TEXASH2O
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The Official Newsletter of the Texas Section AWWA • THE Water Professionals
Utilities show strains from heat, high demand
Drought 2011
One can hope that by the time the hard copy of this newsletter gets into the reader’s hands, there will have been a gentle, widespread rain and that the land and people’s spirits will be restored. Of course, one can also hope to win the lottery. With statistics like these, the odds seem about the same: weatherpeople say this is the most severe one-year drought on record. Taking in all droughts, this year is second only to the legendary “drought of record” in the 1950s. July 2011 was the hottest month ever recorded in Texas. Or at least since 1895, when they started keeping track of such things. In late June, a concerned TCEQ contacted utilities, urging them to review their drought contingency plans. The underlying message was, “Start saving water now for when it really gets tight.” PLEASE SEE STRAIN, PAGE 22
Recording the drought Conservation and Reuse Division sees silver lining . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Lawmaker: Texas needs to finance its water future . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Texan takes water-saving message to United Nations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
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Letter from the Texas Section Chair
Never-ending
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Texas Section American Water Works Association P.O. Box 80150 Austin, Texas 78708 http://www.tawwa.org DAVE SCHOLLER, CHAIR 281-558-8700 BRENT LOCKE, CHAIR-ELECT 254-562-5992 CHRISTIANNE CASTLEBERRY, VICE-CHAIR 512-751-9272 RICHARD TALLEY, IMM. PAST CHAIR 817-392-8203
MIKE HOWE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/ SECRETARY-TREASURER 512-238-9292 FAX: 512-238-0496 E-MAIL: mikehowe@tawwa.org This publication is distributed monthly to the more than 3,500 members and friends of the Texas Section American Water Works Association. Contributing writers can contact the editor: Cliff Avery GCP Association Services PO Box 676 Pflugerville, TX 78691 512-251-8101 FAX: 512-251-8152 e-mail: cavery@texas.net The publication name, TexasH2O: © 1996-2011 Texas Section - American Water Works Association, Inc. © 2011, Texas Section - American Water Works Association, Inc.
S
ince my last column, the 82nd Texas Legislature regular session and a special session called by the governor came to an end. More on that next time. However, the drought across Texas has not ended. I was listening to the early morning news the other day, and this is officially the driest year on record for Texas. Here in Southeast Texas, we have not had a rain of one inch or greater since Jan. 24 and are over 20 inches below-normal for rainfall. Rainfall significantly below normal is true for all regions of Texas and it is projected that the weather patterns that are causing this statewide drought will continue into October of this year. The cost of this drought to Texas will be in the billions on top of a difficult economy. Texas has done a good job of water resources planning as a result of Senate Bill 1 and the Regional Water Planning Groups, but there has been very little funding to build the projects identified in the State Water Plan. Speaking of never ending, AWWA has been the trusted source for scientific and engineering knowledge and advocacy for safe and sustainable water for 130 years. It has a rich and deep heritage of servant leadership and has been a leader in eradicating waterborne disease. The Texas Section has a rich heritage of leadership volunteers at the national level. I would like to give a high five to three outstanding volunteers in our Section who currently have stepped up to serve AWWA on the national level. The first one is Charlie Maddox. Charlie is with the Austin Water Utility and is the Director on the AWWA Board from the Texas Section. Each of the 44 Sections has a Director that serves for three years and is the representative of the Section on the AWWA Board of Directors. The Director provides reports back to the Section and reviews the activities of the AWWA Board of Directors. In that same role, the Director seeks the Section’s input on programs and policies to report back to the AWWA Board, for use in making decisions, providing comment or voting on issues before the AWWA Board. The Directors are the advocate for and communications link between our Section and the AWWA Board. The second one is Alissa Lockett. Alissa is with the San Antonio Water System and is an AWWA Director-At-Large. AWWA has four elected Directors-At-Large on their Board; one is a service provider and the other three represent the diversity of the membership. The responsibilities for Director-At-Large are essentially the same as those for Director – to serve on the AWWA Board, which establishes policies for the overall management and direction of Association affairs. Last but certainly not least is Charlie Anderson. Charlie is with CDM and is the President-Elect of AWWA, which means he will be inaugurated as the President of AWWA at ACE 2012, which is in Dallas. A former Texas Section Chair, he began climbing the AWWA ladder by being elected to serve on the AWWA Board of Directors for a term of three years. He was then elected by the AWWA Board of Directors to serve as a Vice President. Charlie then threw his hat in the ring as a candidate for election to PLEASE SEE CHAIR, PAGE 18
