Purple Choice
Save Water, Choose Purple!
Water is life, and in Austin, every drop counts. With ongoing droughts, population growth and a changing climate, our supply of this critical resource is at risk. Austin Water is working to expand our city's recycled water network with the Purple Choice program, a simple, powerful way to protect our lakes and the natural environment that depends on them by saving billions of gallons of drinking water every year.
When you sign up for Purple Choice, your $6 monthly contribution helps build Austin's water recycling system faster. This network of purple-colored pipes beneath our streets carries recycled water, also known as reclaimed water — wastewater collected from homes and businesses that is cleaned and treated to a high standard in our facilities. Recycled water is not for drinking, but it is ideal for irrigating landscapes, flushing toilets and cooling buildings. Every gallon of water recycled for these purposes is one gallon of drinking water saved from Lake Travis and Lake Austin, our city's primary water sources.
Austin Water customers can opt into Purple Choice on their City of Austin Utilities bill. Once you log in, select Manage Billing under Billing and Payment, then select Charity Contributions. You can opt out at any time.
Resources
Recycled water, also known as reclaimed water, is wastewater collected from the drains of homes and businesses, then treated and reused for non-drinking purposes such as watering landscapes, flushing toilets, cooling tower systems and other industrial uses. It travels through special purple-colored pipes to indicate it is different from drinking water.
Using recycled water extends our water supply by reserving drinking water for drinking. Austin Water began building a recycled water system in the 1990s, and today that network stretches more than 70 miles. With future demands on our water supply from continued growth and the ongoing threat of drought, we are preparing for the future by expanding this system.
Purple Choice empowers Austin Water customers to act against the threat of drought and protect Austin's natural environment. Recycling wastewater for non-drinking purposes reduces demand on Lake Austin and Lake Travis, the major sources of our city's drinking water supply. When you subscribe to Purple Choice, you are investing in a water future that meets everyone's needs, even in a changing climate.
When customers have access to recycled water, we use less drinking water for purposes that do not require that level of treatment. Supporting the expansion of the city's water recycling network connects more major water users to the system, protecting our drinking water supply for everyone.
- Reclaimed Water System — Learn how Austin Water treats and distributes recycled water
- Go Purple — Requirements and incentives for new developments connecting to Austin's recycled water network through the Go Purple program
- Water Forward — Austin's 100-year integrated water resource plan
- Water Saving Tips — More ways to conserve water at home
- Texas Water Development Board — Water Reuse — More context on recycled water standards in Texas