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SAWS Water Waster List

What is Water Waste?

Citation FAQ

The San Antonio Conservation Ordinance lists a number of activities that are considered water waste at all times, regardless of time of year or current drought restrictions. Water waste includes:

• 	Overspray onto streets or sidewalks is against water waste rules.

  Landscape watering with an irrigation system or sprinkler any time between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
  
• Allowing water from any source to run off into a gutter, ditch, or storm drain
  
• Failure to repair a controllable leak
  
• Runoff or overspray from a sprinkler or irrigation system regardless of the time of day
  
• Landscape watering during or shortly after a rain (Note: All automatic irrigation systems in San Antonio – both residential and commercial – are required to have working rain sensors to prevent this problem.)
  
• Charity car washes held at any location other than a permanent car wash facility
  
• Additional requirements of any drought restriction stage currently in effect

What Is Allowed?

The following activities are allowed unless restricted by any drought restriction stage currently in effect:

• Watering with a hand-held hose, soaker hose, drip irrigation, small bucket or watering can.
  
• Pressure washing of parking lots, driveways, streets or sidewalks is permitted as long as street runoff is not allowed. (Note: Commercial pressure washers working in San Antonio are required by ordinance to register with SAWS.)
  
• Washing of vehicles or other mobile equipment at a home or business. Use of an automatic shut-off nozzle or bucket is recommended to prevent wasteful street runoff.
  
• Use of commercial vehicle wash facilities is permitted at any time.

For a complete list of water waste restrictions please visit our 2005 Conservation Ordinance page.