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Silver lining to the drought Conservation message can penetrate customers after all Hardly a day goes by that doesn’t include a conversation about the lack of rain, drought conditions, or this brutal summer heat. While everyone in Texas is tuned into the drought and water needs across the state, it’s a good opportunity for utilities — now that they have the public’s attention — to make the drought work to their advantage. At the TAWWA Water Conservation and Reuse Division Meeting Aug. 2, one topic that surfaced involved the positive — yes, positive — aspects of a drought and how utilities can benefit from a dry spell. “The good part about the drought is that we do have people’s attention right now,” said Carole Baker with the Texas Water Foundation. “I think it’s a really good time to get the message out to your communities that, in the water plan, 1/3 of our water supply is supposed to come from conservation and reuse.” Baker explained that because not a penny of state funding is geared toward that 1/3 of future water supply, it’s up to utilities and water suppliers to get their communities to start seeing conservation as a more year-round, business-as-usual goal, not something to only consider in a drought. “I think one of the biggest challenges we have it trying to help people understand that this needs to be a long-term commitment,” Baker said. “We need to have savings, we need to be able to quantify those savings, and this is a great time to do it.”
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Baker said it will come down to utilities to create conservation programs and keep their communities on-board with conservation even when it starts raining again. Droughts also offer a chance for utilities to examine their drought plans and help be better prepared for the future. “Utilities have the opportunity to solicit and reinforce funding requests for future long-term water conservation program efforts,” said Roger Schenk of CDM, chair of the Water Conservation and Reuse Division. “They will also have the opportunity to evaluate their drought contingency response efforts, based on lessons learned in recent drought responses.” Dean Minchillo, with the Lower Colorado River Authority, said that when the LCRA implemented its drought plan in 2007 and 2008, they realized all kinds of unintended consequences, but were able to improve their plan from that experience.
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Executive Director Report
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You know it when you see it By Mike Howe TAWWA Executive Director
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t is a drought. But, it took us a while to get to that understanding. Some are still unsure, though they are losing ground (and water) with that argument as record temperatures and little or no rain continue. Because of this uncertainty, it is hard to determine when a drought begins and how bad it really is. As a result of this uncertainty, decision-makers are confused or hesitant to take action until the drought’s effects are beyond obvious. By then, it can be too late to implement many of the most effective responses. Droughts are not rare, but we are slow to take them seriously at first, and consequently, because of our slow response, it then becomes much, much harder to convince the public they should now take quick action to counteract the drought’s effects. What we are watching is a slow natural disaster, a constantly creeping event that is hard to recognize until streambeds are dry, crops have withered and reservoirs have reached record lows. Droughts don't have epicenters like earthquakes or paths like
hurricanes or tornadoes. Instead, droughts just spread and shift through time and space. They are slow and take months to establish and may persist for seasons, years, or even decades. Figuring out when a drought starts and stops requires careful monitoring of meteorological and hydrological variables such as precipitation and stream flow. And, the effects are cumulative, growing in magnitude with each additional day of drought. Impacts may linger for years even after ‘normal’ rainfall resumes. Unlike other natural disasters, drought tends to drive people apart rather than bring them together. Conflicts between people, communities and governments competing for water are typical of drought. We are at that stage now. Those who hold junior water rights in some Texas basins are now without. What does all this mean to us? In the simplest analysis, we know drought costs at least as much as faster-moving disasters. The drought of 1987-1989 cost the government and private sector an estimated $39 billion and affected up to 70 percent of the country's population. In comparison, estimates of a worst-case hurricane are around $7 billion, and a worst-case earthquake at $30 to $50 billion. So, if you think our economy is struggling now, we need to be aware of the additional dollar impacts this PLEASE SEE HOWE, PAGE 20
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TAWWA-member legislator earns accolades for ‘fracking’ legislation By Liz Davidson TEXASH2O Natural gas companies in Texas will soon have to reveal what chemicals they use in the hydraulic fracturing process. The new law, HB 3328 by Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, requires natural gas companies to disclose what chemicals are used in the hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” process. Companies will be required to post the chemicals used at well locations on a public website, FracFocus.org. Keffer, president of EBAA Iron in Eastland, is a TAWWA member. His success in passing the bill earned him honors as one of Texas Monthly’s Ten Best Legislators. Fracking involves blasting a combination of water, sand and chemicals into the ground to break up gas-bearing rocks and make the resource easier to extract. “This process has been used for many, many years in Texas,” Keffer told TEXASH2O in an exclusive interview. “We need to take the ‘it’s not your business attitude’ out of the equation.” Although members of the gas industry have claimed that the process is safe if done properly, the secrecy behind the chemicals used has not helped the industry against critics. “We’ve got to take the mystery out of this process,” Keffer said. “People have a right to know.”
