wynn said in a press release announcing the site launch.
Image: City of Austin
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December 26, 2007
Open space purchase to wait for 2008
A major open space purchase that was supposed to close by Dec. 28 will now be pushed into January.
The City of Austin recently approved using $30 million in bond money to team with the Nature Conservancy of Texas to protect from development more than 3,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land in Hays County.
The land is between two areas already protected by the city and would provide a key connection for a proposed trail.
Both sides agreed to extend the negotiations because of the size and complexity of the deal.
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September 25, 2007
Wynn schools business crowd on climate change
Mayor Will Wynn roamed the Four Seasons banquet room on Tuesday like a televangelist spreading the gospel of climate change to a rapt crowd from the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.
Schooled at the knee of Al Gore, Wynn has honed his presentation — given dozens and dozens of times since January, he said — with well-worn laugh lines and a colorful slide show. He is animated and impassioned talking about his favorite topic.
“I can see why the mayor is the mayor,” said Rayola Dougher, senior economic analyst of the American Petroleum Institute, who provided the counterbalance to Wynn. “You’re a tough act to follow.”
Dougher focused on the folly of depending too much on alternatives to fossil fuels, even though renewable energy sources and and conservation will be essential to meeting future demand.
“We have to get a grip on some of our expectations right now,” Dougher said.
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