Presentation by John Burke, Chair of the Lower Colorado Regional Water Planning Group (Region K), at the 2016 SWIFT Funding Workshop in Austin, Texas.

1. SWIFT Workshop
Region K Water Plan Overview – What Role Does
Conservation Play?
November 7, 2016 John E. Burke, P.E.

2. Drought Impact to Highland Lakes (April 2015)
Courtesy of Lower Colorado River Authority

3. © National Drought Mitigation Center
The Hydro-Illogical Cycle

4. Presentation Outline
− Regional water planning overview
− 2016 Region K Water Plan overview
− 2016 Plan focus on Water Conservation

5. Regional Water Planning Overview
About the Planning Groups…
− Volunteers with various levels of
experience in the water industry
− Diverse backgrounds:
− Public
− Counties
− Municipalities
− Industries
− Agriculture
− Environment
− Small Business
− Power Generation
− River Authorities
− Water Districts
− Water Utilities
− Groundwater Management Area

6. 2016 REGION K WATER PLAN
OVERVIEW

7. Region K Population Projections

8. Available Water
Existing Supplies

9. Available Surface Water and Groundwater
− Total available water approximately 1.3 million acre-feet
− 1 acre-foot = 325,851 gallons
− Over 900,000 acre-feet is surface water
− Surface water availability modeling used to determine
decadal amounts
− New “critical” year of 2011 for run-of-river water rights
− Region K major water supply sources include: Highland
Lakes, Colorado River, other local surface water sources,
numerous major and minor groundwater aquifers

10. Major Aquifers in Region K

11. Minor Aquifers in Region K

12. Groundwater Conservation Districts
− The majority of
aquifers are
managed by
Groundwater
Conservation
Districts
(GCDs).
− Region K has
a GCD in
every county
except Llano
and
Williamson.

13. Region K Water Needs by Category of Use for 2040 and 2070
Shortage (Need) = Existing Supply – Projected Demand

14. Water Management Strategies
How to meet Region K water needs?
− Drought Management
− Conservation
− Water Reuse and Reuse-sourced projects
− Development of Groundwater
− Includes Fresh, Brackish, and Saline
− Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR)
− Irrigation On-Farm Conservation and Delivery
Improvements
− New Off-Channel Reservoir Storage

15. 2016 REGION K WATER PLAN
FOCUS ON CONSERVATION
Photo courtesy of East Bay Municipal Utility District

16. Role of Conservation in 2016 Region K Water Plan
Percentage Acre-Feet Percentage Acre-Feet
Drought Management 30.6% 133,618 21.1% 157,092
Irrigation Conservation 6.1% 26,631 17.7% 132,713
Municipal Conservation 7.2% 31,253 11.6% 86,222
Reuse 15.6% 68,235 16.9% 126,397
New Major Reservoir 8.2% 35,780 14.6% 109,136
Other Surface Water 25.9% 113,044 4.6% 34,005
Groundwater Wells 3.3% 14,359 3.8% 28,195
Aquifer Storage and
Recovery 2.3% 10,000 7.0% 52,100
Other 0.8% 3,483 2.7% 19,964
Total 100.0% 436,403 100.0% 745,824
2020 2070
Strategy Type

17. Role of Conservation in 2016 Region K Water Plan
− Conservation strategies included in Plan:
 Wholesale Water Provider Conservation (LCRA, Austin)
 Irrigation / Agricultural Conservation
 Municipal Conservation
− Wholesale Water Provider Conservation (LCRA, Austin)
− Measures include:
 financial incentives to assist customers with
conservation implementation;
 education effort assistance including irrigation
evaluation training and community outreach;

18. Role of Conservation in 2016 Region K Water Plan
− Irrigation / Agricultural Conservation
− Focus in Colorado, Matagorda, and Wharton counties
− Measures include:
 On-Farm (land leveling, levees, and field inlets);
 Conveyance Improvements (canal lining, SCADA
controls, etc.); and
 Sprinkler Irrigation (conversion from flood to sprinkler)
2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070
On-Farm Conservation 20,000 26,000 32,000 38,000 44,000 50,000
Conveyance Improvements
5,200 17,000 29,000 41,000 53,000 64,300
Sprinkler Irrigation
1,430 7,150 14,300 17,875 17,875 17,875
Water Savings (Acre-Feet/Year)Irrigation Conservation
Strategy

19. Role of Conservation in 2016 Region K Water Plan
− Municipal Conservation
− Municipal demand projections in Plan incorporate
assumed future water efficiency savings due to federal
standards for plumbing fixtures and appliances
− Water management strategy recommendations for
Municipal Conservation go beyond the above assumption
− Only recommended for municipal Water User Groups
(WUG) having a 2020 projected Gallons per Capita per
Day (GPCD) of 140 or higher
2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070
Municipal Conservation
(including Austin) 31,253 41,132 51,844 62,202 73,092 86,222
Water Savings (Acre-Feet/Year)