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Hydraulic fracturing has created controversy in recent years from claims that the chemicals used in the process are seeping into underground REP. KEFFER water reserves and drinking water sources. “We’re in the middle of one of the worst droughts in decades and a lot of water is used in the fracking process,” Keffer said. “We need to protect the environment and make sure the underground formations are not being affected.” The bill drew support from various environmental groups, such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Sierra Club, as well as from different oil-and-gas groups, although Keffer noted that maintaining support from both sides was challenging. “We had to keep the balance between environmental wishes and oil-and-gas wishes,” Keffer said. “And I think, at the end of the day, we were able to do that.” Companies will still be able to claim certain chemicals as “trade secrets,” but the law sets up a process for determining whether a chemical does not have to be revealed to the public. Landowners adjacent to well sites will also be able to challenge the trade secret claim. The Railroad Commission of Texas is hammering out rules for the law, which will take effect by 2013. “I think its going to go a long way to helping the industry and people of Texas live side by side,” Keffer said. “And it’s a good template to be used for the rest of the country.”
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Carole Baker to speak at UN on international water topics
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The Texas Water IQ Campaign is going global. This September in New York, the United Nations General Assembly is prioritizing international water issues with a one-day summit featuring multiple speakers and panelists. And longtime Texas water conservation activist Carole Baker will be there. She has been invited to speak on a panel at the International Water Forum on Sept. 16. The event coincides with the opening week of the UN General Assembly. Baker of the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District is a former chair of the Texas Section’s Legislative Committee and Water Conservation and Reuse Division. A member of the state’s Water Conservation Advisory Council, she is also acting executive director of the Texas Water Foundation and Chair of the Chicago-based Alliance for Water Efficiency. She will primarily discuss the Texas IQ Campaign, specifically regarding the research that went into developing the campaign, reaching its target audience and implementing the campaign statewide. “It is very encouraging that they have selected ‘public awareness campaigns’ to highlight,� said Baker. After the panel discussion, a work session will break down these issues further and see how they can be translated to a national and international audience. “I hope that we can produce a good work plan that can be used to educate people around the globe,� said Baker.
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Drought: A costly disaster Financing: A Texas necessity Editor’s Note: This article by State Rep. Bill Callegari, a former water management firm executive, appeared in the Austin AmericanStatesman July 14. Callegari represents Fort Bend and western Harris County.
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By State Rep. Bill Callegari
T TEXAS WATER 2011 APRIL 5-8 FORT WORTH CONVENTION CENTER SM
he plague of drought has captured Texas headlines. On the heels of withering droughts in 2006 and 2009, nearly the entire state endures drought conditions. Reservoirs are running low, and some near-dry, as water levels in rivers and aquifers continue to plummet. All of this is occurring less than a year after higher than normal precipitation levels in 2010. Some communities, such as the city of Llano, face the ominous prospect of having no water before summer's end. Other towns, from Midland to Fredericksburg to The Woodlands, have implemented watering restrictions to conserve their resources. Meanwhile, wildfires throughout the state — including within the Austin and Houston metropolitan areas — serve as stark reminders of the perils of drought. Historically, this year's drought is the state's third worst since official records began in 1895. The insult to this injury lies in the
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possibility that this drought may not only get worse, but could get more severe than the worst drought of record in the 1950s. Scientific studies of tree ring records indicate the presence of historic megadroughts of a magnitude worse than the 1950s drought of record. In medieval times, the area that was to become Texas endured several 20- to 40-year megadroughts throughout the 1100's and 1200's. Another megadrought struck during the last half of the 16th century. Scientists have also uncovered evidence of subsequent, severe droughts occurring around the times of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Texas has changed since these megadroughts. Texans built reservoirs and tapped into aquifers for water during dry years. Despite these and other water supply developments, drought remains an economically expensive natural disaster. The droughts of 2006 and 2009 respectively wreaked $4.1 and $3.8 billion in agricultural damage. This year's losses already total above $1 billion and are expected to climb. Some experts predict that this drought could cost Texas businesses as much as $9.1 billion. Looking forward, the ever-persistent threat of drought coupled with the absence of key pieces to our long-term water supply infrastructure could be the Achilles' Heel of the Texas economic miracle. State water planners predict that in less than 50 years 85 percent of Texans may not have enough water.
