City Council Approves SAWS Rates for 2009
(12/11/08)
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The San Antonio City Council has approved a 3.9 percent rate adjustment, effective January 2009.
"This is great news for San Antonio because these additional funds will go directly back into our community to repair and replace aging water and wastewater infrastructure," said SAWS President and CEO Robert R. Puente. "It also will provide funding to develop critical water supply projects, which require significant capital investment."
Based on the average SAWS residential bill of 7,788 gallons of water service and 6,178 gallons of wastewater service per month, the total estimated increase would be about $1.63 per month.
Funding from the rate adjustment will be used in three major areas: water supply, infrastructure and operations, which includes line cleaning of the wastewater system to prevent clogs and stoppages.
"This is an opportunity to continue to invest in our water utility," said SAWS Chairman Alex Briseño. "We will continue to provide water, develop water diversification and focus on water conservation."
Mayor Phil Hardberger said SAWS staff worked diligently with the City of San Antonio to arrive at the 3.9 percent.
"We're not here to vote today because we want SAWS to make a profit," Hardberger said. This water utility belongs to the citizens of San Antonio. We're here to make sure we stay ahead of the curve and protect our water resources."
For more information on the new SAWS rates, complete rate tables and a residential rate calculator are available online at www.saws.org.
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