Austin Water seeks $15 million for ASR field testing as commission debates community engagement and brine disposal
May 20, 2026 | Austin, Travis County, Texas
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
Austin Water staff on May 20 outlined plans to test aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) in the Trinity Aquifer in eastern Travis County and asked the Water Wastewater Commission to recommend a $15,000,000 amendment to the department’s contract with HDR to fund deep test-well drilling, sample collection, laboratory analysis and pilot planning for brackish groundwater desalination.
"We are requesting an additional $15,000,000 to help cover the cost of all of that work," Marissa Flores Gonzalez, supervisor of the water resources team at Austin Water, told commissioners during a staff briefing. She said the sum primarily covers the cost of four very deep test wells scoped for the field-testing phase.
The presentation placed the ASR and desalination work in the context of the Water Forward plan, noting staff shifted from an earlier Carrizo-Wilcox option to a Trinity Aquifer site that could be sited on city-owned land and provide lower pipeline, pumping and land costs. Flores Gonzalez said field testing will include designing and drilling test wells, collecting groundwater and core samples for geochemical analysis, and testing interactions between sampled groundwater and Austin’s drinking water to inform future treatment designs.
Staff described the range of disposal options the city will evaluate for desalination brine produced by reverse-osmosis treatment. "Some utilities use deep well injection to dispose of the brine," Flores Gonzalez said; others use evaporation ponds or capture minerals for industrial reuse. She said the field-testing work will characterize salinity and other water-quality parameters needed to identify compliant, affordable and environmentally protective disposal methods.
Commissioners pressed staff on several points during the exchange. They sought clarity on expected yields — staff said an ASR project in the Trinity Aquifer would likely yield about one-third the water volume estimated in Water Forward for a Carrizo-Wilcox site (Water Forward had an illustrative ASR yield around 44,000 acre-feet per year) — and asked whether proposed testing and subsequent injection would be contained within city-owned land. "Our concept now with these projects ... is that they would be contained on city on land," Flores Gonzalez said, and added that TCEQ authorization will require the city to show control of stored underground water.
Staff also said they will form a technical advisory group made up of hydrogeologists and other experts, and will pursue a proactive community-engagement plan with partner departments, open houses and outreach to elected officials. Emily Chancellor, chief of staff at Austin Water, said the department has begun briefings with state officials and will share a schedule of public open houses with the commission.
When commissioners attempted to consider the contract amendment (item 11) later in the meeting, the commission lacked a quorum to vote after two abstentions, and the chair announced the item would not move forward as a commission recommendation. Commissioner Marzullo said the vote could not proceed because the commission lacked the necessary quorum. Flores Gonzalez told the commission the contract amendment would be taken to City Council on May 28 for consideration.
Next steps identified by staff included identifying test-well sites through fall 2026, drilling test wells and collecting samples in spring 2027, completing a phase 1b report in spring 2028, and seeking TCEQ pilot authorization for subsequent phases. Flores Gonzalez emphasized that the $15 million request would fund only the field-testing phase; additional scopes and authorizations would be required for pilot or full-scale construction.
The commission’s discussion emphasized the technical unknowns of the Trinity Aquifer, the need for careful community outreach given proposed testing within the Austin Water service-area impact-fee boundary, and the necessity of developing compliant brine handling or disposal plans before moving forward.
The item did not receive a commission recommendation due to lack of quorum; City Council consideration is scheduled for May 28, according to staff.
"We are requesting an additional $15,000,000 to help cover the cost of all of that work," Marissa Flores Gonzalez, supervisor of the water resources team at Austin Water, told commissioners during a staff briefing. She said the sum primarily covers the cost of four very deep test wells scoped for the field-testing phase.
The presentation placed the ASR and desalination work in the context of the Water Forward plan, noting staff shifted from an earlier Carrizo-Wilcox option to a Trinity Aquifer site that could be sited on city-owned land and provide lower pipeline, pumping and land costs. Flores Gonzalez said field testing will include designing and drilling test wells, collecting groundwater and core samples for geochemical analysis, and testing interactions between sampled groundwater and Austin’s drinking water to inform future treatment designs.
Staff described the range of disposal options the city will evaluate for desalination brine produced by reverse-osmosis treatment. "Some utilities use deep well injection to dispose of the brine," Flores Gonzalez said; others use evaporation ponds or capture minerals for industrial reuse. She said the field-testing work will characterize salinity and other water-quality parameters needed to identify compliant, affordable and environmentally protective disposal methods.
Commissioners pressed staff on several points during the exchange. They sought clarity on expected yields — staff said an ASR project in the Trinity Aquifer would likely yield about one-third the water volume estimated in Water Forward for a Carrizo-Wilcox site (Water Forward had an illustrative ASR yield around 44,000 acre-feet per year) — and asked whether proposed testing and subsequent injection would be contained within city-owned land. "Our concept now with these projects ... is that they would be contained on city on land," Flores Gonzalez said, and added that TCEQ authorization will require the city to show control of stored underground water.
Staff also said they will form a technical advisory group made up of hydrogeologists and other experts, and will pursue a proactive community-engagement plan with partner departments, open houses and outreach to elected officials. Emily Chancellor, chief of staff at Austin Water, said the department has begun briefings with state officials and will share a schedule of public open houses with the commission.
When commissioners attempted to consider the contract amendment (item 11) later in the meeting, the commission lacked a quorum to vote after two abstentions, and the chair announced the item would not move forward as a commission recommendation. Commissioner Marzullo said the vote could not proceed because the commission lacked the necessary quorum. Flores Gonzalez told the commission the contract amendment would be taken to City Council on May 28 for consideration.
Next steps identified by staff included identifying test-well sites through fall 2026, drilling test wells and collecting samples in spring 2027, completing a phase 1b report in spring 2028, and seeking TCEQ pilot authorization for subsequent phases. Flores Gonzalez emphasized that the $15 million request would fund only the field-testing phase; additional scopes and authorizations would be required for pilot or full-scale construction.
The commission’s discussion emphasized the technical unknowns of the Trinity Aquifer, the need for careful community outreach given proposed testing within the Austin Water service-area impact-fee boundary, and the necessity of developing compliant brine handling or disposal plans before moving forward.
The item did not receive a commission recommendation due to lack of quorum; City Council consideration is scheduled for May 28, according to staff.
Don't Miss a Word: See the Full Meeting!
Go beyond summaries. Unlock every video, transcript, and key insight with a Founder Membership.
✓
Get instant access to full meeting videos
✓
Search and clip any phrase from complete transcripts
✓
Receive AI-powered summaries & custom alerts
✓
Enjoy lifetime, unrestricted access to government data
30-day money-back guarantee