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Waco program leads youths to careers in water industry By Liz Davidson TEXASH2O Last year, a program was introduced in Waco that gave high school students the opportunity to obtain a Class D water operator license upon graduation. This year, two of those students can now begin careers in the water industry. The program is a joint effort between the A.J. Moore Academy and the City of Waco Water Utility Services Department. Jon Coker serves as the classroom instructor, with the City of Waco’s Teresa Bryant teaching twice a week to supplement the classroom material. Over the year, the course helps prepare students to take the TCEQ exam, which covers topics such as a general working knowledge of water, water quality, and surface water treatment. The program also
City of Waco Utility Director, Ricky Garrett, explains the dissolved air flotation process to A.J. Moore Academy student Jorge Zuniga at the Dissolved Air Flotation Water Treatment Plant.
involved field trips, opportunities for hands-on learning and the chance to compete in the first ever Junior Meter Madness at Texas Water 2011 in Fort Worth. The TCEQ exam requires a high school diploma or GED and a 20-hour
basic water training course. Not only does the Waco program cover the material from this course, but Bryant said that the students actually receive about 60 hours of training. Once students pass the course and PLEASE SEE STUDENTS, PAGE 18
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Engineering firm Hazen and Sawyer’s new Fort Worth office will be headed up by Tina E. Hanson, P.E. Hanson is chair of the Texas Section’s Distribution Division and a former trustee on TAWWA’s Board representing North Texas. Hanson has designed upgrades and modifications to dozens of wastewater and water treatment facilities over the last two decades, working with plant capacities ranging from 175,000 gpd to 450 mgd. Ms. Hanson recently managed the risk-based assessment for the City of Fort Worth’s Wastewater Master Plan Update that included renewal recommendations and a renewal program for the entire wastewater collection system. “I’m very excited by this opportunity to harness the expertise of Hazen and Sawyer to address the water and wastewater challenges facing Texas,� Hanson said. “By 2060, Texas is projected to more than double in population, putting increasing demands on water supplies and the accompanying water and wastewater infrastructure.� Hanson holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. Along with her leadership in Texas AWWA, she is a member of the Water Environment Association of Texas. -H2OCarollo Engineers announces the addition of Paul Walker, P.E., and Meera Victor, P.E., to its Houston office. Coming from the Austin and Dallas offices of Carollo Engineers, respectively, Walker and Victor have extensive experience in the Texas water/wastewater industry. Victor, an Associate with Carollo, recently received the Ken Miller Water For People Founder’s Award, recognizing her contributions to the Water For People effort. She chaired the WFP auction at Texas Water VICTOR 2007SM and Texas Water 2011SM. With more than 10 years of experience, she focuses specifically on water treatment, wastewater treatment and water reuse. Walker, a vice president with Carollo, is a specialist in water treatment with 20 years of experience. He has performed treatability studies, master planning, detailed design and construction services for water treatment facilities in Texas and across the U.S. with a combined capacity of more than 1 billion WALKER gallons per day and an aggregate construction value of more than $1 billion.
New leaders in San Antonio
The South Texas Chapter – a joint chapter with Texas Section and WEAT – elected leaders at its June meeting. Among those serving in leadership positions are, from left, Kerry Averyt, past president, TAWWA South Texas Chapter; Cale Underberg, treasurer, WEAT San Antonio Section; Dennis Laskowski, Section Rep, WEAT San Antonio Section; Lizanne Douglas, secretary, TAWWA South Texas Chapter; Jana Cezeaux, secretary, WEAT San Antonio Section; David Bennett, vice president, WEAT San Antonio Chapter; Melissa Bryant, president, TAWWA South Texas Chapter; Robert Macias, past president, WEAT San Antonio Chapter; Josh Marazzini, president, WEAT San Antonio Chapter; and Greg Swoboda, vice president, TAWWA South Texas Chapter.
