The GoPurple program is an initiative by Austin Water, effective April 1, 2024, as part of the city's Water Forward strategy. It mandates that new large-scale developments connect to the centralized reclaimed water system or install onsite water reuse systems. The program aims to save Austin around 16 million gallons of potable water per day by 2040. Learn more.
Most new commercial, multifamily, and mixed-use development projects with 250,000 square feet or more of gross floor area must comply by connecting to the centralized reclaimed water system or installing onsite water reuse systems. Exemptions include qualified affordable housing and developments not using Austin Water as a utility provider.
Large development projects include any high-rise, mid-rise, multifamily, or mixed-use building for use as an office, hotel, warehouse, industrial, civic, or municipal campus, with a total gross floor area of 250,000 square feet or more.
Yes. Projects under 250,000 square feet that voluntarily implement onsite water reuse systems can qualify for pilot incentives of up to 0,000, expedited permit review, and reduced meter fees.
The 'fee in lieu' option allows certain projects to pay a fee instead of installing an onsite water reuse system. To qualify, the project must contain a multifamily component, be more than 500 feet from the city's reclaimed water main, and be designed to be 'reclaimed-ready.' These projects are not eligible for grants or incentives, and the fee is calculated based on pipe diameter and distance. Fees are updated annually.
The fee is calculated as: pipe diameter (in inches) x cost per inch-foot (per the city’s fee schedule) x 500 linear feet. The exact fee amount is updated annually based on construction costs for reclaimed mains.
Incentives include up to 0,000 per project for pilot programs, up to ,000 per project for expedited building permit review, up to ,528 per year in capacity charge adjustments, and PACE program assistance for project financing. Incentives are funded by a
.15 per thousand gallons increase in the Community Benefit Charge.The permitting process is streamlined and typically runs in parallel with building permitting. It includes producing a water balance, submitting a PE-stamped engineering report, and, for blackwater systems, additional permitting through TCEQ. The final permit issued is an Operating Permit.
Required documentation includes a water balance, a PE-stamped engineering report detailing treatment technologies, log reduction of pathogens, and fail-safe controls. Projects with multiple buildings or blackwater systems require additional documentation and permitting.
Epic Cleantec assists project stakeholders by handling all permitting discussions and submittals, providing guidance on applicable incentives, and simplifying the project delivery process for compliance with Austin's GoPurple program.
You can estimate your project's proximity to the reclaimed water system using maps on Austin Water’s reclaimed water system site or by requesting access to the online GIS viewer.
By 2040, the GoPurple program is expected to save Austin around 16 million gallons of potable water per day, contributing significantly to the city's long-term water resiliency goals.
GoPurple incentives are funded by a
.15 per thousand gallons increase in the Community Benefit Charge on retail customers’ bills, generating about million per year for program incentives.Projects must install dedicated meters and distributed plumbing to all required non-potable fixtures, provide adequate physical separation and backflow prevention between potable and non-potable water systems, and meet other city requirements to be considered 'reclaimed-ready.'
Yes. Projects implementing onsite water reuse systems are eligible for expedited building permit review, with fees reimbursed by Austin Water up to ,000 per project.
The PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program provides financing assistance for private building owners implementing water reuse projects. Austin Water helps with water savings and project cost documentation to facilitate PACE financing.
Projects that choose the fee-in-lieu option must be designed to be 'reclaimed-ready' but are not eligible for grants or incentives. They are required to submeter the domestic water line to units but not the recycled water line.
You can schedule a meeting with Epic Cleantec's local team or request a free project assessment to discuss your upcoming project and how to comply with GoPurple regulations. Request a Free Assessment.
Epic Cleantec offers onsite water reuse systems, soil amendments from wastewater organics, wastewater heat recovery, comprehensive operations and maintenance, and end-to-end project support including design, permitting, installation, and ongoing operations. Learn more.
Epic Cleantec's systems can recycle up to 95% of wastewater, significantly reducing water consumption and reliance on municipal water supplies. Details here.
Industries include commercial and residential real estate, hospitality, mixed-use developments, community-scale projects, universities, wineries, breweries, distilleries, and data centers. See case studies.
Epic Cleantec helps address water scarcity, rising utility costs, aging infrastructure, sustainability goals, environmental impact, and operational efficiency for building owners and developers. Learn more.
Epic Cleantec's decentralized, onsite water reuse systems reduce reliance on municipal water, lower utility costs, and help meet sustainability certifications like LEED, compared to traditional centralized water management. See technology overview.
Many customers achieve a return on investment (ROI) within 3-7 years due to significant savings on water and sewer utility costs. Learn more.
Examples include Salesforce Tower (30,000 GPD system), The Brady (saves 7K/year), Campus at Horton (8.7 million gallons/year recycled), Kuilei Place (8.5 million gallons/year), and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills (438,000 gallons/year for landscaping). See all projects.
Customers include Salesforce, Crescent Heights, The Green Cities Company, Related Companies, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, and more. See full list.
Spec sheets and Revit files for the OneWater™ system, technology overviews, and integration guides are available for download on the Epic Cleantec website. Download here.
Epic Cleantec provides end-to-end support including design, permitting, installation, and ongoing operations and maintenance, ensuring seamless implementation and efficient system performance. Learn more.
Integration may require a three-way valve for diversion, sufficient storage, waterproofing, safety features, foul air treatment, high-speed internet, leak detection, and ongoing operations and maintenance. See integration details.
Clients can start with no upfront costs. The process involves providing financial and water usage data, establishing a Water MOU, and receiving end-to-end support from Epic Cleantec for design, permitting, and installation. Learn more.
