Water Forward is Austin’s 100-year integrated water resource plan to develop and implement diverse and environmentally conscious water management strategies to adapt to growth, drought, and climate change and ensure a sustainable, resilient, equitable, and affordable water future for our community for the next 100 years.

Water Forward was first approved by Council in November 2018. Since that time Austin Water has begun implementation of near-term plan strategies to help address future water supply needs. Austin Water has now started the process to complete the first 5-year update to the Water Forward plan and is targeting plan completion by 2024. Austin Water will be updating this plan in alignment with community values and will include refreshed demand, climate, and other projections to plan for a range of possible futures.

The Water Forward community engagement process will include virtual and in person engagement opportunities, including public workshops, ongoing Water Forward Task Force meetings, and other events.

Water Forward is Austin’s 100-year integrated water resource plan to develop and implement diverse and environmentally conscious water management strategies to adapt to growth, drought, and climate change and ensure a sustainable, resilient, equitable, and affordable water future for our community for the next 100 years.

Water Forward was first approved by Council in November 2018. Since that time Austin Water has begun implementation of near-term plan strategies to help address future water supply needs. Austin Water has now started the process to complete the first 5-year update to the Water Forward plan and is targeting plan completion by 2024. Austin Water will be updating this plan in alignment with community values and will include refreshed demand, climate, and other projections to plan for a range of possible futures.

The Water Forward community engagement process will include virtual and in person engagement opportunities, including public workshops, ongoing Water Forward Task Force meetings, and other events.

Across much of human history (and in many parts of the world today), by contrast, the question of where to get water for daily needs was much more immediate. This is especially true of places where large numbers of people gathered together in dense settlements, posing challenges for both the supply of fresh water and the disposal of wastewater and excess precipitation.

While the technologies used to gather and distribute water in the past may have been less complex than those now in use, the basic principles are the same: water is pulled downhill by gravity, soaks into the soil, evaporates into the air, and can be retained and directed by barriers and conduits. The investigation of water management in urban contexts in the past can help us to understand the challenges those societies dealt with and the solutions they developed. Not only are these solutions sometimes relevant to modern challenges in water management in densely-settled areas, but they also help us understand the evolution of the systems we now have.

This panel brings together scholars who study human interactions with water resources in urban environments of the past, from the Romans to the Maya to the modern US Southwest. They will explain how their research illuminates past water management practices, and discuss the connection of those practices with social and historical developments in both the Old and the New Worlds.

* Chocolate Tasting: Guests will get to taste the flavors of Joaihu’s chocolates.
* Live Music Performance: Enjoy the sounds of rock/soul vocalist & songwriter, Akina Adderley!
* Complimentary Refreshing Drinks: Enjoy complimentary beverages like beer, sparkling water and more!

As part of this event, we are not only celebrating but also raising awareness and support for Austin Youth River Watch, an organization dedicated to inspiring youth through environmental education. You can get your ticket here (suggested $25 donation.) 

Join us for a virtual lunch and learn session on November 16th at 12PM, where Christopher Charles from Austin Water’s Conservation Division will discuss the Rainwater Harvesting and the WaterWise Rainscape Programs, from guiding you through the application process to providing insight into commonly asked questions. Help lower your water usage during the ongoing drought by using the water that plants and trees prefer to stay healthy.

There is a long ‘after’ too, as flooded communities take months and years to recover physically, financially, and emotionally. With rain events predicted to be more intense it is imperative to develop networks of collaboration between scientists, planners, community advocates, first responders, and neighbors to better understand and limit risk, more effectively respond during times of crisis, and recover from events in ways that are just and equitable.

Join us for this panel discussion that brings these different perspectives together in hopes of diminishing the impacts of some of our most deadly and costly climate-related hazards.

In this panel, multidisciplinary artists will share how their work engages water as creator and collaborator. Their discussion will explore the ways in which artistic practices, particularly those rooted in community and an ethic of care, can help strengthen our bonds and commitments to each other and to the natural resources on which we all depend.