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Chapter News
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TAWWA FINANCIAL PLANNING SEMINAR T E X A SH2O
Name
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* CHOOSE Y O U R S I T E ❏ SEPT. 1: Houston-Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons Ln., Suite 120, Houston, TX 77027
❏ SEPT. 15 : Wells Branch Community Center, 2106 Klattenhoff, Austin, TX 78728
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REGISTER ON-LINE: www.tawwa.org or FAX REGISTRATION TO 512-251-8152 ❏ I am faxing registration; check to follow (Please include copy of registration form with check.) Please make checks payable to Texas Section AWWA. Mail form and payment to: Te x a s S e c t i o n AWWA c/o GCP Association Services P. O . 6 7 6 P fl flu ugerville, TX 78691 For information: http://tawwa.org 512-238-9292 (Phone) 512-251-8152 (Fax)
Two opportunities remain to participate in financial planning training offered by the Texas Section’s Rates and Charges Committee. A registration form appears at left. Sessions are available Sept. 1 at the Houston-Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons Ln. in Houston and Sept. 15 at the Wells Branch Community Center, 2106 Klattenhoff in Austin Each seminar offers utility financial staff training in a wide variety of topics, including regulatory requirements, infrastructure financing, water supply development, capital planning and rate design. Sessions begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. after an intensive look at case studies dealing with the issues covered by the seminars. Cost for each seminar is only $95/person. Use the form at left or register on-line through www.tawwa.org. For more information, contact Nelisa Heddin at nheddin@wrmlp.com.
T E X A S W A T E R 2 0 1 2S M APRIL 10-13 • SAN ANTONIO
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2 seminars left for training in utility finance
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Students
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www.kimley-horn.com
Austin ∙ College Station Dallas ∙ Fort Worth Frisco ∙ Houston Irving ∙ San Antonio
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graduate from the Academy, they have fulfilled the requirements from the TCEQ and can take the exam. Out of the class of 12, three students took the exam, with two passing with an 80 or better and obtaining their license. They are John Foytek and Jorge Zuniga. “It was a huge success,” said Bryant. “We got benefits out of it that we didn’t even expect. The kids have a larger appreciation for water, and after talking to them, they were passing what they learned onto their friends and parents, as well.” Not only does the program educate students about water and generate interest in water careers, it provides members of the industry an opportunity to personally prepare the next generation. “We get the added benefit of creating the training for our potential workforce,” said Jonathan Echols with the City of Waco Water Utility Services Department. “We get these young kids into the field.” Bryant said that word about the program has spread and it has 20 students enrolled in it for the upcoming school year. Zuniga, one of the students who now has his Class D license, said that he didn’t know much about the water industry before the class, but has begun looking into it as a potential career. “I’ve learned a lot from the course, which enabled me to pass the TCEQ exam,” Zuniga said. “I took the test in order to get ahead in beginning my work career.” Although neither of the licensed students are currently working in the water industry, Bryant said that doesn’t mean they won’t pursue it in the future. “This license is good for three years,” Bryant said. “Whatever their path is, they can always come back.”
Chair
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AWWA President and was elected by a vote of the AWWA Board of Directors earlier this year. When asked about his soon to be service as AWWA President, Charlie responded, “Every AWWA President takes the gavel and mantle of leadership not as a superstar but as one who has been privileged to be part of a diverse and dynamic team of volunteers who share a common vision for AWWA's future.” These individuals serve on the Board of AWWA and have fiduciary responsibilities of care, loyalty and good faith that go along with all organization roles, even in our Section. We need to extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to these individuals. They give their time and energy unselfishly, and they highlight the strength of the Texas Section and its core of volunteers. We are nothing without you, our membership, as these individuals have demonstrated. I urge all of you to get involved to keep our Section strong and the Best Section in AWWA.
Financing
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We need to take greater strides toward implementing watersmart conservation practices and technologies, including reuse and desalination. Underlying each of these water supply strategies is the need for a consistent, reliable funding source for our water plan. Reservoirs, pipelines, and water desalination plants are expensive. Texas will need to invest $30 billion or more on water supply projects like these if we are to meet our needs in the coming decades. As the strings to our state's budget grow tighter, we may need to consider ways to raise revenues to finance these projects. As a fiscal conservative, I am reluctant to suggest the need for new state revenues or financing mechanisms. Fiscal conservatism includes making wise investments to protect future prosperity: in the long-run we will get what we pay for. Towards that end, it is crucial that we frame this discussion in the context of drought — while mindful of the lessons of megadroughts — and its economic implications. The benefits of committing to investing in long-term water supply solutions will outweigh the costs of drought. Droughts are native to Texas, and our growth requires that we be prepared to withstand long- and short-term droughts. While we may hope, pray, and forecast for the best of rainfalls, prudence necessitates that we plan, build, and find a way to pay for the worst of droughts.
