SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM APPROACHES COUNCIL FOR A POTENTIAL WATER USE SURCHARGE

SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM APPROACHES COUNCIL FOR A POTENTIAL WATER USE SURCHARGE

Potential changes to drought rules have been proposed by the San Antonio Water System (SAWS), with the intention of conserving water and potentially avoiding more rigorous conservation measures. The suggestions were unanimously approved by the SAWS board of trustees last month, and they now await council approval at an upcoming meeting due on June 20.

Proposed Drought Rule Changes

One of the significant recommended changes includes the introduction of a new surcharge for consumers who indulge in heavy water usage. According to SAWS Vice-President of Conservation, Karen Guz, this move could help encourage water conservation without necessitating restrictions that would affect the entire population.

Currently, SAWS operates under Stage 2 drought restrictions, implying that customers are limited to watering their landscape once a week. However, with the dropping levels of the Edwards Aquifer, SAWS is considering introducing Stage 3 restrictions.

Understanding Stage 3

Stage 3 restrictions propose reducing permitted landscape watering to once every other week, a move which is deemed “severe” by Guz. However, instead of implementing this extensive and stringent restriction, the utility’s new Stage 3 restrictions propose an alternative. They suggest imposing a new surcharge on the heaviest water users – $10.37 for every 1,000 gallons they use above a certain threshold. For residential customers, this threshold would be 20,000 gallons.

Guz clarified, “The best opportunity to save water is in the hottest months of the summer with these rules. So that’s July, August, September. So if this passes soon, then in July, we would be able to use the new Stage 3 and hopefully, that works. We save enough water. We get through the rest of the year staying in once-a-week rules.”

The Imminent Water Crisis

This summer, SAWS anticipates the aquifer level to drop below 625 feet, which would activate the Edward Aquifer Authority’s (EAA) Stage 5 pumping restrictions. This would considerably constrain how much water SAWS can pump. The aquifer reached Stage 5 only four times previously, the last incident occurring in 1990. Ultimately, through the proposed changes, SAWS aims to reduce water use by 10%.

Other Proposal Highlights

Other suggestions include adjusted watering hours, new constraints on drip irrigation, and a novel approach to fining perpetrators of drought rule violations, regardless of whether they reside within or outside the San Antonio city limits. In-depth explanations of these proposed alterations are available for public viewing and scrutiny.