BREAKING UPDATE: Austin now producing more water than consuming, officials say

Kelsey Bradshaw @kbrad5Mark D. Wilson @MDWilsonSA Taylor Goldenstein @taygoldenstein

Tuesday

Oct 23, 2018 at 7:39 AM Oct 23, 2018 at 7:12 PM

3:55 p.m. update: City leaders say Austin Water is producing more water than it’s using, allowing reservoirs that were draining faster than they could be replenished to begin filling again.

Austin Water issued an emergency call to residents on Monday afternoon, urging everyone to cut personal water consumption by 15 to 20 percent to keep water reservoirs for running dry.

“The good news is that you heard us and it is working,” City Manager Spencer Cronk said.

Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros said all three of the utility’s water treatment plants are running, but they are operating at only a third of their normal production capacity.

Even at that deficit, the city isn’t upside down on water production anymore, officials said.

Mayor Steve Adler joined others in saying that while the city is headed in the right direction, it is still critical for people to continue to conserve water in any way they can.

“The more people conserve the sooner we are going to get out of this situation that we are in,” he said.

Officials say they expect the problem to persist for days, not weeks, and that earlier reports from Travis County officials that Austin could be in for up to 14 days without water weren’t correct.

Adler also said that there is no water shortage in Austin, just a lack of space. He said stores that run out of water will be restocked, and those who can’t find any today will likely be able to pick some up Wednesday.

12:35 p.m. update: Austin Water officials said they only think residents will be asked to boil water for a “handful of days," a much shorter estimate than indicated in an earlier statement by Travis County emergency officials who said they're planning for up to two weeks without clean water.

“Much of that estimate, however, depends on variables such as weather and consumption demands,” said Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros. “We continue to make long-term plans in the event this situation isn’t quickly resolved. We will continue to monitor the situation and ask that (the) public continue to be diligent in reducing their water usage.”

Earlier in the morning, county officials said they were preparing for 10 to 14 days of the boil order. County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said that estimate is a worst-case scenario, and that the ban could be lifted sooner.

10 a.m. update: The Travis County emergency management coordinator says the boil-water order in Austin could last 10 to 14 days as the city's water treatment system tries to restore normal output.

Chief Emergency Management Coordinator Eric Carter briefed Travis County commissioners Tuesday morning on Austin's water situation, which he said is affecting at least 888,000 people in the city.

"Right now we're still pushing abut 27,000 cubic feet per second of water down the Colorado River as the LCRA attempts to lower Lake Travis. So it's going to be a while before it gets low and the lake … begins to settle down," he said.

Floodwaters have inundated the Highland Lakes with mud and silt, slowing down the water treatment process and limiting the amount of clean water available to customers. On Monday, Austin Water urged its customers to boil tap water before consuming it.

The alert triggered a run on bottled water at Austin-area stores, and shipments of water came in from San Antonio to help stabilize the system.

Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said if you can boil water, you should opt to do so instead of buying tons of bottled water, which should be reserved for vulnerable populations.

We're a community of sharing, not hoarding," she said.

Austin Public Health is providing education to restaurants and other vendors on how to continue operations safely. Information is available on their website, Facebook and Twitter or by calling Austin Environmental Health at 512-978-0300.

Anyone else with questions about the boil-water order can call 311 or visit the Travis County emergency information website.

Carter said the area will see more rain on Wednesday.

"Hopefully it won't result in too much of a problem in our area, but to the west, the grounds are really saturated. Any spike in rain could cause a problem," he said.

Follow @taygoldenstein for more updates from the Travis County commissioner's court meeting, as they discuss the water situation.

Carter says the Austin boil notice situation could go on 10-14 days as the water system tries to settle.#AustinWater

— Taylor Goldenstein (@taygoldenstein)October 23, 2018

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Earlier: Drinking water for more than a million Austin Water customers remained under a boil notice on Tuesday as the city of Austin placed outdoor water use under heavy restrictions.

After historic flooding in the Hill Country watersheds and Central Texas last week, water-supply lakes became muddied with silt and debris that strained Austin's water treatment system, city officials have said. The muddy water required more time to filter and, ultimately, made it tougher for the utility to keep up with demand for treated water.

According to Austin Water, the city's water utility, water from its taps needs to be boiled for three minutes before it can be used for drinking, cooking or making ice. The water can still be used for bathing and doing laundry.

Austin officials also called upon residents to tamp down water use as treatment plants struggle to maintain supplies for basic needs and firefighting, they said. Austinites should cut personal water use by 15 to 20 percent and avoid using water outside homes so the city does not run out of water, officials said.

Until further notice, Austin Water says customers may not:

Use water for irrigation

Wash vehicles

Add water to a pool

Operate an outdoor ornamental fountain or pond

Officials are unsure when the boil-water notice and outdoor restrictions will be lifted.

https://www.statesman.com/news/20181023/breaking-update-austin-now-producing-more-water-than-consuming-officials-say