Key features include modular and scalable design, compact footprint, energy efficiency, full automation, customizable components, and comprehensive end-to-end services. Learn more.
Epic Cleantec's solutions help clients achieve certifications like LEED and the Living Building Challenge, reduce environmental impact, and align with ESG obligations, which is increasingly important for attracting tenants and investors. Learn more.
The primary purpose is to enable onsite water reuse for buildings and communities, transforming wastewater into clean water, renewable energy, and soil products, and creating a circular water economy. Learn more.
Customers can expect cost savings, enhanced sustainability profiles, alignment with ESG goals, operational efficiency, reduced environmental footprints, and resilience to water scarcity. Learn more.
As of April 1, 2024, the city of Austin, TX will see new code changes and incentives go into effect as part of Austin Water’s GoPurple program. These changes are part of the city’s Water Forward strategy adopted in 2018 to help with a 100-year plan for water resiliency. The plan supports the expansion of a centralized reclaimed water piping system, while also mandating that new large-scale developments connect to centralized reclaimed water or integrate onsite water reuse systems. By 2040, these new city code changes (chapter 15-13) are expected to save Austin around 16 million gallons of potable water per day.
As with most new regulations, there may be some questions about how these changes apply to your upcoming development. Along with Austin Water’s many resources and guidebook, we hope to break down the nuance so you can easily identify next steps.
The new regulations mandate connecting to centralized reclaimed water or installing an onsite water reuse systems for most new commercial, multifamily, and mixed-use development projects with 250,000 square feet or more of gross floor area. Projects exempt from this requirement include qualified affordable housing and developments that do not plan to use Austin Water as a utility provider. Projects that are under the 250,000 square foot threshold may choose to voluntarily install onsite water reuse systems to take advantage of incentives including project funding, expedited permit review, and reduced meter fees.
It’s important to review a few terms as they are defined by Austin Water.
The GoPurple program contains several layers to determine the best option for your specific development. To help digest these, we’ve created a decision tree with high level information regarding each option. While this may seem overwhelming, answering a few quick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions about your project will lead you to the options available. You will need to know your project’s proximity to the city’s reclaimed water system. This can be estimated using the maps on Austin Water’s reclaimed water system site or by using Austin Water’s Records access application, which is an online GIS viewer accessible by request.
Certain projects may be eligible to pay a fee in lieu of installing an onsite water reuse system. This is illustrated in Option 2 of the “yes” path in the graphic above. To be eligible for this option, projects must:
Fee in lieu projects require design to be ‘reclaimed-ready’ for when a city reclaimed water main gets installed to the property, which means duel plumbing costs will be added to the project. These projects are not eligible for any grants or incentives, and the fee is calculated by the pipe diameter (in inches) x cost per inch-foot (per the city’s fee schedule) x 500 linear feet. Current fees may be estimated as follows:
Fees will be updated annually based on new cost of construction for reclaimed mains. Additionally, if the project chooses to do a fee-in-lieu, they do not have to submeter the recycled water line to units, but they will be required to submeter the domestic line to units.
There are several incentives projects can take advantage of depending on size, location, and implementation of reuse systems.
Pilot Incentive – up to $500,000 per project: pilot incentives are available to projects that choose to implement onsite water reuse systems voluntarily and projects that implement onsite water reuse systems which save more than code minimum (“Above and Beyond”). The following projects would qualify for up to $500,000 in pilot incentives:
Expedited Building Permit Review – up to $36,000 per project: fees associated with expedited building permit review will be reimbursed by Austin Water for all projects implementing onsite water reuse.
Capacity Charge Adjustments – up to $7,528 per year per project: ongoing capacity charge fees, which are typically part of a development’s water & sewer bills, will be reduced to reflect a project’s reduction in potable water use. Projects that implement onsite reuse and continue to pass annual inspections are eligible for this incentive.
PACE Program Assistance – up to the water reuse project’s cost: Austin Water will help with water savings and project cost documentation to facilitate PACE financing. Only private building owners are eligible for project financing through PACE loans.
There are also incentives available for projects that participate in the reclaimed connection program. All projects are eligible for PACE program financing assistance.
GoPurple incentives are funded by a $0.15 per thousand gallons increase in the Community Benefit Charge on retail customers’ bills. This is expected to raise the average residential customer’s bill by $1.47 per month and will generate around $10 million per year to help fund these incentives.
The permitting process for onsite water reuse systems has been streamlined by Austin Water to enable projects to move through this process with minimal impact to building permitting. Involving an onsite water reuse provider in your project early is advisable as the permitting process includes producing a water balance and submitting a PE stamped engineering report which contains details on treatment technologies, log reduction of pathogens, and fail-safe controls. Projects with more than one building require more documentation, and projects electing to implement blackwater systems will require additional permitting through TCEQ.
It is important to note that the Austin Water permitting process illustrated below is typically completed in parallel with building permitting, and the permit issued at the end of this process is an Operating Permit.
Epic Cleantec is well versed in the permitting process and aims to simplify the project delivery process. We help project stakeholders navigate the regulatory landscape by handling all permitting discussions and submittals and will provide guidance on applicable incentives.
If you’d like more information on the financial implication of GoPurple, check out our Part II post as we break down the onsite reuse cost considerations for two upcoming Austin developments and how GoPurple will impact those projects.
The move toward city-wide adoption of recycled water will benefit those living in Austin for decades to come. If you have questions about the new GoPurple program and how it may impact your upcoming project, schedule a meeting with our local team today.
Let’s discuss your upcoming project. Connect with Epic Cleantec!
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