Water Forward is Austin’s 100-year integrated water resource plan. Water Forward is an adaptive plan to be updated on a 5-year cycle and evaluates and plans for water supply and demand management strategies for the City of Austin in a regional water supply context. Through public outreach and coordination of efforts between City departments and the Water Forward Task Force, Water Forward is a holistic and inclusive approach to water resource planning.

Read the plan 

The current Water Forward Plan was approved by the Austin City Council in November 2018 and is currently in the implementation stage. The 2018 plan embraced an innovative and integrated water management process with the goal of ensuring a diversified, sustainable and resilient water future with a strong emphasis on water conservation.

As Water Forward is updated in the future, information about the updates will be shared here.

Water Forward 2024 Update

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. Visit the Water Forward 2024 SpeakUp Austin! page by clicking here, for project updates and to provide your input by taking a survey, and more.

Water Forward Strategies

Water Forward Community Ambassadors 

Austin Water is excited to welcome our new Water Forward Community Ambassadors! Leading with equity, this group will be pivotal in AW’s community engagement, inclusion, and affordability goals and strategy implementation. To stay updated on their work and the plan update process, subscribe to our newsletter!