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Today’s Forecast

78º | 10% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:43 a.m. | Sunset 7:37 p.m. | Full Weather Report | Traffic Report
 

💧 Water you waiting for?

Save the water: inside the city’s GoPurple program
Industrial purple pipes outside.
These purple pipes hold the reclaimed water, potentially saving up to 16 million gallons of water per day. | Photo courtesy Austin Water
Sixteen million. That’s how many gallons of water per day Austin Water projects to save with the GoPurple program by 2040.

Austin City Council approved a host of code changes, program incentives, and funding systems for the GoPurple program to support water reuse projects last week. As part of the Water Forward initiative, the GoPurple program is meant to boost Austin’s infrastructure around using reclaimed water.

Behind Water Forward

After the seven-year drought that ended in 2016, Austin Water created a century-long plan to safeguard the city’s water supply through conservation, protection, and reuse programs. Water Forward was adopted by Austin City Council in 2018.

Water reuse is not only important for environmental reasons, Austin also has a financial incentive. If the city uses more than 201,000 acre-ft of water from the Colorado River for two years in a row, it would cost Austin around $10 million in annual fees, due to a 1999 agreement with the Lower Colorado River Authority.

Why purple?

In short, the water industry uses purple pipes to denote treated reclaimed water. This reclaimed water is for non-potable usage, like watering landscapes and flushing your toilets.

What will change?

Last week’s changes include an Austin City Council-approved $0.15 charge to businesses and residents per thousand gallons, which will equate to around $1.47 for the average Austin Water customer. However, customers who are interested in helping fund GoPurple can contribute more through voluntary Purple Choice or Purple Choice+ programs, which are expected to be implemented in November.

The extra capital will go toward water reclamation system upgrades and expansion.

Code changes made for GoPurple will mostly affect developments spanning 250,000+ sqft. Those projects, provided they fall within 500 feet of the City’s GoPurple infrastructure, will be required to connect to the purple pipes or install their own water reuse system. Read the full list of requirements.
Texas Grand Prix
 
Events
Monday, March 11
Tuesday, March 12
  • Free Photo Bus | Tuesday, March 12-Saturday, March 16 | 12-9 p.m. | Home Slice Pizza, 1415 S. Congress Ave., Austin | Free | Stop by the free photo bus to make some memories during SXSW.
  • Rockford IceHogs vs. Texas Stars | Tuesday, March 12 | 7 p.m. | H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, 2100 Ave. of the Stars, Cedar Park | $20-$56 | Donate a H-E-B branded, non-perishable food item at the box office for $5 off of your ticket.
Wednesday, March 13
  • Marshall Funhouse | Wednesday, March 13-Friday, March 15 | 12-11:59 p.m. | Parish, 501 Brushy St., Austin | Free with RSVP | The Black Angels, Dry Cleaning, and Therapy? will perform at this SXSW pop-up.
Thursday, March 14
  • PARTYNEXTDOOR | Thursday, March 14 | 7 p.m. | Moody Amphitheater, 1401 Trinity St., Austin | $55 | The Canadian performer is headed to Austin to take on The Stage at SXSW.
Friday, March 15
  • Ray Wylie Hubbard | Friday, March 15 | 2-5:30 p.m. | The White Horse, 500 Comal St., Austin | $25 | Cotton Clifton will perform at 3 p.m. before the “Snake Farm” singer takes the spotlight an hour later.
  • Taste of Glassblowing: Sun Catcher Mushroom Crash Course | Friday, March 15 | Times vary | Ghost Pepper Glass, 979 Springdale Rd., Ste. #100, Austin | $85 | Reserve your spot for a one-hour workshop in creating sun catcher mushrooms.
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
 
News Notes
Development
  • The City of Austin received $105 million in federal funding for the Cap and Stitch program, as part of the I-35 expansion project. The funding will go toward work on Cesar Chavez Street. (KVUE)
Edu
  • After four years of test-optional admissions, UT will begin requiring prospective students to submit standardized test scores again in fall 2025. The requirements were originally removed in spring 2020. (Community Impact Austin)
Outdoors
  • Deep Eddy Pool is open once again after closing in early January for repairs and lighting upgrades. Additionally, the city is currently hiring lifeguards for the upcoming season.
Biz
Weather
  • Austinites could be in for some severe storms later this week. Potential for heavy rain, possible hail, and high winds are currently being monitored for Thursday, March 14. (KVUE)
Opening
  • Thai Chinese eatery P Thai’s Khao Man Gai will find a permanent home in the former Vamonos space at 4807 Airport Blvd. sometime this year. P Thai’s was originally a food stall at Hong Kong Supermarket, but had to close down alongside the market in January 2024. (Eater Austin)
Award
  • Filmmaker (and UT grad) Wes Anderson became the first Texas-born director to win an Academy Award over the weekend. Anderson took home the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.” (KVUE)
Sports
  • The 2024 Texas Longhorns Football roster just dropped. Get the biggest stories every day from the local experts of the Texas Longhorns with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
    Coming Soon
    • Drum roll, please… Our sister newsletter in Charlotte, NC will launch on Monday, March 18. From the latest news about developments and restaurants to fun events around town, we’re covering everything you need to know about Queen City. Just like this newsletter, it’s 100% free, 100% local, and 100% informative. Subscribe today.
    Eat
    • We’re not sure there’s anyone left in Austin who hasn’t tried the new Hattie B’s Hot Chicken on South Lamar Boulevard. But just in case, here’s one last reminder that the Nashville eatery is serving up southern-style goodness seven days a beak.*
    TEGNA
     
    Culture

    Real Estate

    How well do you know the map of Austin?
    A map of Austin with orange squares showing Zilker Park, the Austin Convention Center, The Long Center, and the Texas Capitol.
    Can you guess the Austin venue based on just the address? | Graphic via ATXtoday
    How well do you know your way around Austin?

    Whether you’re a bonafide cartographer or can’t find your way around town without GPS, we’ve created a game for you.

    Here’s how it works: we’ll provide you with the address of a popular venue around the city and you’ll have the choice of four places it could be.

    We’ll share the results and shout out some winners who score 100% (so don’t forget to add your name if you want the credit) in an upcoming newsletter.

    What are you waiting for? Try your hand at the quiz.
    Asked

    Which venue is located at 2001 Robert Dedman Dr.?
    A. Bass Concert Hall
    B. Bullock Texas State History Museum
    C. Moody Center
    D. Harry Ransom Center
    Map it out
    The Buy
    The Lavender Fields Eye Pillow Set. With items like the crystal-infused lavender eye pillow and crystal-infused sleep mist, we’re dreaming of better sleep this week after Daylight Savings.
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    The Wrap
     
    City Editor Figi poses with an adorable goat.

    Today’s edition by:
    Figi
    From the editor
    For me, it’s SXSW day six, as London and I started going to panels on Thursday night. We’ve been walking about six miles per day, if you can believe it.
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