Austin Central Library
Overview
- Category: Education/Government
- Organization Location: Austin, Texas
- Activity: Utilizes alternative water supplies, including rainwater, to offset potable water supply needs.
Background
The library’s design focused on the use of alternative water supplies to meet the needs of visitors, staff, and the landscape. These supplies include air conditioner condensate collection, reclaimed water, and rainwater harvesting. Key to rainwater collection is the Library’s use of the underground cistern that was originally used by the decommissioned Seaholm Power Plant. The combination of water sources is used for toilet flushing and irrigation, which overall, provides a potable water offset of approximately 85 percent.