Meet OSCAR and CLARA, the Future of Water Management in Austin

Austin Water is unveiling an innovative blackwater system designed to set a course for the future of water management for new development in Austin. Located at the City of Austin’s Permitting and Development Center and known as OSCAR and CLARA, the project has completed commissioning and will be used to demonstrate sustainable water reuse for commercial buildings and help extend Austin’s current water supply.
 
In the lawn area next to the conference center is an underground On-site Collection and Reuse System, or OSCAR. OSCAR can collect 40,000 gallons of rainwater and air-conditioning condensate that is filtered and then stored in tanks to reuse for outdoor landscaping. This system not only conserves our potable water, but also saves energy by eliminating the treatment process used to produce drinking water.
 
Hidden beneath the pedestrian walkway from E. Highland Mall Blvd. you’ll find CLARA, a Closed-loop Advanced Reclaimed Assembly. CLARA can collect up to 5,000 gallons per day of wastewater from the building’s sewers, treat it using advanced membrane technology, and then recycle the clean water back to the building to flush toilets and urinals. This water can be used repeatedly for this purpose.
 
The project was developed through a partnership between Austin Water and the City of Austin’s Development Services and Watershed Protection Departments.
 
For more information about on-site reuse and OSCAR and CLARA, please visit, On-site Blackwater Reuse Pilot Project: Meet OSCAR and CLARA | AustinTexas.gov.