WaterWise Commercial News | Summer 2018

Austin Enters Stage 1 of Drought Contingency Plan - New Watering Restrictions to take effect August 27

Commercial Conservation Technical Workshop

Save the Date – September 25, 2018
 
Austin Water (AW) and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) will hold a free water conservation technical workshop on September 25, 2018, for industrial, commercial and institutional customers and facility managers on water saving measures, technologies, and rebate programs.  The meeting will be held at LCRA’s Red Bud Center, 3601 Lake Austin Blvd., Austin, Texas from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  Topics at the meeting include:
 

• LCRA Weather Outlook (Bob Rose, LCRA)
• One Water – From Theory to Practice (Robert Stefani, AW)
• State Requirements for Onsite and Reclaimed Water Systems (Louis Herrin III, TCEQ)
• AW AC Condensate and Recovery Requirements (Mark Jordan, AW)
• AW Cooling Tower Water Efficiency Program Update (Cate Jones, AW)

 
Staff from Austin Water and LCRA will also be available at the workshop to answer questions about their conservation incentive programs. 
 
For more information about the workshop and to RSVP, please contact Mark Jordan, Austin Water, at (512) 974-3901 or e-mail mark.jordan@austintexas.gov.
 
Please RSVP no later than September 21, 2018, so we can ensure we have a place for you at this event.    
 
Hope to see you September 25!

2018 Awards

In July 2018, Austin Water’s conservation programs achieved Platinum certification on the Alliance for Water Efficiency’s G480 Leaderboard. The Alliance’s grade of Platinum certifies that Austin Water is in 100% compliance with all recommended best practices for an effective conservation program. With this certification, Austin Water became only the fifth agency in the nation to complete the rigorous certification process, only the third to achieve Platinum certification, and the largest participating agency to date.

The G480 standard (Water Conservation Program Operation and Management) is part of the American Water Works Association’s G-series of voluntary management standards that demonstrate outcome-oriented practices and policies that go above-established regulations and set a benchmark for excellence.

As an independent industry advocate, the Alliance for Water Efficiency evaluates submissions from member agencies to award a platinum, gold or silver certification that shows the degree of compliance with AWWA’s G480 standard.
 
Austin Water’s conservation program has received numerous awards over the years from state and national organizations. Awards received just within the last five years include:

• 2013 Promising New Program from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the Alliance for Water Efficiency;
• 2014 Water Conservation and Reuse Award, Texas Section of the American Water Works Association 
• 2014 Municipal Blue Legacy Award in Municipal Water Conservation, Texas Water Conservation Advisory Council
• 2015 Municipal Blue Legacy Award in Municipal Water Conservation, Texas Water Conservation Advisory Council; and
• 2016 highest scoring water conservation program in Texas, Texas Living Waters Project (Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, the National Wildlife Federation, and Galveston Bay Foundation).