AUSTIN (KXAN) — Beginning in 2019, Austin Water will begin an $80 million, three-year process to change every water meter in the city.
The new meters will give Austin Water customers access to bills, water use information and emergency alerts on their cell phones.
Director of Austin Water Greg Meszaros said the new system will help in emergency situations like October’s boil water advisory. Water customers will get notified through phone push alert of similar situations instead of relying on social media, TV and newspapers.
Meszaros gave a briefing on lessons learned from the boil water emergency to Austin City Council Tuesday morning.
Austin’s water system never had as much water go through it since workers built Mansfield Dam in the 1930s. Tuesday, city staff and Austin Water leaders told City Council they must prepare for it to happen again.
“I think our new reality is that climate change is going to create events that we have not anticipated,” said City Councilwoman Alison Alter during the briefing.
The portal will allow customers to view water usage, pay their bills, and get direct communication from Austin Water. That last one will be useful in emergencies, says the Director of Austin Water Greg Meszaros.
“It will also be a way for us to communicate with them in events such as this Llano River flooding,” he said.
The thinking for Austin water is fewer people are watching appointment television when their messages are on and not that many people subscribe to city of Austin social media accounts or email lists. But most people have cell phones and push alerts can get messages right in front of people’s faces in a few seconds.
“In today’s world, people use their mobile phone right. They’re not using a land line as much. You’re not always watching TV or reading a newspaper and this is another tool for us to take advantage of,” said Meszaros.
There are still many hoops to jump through and details to iron out as this plan becomes reality by 2022.
Last month Austin city leaders approved a plan aimed at keeping a sustainable clean water supply for the next 100 years. It’s called the “water forward plan” and was put together by Austin Water over the last four years. Under the plan, the city will keep using the Colorado River and the Highland Lakes as its main water source.
Austin Water will add other options like expanding aquifer storage and recovery as well as expanding the city’s reclaimed water system.