Austin Water proposes recommendations for GoPurple Program

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Water will make recommendations to Austin City Council in hopes of launching the GoPurple Program, which works to advance the city’s reuse strategies all while addressing affordability.

When wastewater leaves a home or business, it enters the wastewater collection system and is treated, according to a City of Austin memo. Once the water is treated, it can be recycled and reused for non-drinking purposes.

Then, the pipelines that carry the recycled water back to the community are made of purple material, so it’s not mistaken for drinking water.

The program includes cost sharing, grants and incentives, funded by adding a voluntary rate of less than $2 a month to your bill. That would generate about $10 million a year, according to the memo.

People enrolled in the customer assistance program will not pay that charge, and neither will qualified affordable housing projects.

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