City Council meets Thursday, March 4, to take up additional relief measures for people impacted financially by
Winter Storm Uri. These include $5 million to both
Austin Water and
Austin Energy to fund the
Plus-One payment assistance programs at each utility, which provide bill relief to customers experiencing financial hardship. Council expanded the program in April 2020 in response to the unfolding
COVID-19 pandemic.
Another proposal from Austin Energy would waive its $20 service initiation fee for new customers, so that those forced to relocate due to storm damage can avoid the fee. That ordinance would also waive a $10 service charge on February bills for all customers. Together, those relief measures will cost the utility about $4.7 million and will be in effect until at least April 3. Austin Water will also adjust its billing, using historical averages for customers water usage instead of actual data from February to offset days of dripping faucets. The fee for emerg
KUT
People line up to have containers filled with drinking water at St. Elmo Brewing Company in South Austin. Breweries throughout the city distributed water to residents when many didn t have running water and the area was under a boil-water notice after the winter storm.
While Austin Water was telling the public not to worry about the water system during last month s winter storm, the city s water supply had begun falling to half its normal level, according to department employees.
The department admitted Wednesday that it waited to ask people to conserve water, even as the city s water supply dwindled.
Austin Water officials saw warning signs ahead of water crisis statesman.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from statesman.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
On a normal day, Ullrich Water Treatment Plant produces roughly half of Austin s drinkable water and is crucial to keeping the city s water system functioning.
State regulations require the plant to either have access to a backup power source or a substantial amount of water reserves in case the plant sees an unexpected shutdown. Ullrich has both.
So when a tree limb fell on an electric line leading to a substation that powered Austin s largest water treatment plant on Feb. 17, backups should have snapped into place to keep power running and water production churning.
But there was a problem: Nobody on site knew how to operate a 52-year-old gear switch that would have restored power to the plant.
The ordinance to waive the permitting requirements and fees extends through March 31; however, City Council signaled that it could extend the deadline during its May 20 meeting.
Meszaros said Austin Water has moved $1 million in its budget to help fund private repairs for Austinites.
Local leaders and utility officials have already confirmed to city residents that they would not see spikes in their utility bills as a result of the winter storms something residents in other parts of Texas have experienced. City Council took the additional step Feb. 25 to waive all late fees on utility bills.
City Manager Spencer Cronk will now be tasked with leading the local effort of reinforcing city systems against the damage brought on by the storms.