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Throw in the onset of a megadrought, and our prospects look dim. Business, industry, and communities cannot grow or exist without reliable water resources. The bounties of population and economic growth will diminish if we fail to secure the resources necessary for their sustainability. In fact, the Texas Water Development Board notes that failure to meet the state's water supply needs in drought conditions could cost Texas businesses nearly $100 billion by year 2060. This current drought should bring our long-term water policy into sharper focus. To our credit, Texas is renowned for its strides in comprehensive, statewide water planning. The perfect plan fails, however, absent execution. Significant water supply planning strategies designed to protect our growing economy and communities from drought have not been implemented. Fourteen major reservoir sites designated by ‘Fiscal conservatism the Legislature in 2007 remain undeveloped due to includes making wise lack of funding and federal investments to protect regulatory interference. Regulatory hurdles preclude our ability to future prosperity.’ transfer water from bountiful rivers to areas in need.
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Howe
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from Page 4
drought will bring. In 1994, the Texas Water Development Board showed that a severe one-year drought that constrained water supplies by 15 percent could cost the state's economy $15 billion in direct effects, and from $25 to $45 billion in indirect effects. This hypothetical drought is similar to the drought that Texas suffered in the 1950s, although the effects are projected for only one year, and the drought of the 1950s, like many other droughts of record, was a multi-year drought. The 1950’s drought is our current “drought of record” though many are now speculating that we have or will soon reset that milestone with the current drought. And, it has been going on for some time. I recently came across a 2006 article that I wrote about what appeared to be the beginnings of severe drought here in Texas. This is the real deal and even if we had a slow moving tropical storm come onshore this month or next, it would only be a temporary reprieve. When drought begins, the agricultural sector is usually the first to be affected because of its heavy dependence on stored soil Droughts are more water. Soil water can be rapidly depleted during extended dry costly than periods. If precipitation deficiencies hurricanes continue, then people dependent on other sources of water will begin to feel the effects of the shortage. Those who rely on surface water and ground water are usually the last to be affected. A short-term drought that persists for three to six months may have little impact on these sectors, depending on the characteristics of the hydrologic system and water use requirements. But, as we march into the longer drought, we now are seeing the first of what will likely be an everincreasing number of water systems impacted. And, even if the drought ended in early 2012, the impacts on water systems would continue. When precipitation returns to normal and drought conditions have abated, the above sequence is repeated for the recovery of surface and subsurface water supplies. Soil water reserves are replenished first, followed by stream flow, reservoirs and lakes, and ground water. Drought impacts may diminish rapidly in the agricultural sector because of its reliance on soil water, but linger for months or even years in other sectors dependent on stored surface or subsurface supplies. Groundwater users, often the last to be affected by drought during its onset, may be last to experience a return to normal
Continued on the following page
From the preceding page
Silver lining
from Page 3
“If this drought continues for the long-term, then we’ll have to see again, what are we prepared for and what are we not really prepared for,” Minchillo said. “I’m sure we’ll learn some more lessons, and it will be hard, but we’ll have a better product for the next time.” Robert Stefani, with the City of Austin’s water utility, discussed how the 2009 drought became a good marketing tool for Austin. For instance, the utility hasn’t been marketing irrigation audits more than usual, but the request for audits has increased two- to three-fold. He attributes that to people remembering what happened in 2009. “We kind of kept that theme that [conservation] is important from ’09 and never really let up on it,” Stefani said. “So when we come back with more restrictions this year, in a sense, we’re picking up from where we were two years ago instead of starting completely over.” In looking for ways to conserve, droughts also offer a chance for utilities to re-evaluate its programs. For example, Stefani said that Austin Water Utility has taken this opportunity to readdress its variance program. “These kind of things are driven by the drought,” Stefani said. “We were looking for places to tighten up and our variance program was one of these areas.” With these ways for utilities to take advantage of the drought, the conversation continued to echo the notion that, with future water supplies in mind, it will come down to changing the way people think about water and conservation. “Somehow we’re going to have to get the general public educated about what we’re facing and what we’re looking at,” Baker said. “It’s no longer, ‘let’s encourage, let’s do the right thing, it’s a good thing to do’ — it’s critical.”
