One Water strategies for New Braunfels Utilities

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In February of 2017, Boston University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE) and the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation (CGMF) initiated a multi-year project that aims to understand how water utilities in Texas cities can apply the principles of One Water to address the challenges of increasing urban populations, supply changes, and aging water infrastructure. Since summer 2018, the ISE team has engaged with New Braunfels Utility (NBU) to understand the opportunities relating to One Water for them as a mid-size utility serving a rapidly growing population. The One Water paradigm spans potable water, wastewater, and storm water, and considers opportunities for water sourcing, treatment, and use holistically. Discussions around One Water often focus on supply side strategies, such as how water reuse or rainwater harvesting can provide alternate sources of water. However, demand management and water conservation also play a role in One Water by promoting sustainability, resilience, and reducing the need for additional gray infrastructure. Ultimately, NBU may explore many strategies related to One Water. We chose to focus on demand reduction due to the utility’s concern over potentially large increases in New Braunfels’ water demand in the coming years. The ISE team analyzed meter-level data and also pumping data from NBU. We benchmarked NBU water demand, analyzed the demand by type of account, and identified the demand distribution by account. The findings led us to revisit projections of future water demand and generate a new demand projection that suggests demand growth may be slower than previously anticipated. While NBU’s supplies are more than sufficient to meet projected demand through 2030, there are other benefits to effective demand management and water conservation practices. Consequently, ISE developed recommendations for a targeted outreach program to high consumers and to promote rebates to developers. We also drafted ordinance revisions related to watering violations