For Immediate Release – October 9, 2009

Austin--Beginning tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. (weather permitting), the Austin Water Utility (AWU) will begin to raise the storage tank on the 51st Street Water Tower. The 170-foot tall tower will hold two million gallons of reclaimed water and is the latest milestone in the utility's expansion of the reclaimed water system and represents our continuing efforts to conserve water.

Reclaimed water is created by reusing treated wastewater effluent that is normally discharged to the Colorado River. AWU uses reclaimed water for non-drinking purposes, such as irrigation, cooling and manufacturing.

At its inception, the tank supports the conservation of over 240 million gallons of water annually. This support is expected to grow to 1.1 billion gallons annually as the reclaimed water system reaches its capacity. As an extra conservation measure, the reclaimed water storage tank also has the ability to collect rainwater from its roof and funnel it into the tank. An additional benefit of this project is it will have the ability to generate electricity through 48 solar panels mounted on the top of the tank.

The Austin Water Utility has been providing reclaimed water since 1974, primarily to golf courses. However in the early 90s AWU began expanding the service by building new infrastructure. The 51st Street tower will make it possible to provide reclaimed water to the Mueller Development area and the University of Texas. AWU plans to continue expanding the system to the state office complex and the downtown area.

Media Contact:
Jill Mayfield
Email to: Jill.Mayfield@ci.austin.tx.us
City of Austin Water Utility
(512) 972-0150; pgr.(512) 802-8956