T E X A SH2O
water levels. The length of the recovery period is a function of the intensity of the drought, its duration, and the quantity of precipitation received as the drought slowly ends. It took us a while to get where we are and even if the drought officially ends, it will take an extended period for water supplies to recover. This is not good news. There are no easy answers for water utilities. At the same time greater conservation is necessary, utility managers also have to sell water to pay the bills. Trying to find the balance between these two contradictions once again puts utilities in an untenable conflict of interest. And, raising rates will not fill ever-decreasing reservoirs or make wells more productive. We have devoted this issue of TEXAS H2O to examining the impacts of this drought. We will continue to do so in future issues. We may not always know that a drought is on us, but, as it develops, we know it when we see it. And we see it right now.
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T E X A SH2O
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The U.S. Drought Monitor forecast map shows little prospect of improvement through October.
Strain
Built Fast....Built To Last
www.columbiantectank.com
from Page 1
In August, 764 of the state’s water systems had implemented either mandatory or voluntary restrictions on customer water use, and that number was expected to continue to climb. TCEQ, using the TXWARN utility-to-utility disaster response system administered by Texas AWWA, sent out an electronic questionnaire to all utilities in the state. If your utility hasn’t responded, it can record its situation through a special website, www.texasdrought.org. As expected, smaller systems were feeling the pains first. The City of Kemp and the City of Robert Lee drew the attention of CNN. In a situation familiar to many Texas utilities, dry weather had shifted soil around pipelines in Kemp, resulting in 14 line breaks that emptied the city’s water towers and forced it to cease delivering water. High heat and high demand has all but drained Lake E.V. Spence, the sole source of water for the City of Robert Lee, just north of San Angelo. Larger cities using the lake turned to other sources, but Robert Lee has no other source. Robert Lee is in Stage 3 of its drought contingency plan, banning outdoor watering. The next step is pro rata allocation of water to customers as it plans to build a pipeline to nearby Bronte. The strain is expected to continue, and more populous water systems may begin to see the same kinds of struggles. Or it could rain by the time you read this. One can hope.
WaterSM
NOTICE
Texas is a registered servicemark of Texas AWWA for the exclusive use in conjunction with the joint conference with the Water Environment Association of Texas. Any other use without the express written permission of Texas AWWA is prohibited. All rights reserved.
Want to share your event with the Texas water community? Contact Mike Howe, 512-238-9292; fax 512-238-0496. Check the Section’s website — www.tawwa.org — for the latest information on Section activities.
DATE
ACTIVITY
TIME
LOCATION
INFORMATION
Aug. 26
Water For People Golf Tournament
Canyon Springs Golf Club. 24405 Wilderness Oak, San Antonio
mvergara@cpyi.com
Sept. 1
TAWWA Rates & Charges Committee Financial Planning Seminar
8:30am
Houston-Galveston Area Council www.tawwa.org 3555 Timmons Ln., Houston See Story Page 17
Sept. 15
TAWWA Rates & Charges Committee Financial Planning Seminar
8:30am
Wells Branch Community Center www.tawwa.org 2106 Klattenhoff, Austin See Story Page 17
Sept. 19
Texas Water 2012SM Abstract Submittal Deadline.
www.texas-water.com
April 10-13
Texas Water 2012SM
Henry B. Gonzalez Conv. Center San Antonio
www.texas-water.com
Classified advertising Harris County FWSD # 61 in NW Houston is now taking applications for a chief operator position. Minimum qualification are a B-water and a B-wastewater operator certifications. Offering excellent benefits. Pay depends on experience. Contact Ken by phone 281-469-9304 email kenneth@district61.org
Blowers Blower Packages Overhauls Digester Aeration Filter Backwash
866-424-7622
www.airmac.com
T E X A SH2O
Texas Section Calendar
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PRESORTED FIRST CLASS U.S POSTAGE PAID AUSTIN, TEXAS PERMIT NO. 1
TEXAS AWWA c/o Gilleland Creek Press PO Box 676 Pflugerville, TX 78691
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