20. Role of Conservation in 2016 Region K Water Plan
− Municipal Conservation
− 51 municipal WUGs have conservation as a strategy
− Measures include, but are not limited to:
 Water loss audits; leak detection and repair
 Smart meters and automatic meter infrastructure
 Landscape irrigation evaluation, standards, and
schedules
 Public outreach and education programs
 Reuse
 Aquifer Storage and Recovery - ASR

21. 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070
AQUA WSC 147 704 1,006 1,066 1,235 1,623 2,130
AUSTIN 151 22,969 24,559 28,317 31,220 33,822 36,899
BARTON CREEK WEST WSC 265 42 77 108 122 137 152
BASTROP 181 195 440 688 1,084 1,459 1,958
BAY CITY 141 252 199 114 94 95 96
BEE CAVE VILLAGE 335 175 374 608 863 1,136 1,323
BERTRAM 218 41 64 91 126 164 204
BLANCO 151 19 32 28 26 27 27
BUDA 161 88 206 434 552 709 888
BURNET 222 184 282 405 571 740 917
CEDAR PARK 227 246 479 614 724 822 921
CHISHOLM TRAIL SUD 168 3 6 12 17 18 19
COLUMBUS 264 112 206 296 347 404 464
COTTONWOOD SHORES 145 22 21 20 19 21 23
COUNTY-OTHER (BASTROP) 162 92 196 344 414 527 677
DRIPPING SPRINGS 211 48 67 98 141 195 262
DRIPPING SPRINGS WSC 157 54 124 152 187 232 283
EAST BERNARD 141 19 29 42 56 78 97
FLATONIA 144 17 29 43 60 84 105
FREDERICKSBURG 248 317 599 733 916 1,094 1,301
GOLDTHWAITE 172 10 13 24 38 54 58
HORSESHOE BAY 560 264 554 852 1,157 1,501 1,839
JOHNSON CITY 154 18 30 30 28 26 26
JONESTOWN 183 20 36 51 73 96 122
KEMPNER WSC 157 7 13 20 20 22 24
LA GRANGE 144 42 21 0 0 0 0
LAGO VISTA 220 187 301 426 604 773 972
LAKEWAY 328 702 1,652 2,408 3,052 3,640 3,921
Conservation Water Savings (ac-ft/yr)
WUG Name Initial GPCD

22. 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070
LLANO 216 88 118 143 169 209 252
LOOP 360 WSC 525 116 224 333 441 546 648
LOST CREEK MUD 223 108 137 171 215 254 294
MARBLE FALLS 239 234 587 1,016 1,397 1,764 2,059
MEADOWLAKES 343 84 188 309 443 573 708
PFLUGERVILLE 148 604 2,105 2,625 3,029 3,514 3,966
POINT VENTURE 262 34 82 139 191 241 301
ROLLINGWOOD 241 38 67 79 91 104 118
ROUND ROCK 143 13 11 10 8 9 10
SAN SABA 310 114 211 302 377 463 510
SCHULENBURG 199 37 63 96 141 188 232
SHADY HOLLOW MUD 142 38 16 0 0 0 0
SMITHVILLE 153 44 72 76 88 117 155
SUNSET VALLEY 304 38 90 158 241 305 366
THE HILLS 431 144 272 386 487 581 665
TRAVIS COUNTY MUD #4 749 262 564 912 1,302 1,705 2,114
TRAVIS COUNTY WCID #10 309 213 445 707 996 1,316 1,533
TRAVIS COUNTY WCID #17 228 853 1,825 2,399 2,889 3,325 4,645
TRAVIS COUNTY WCID #18 151 60 95 87 87 96 104
TRAVIS COUNTY WCID #19 621 50 92 131 166 199 229
TRAVIS COUNTY WCID #20 462 59 110 153 197 234 268
WEIMAR 149 56 74 90 117 144 171
WEST LAKE HILLS 377 157 286 398 505 609 700
WEST TRAVIS COUNTY PUA 560 639 1,575 2,873 4,665 6,874 9,574
WHARTON 151 168 134 176 171 176 182
WUG Name Initial GPCD
Conservation Water Savings (ac-ft/yr)

23. Role of Conservation in 2016 Region K Water Plan
− Municipal Conservation
− Capital costs included in 2016 Plan for SWIFT funding
− Conservation must be identified in the 2016 Plan for your
municipality / utility in order to qualify for SWIFT funding
− If not included in 2016 Plan (your GPCD is lower than
140),
 Other funding mechanisms are available from TWDB;
 Your municipality / utility can prepare and request an
amendment to the 2016 Plan
− Please visit www.regionk.org for 2016 Region K Plan details

24. Questions?
Contact:
John Burke, Region K Chair – johnburke41@gmail.com
Jaime Burke, Region K Consultant – jaime.burke@aecom.com