Main

A Diversified Foundation

Planning Assumptions

Where We'll Get Additional Water in the Future

Managing San Antonio's Water Resources

Adjustments to the 2009 Water Management Plan Update

Policy Statement

Downloads

Note: Adjustments to this plan since 2009 place San Antonio 20 years ahead of schedule in securing alternative water supplies to meet the community's needs. As a result, some information in this section may be outdated. Learn more.

Planning for Extremes

Under average weather conditions, and with continued conservation, SAWS already has enough permits to meet customer demand through 2034. However, because we can't count on normal rainfall every year, SAWS now uses a historic "drought of record" from the 1950s to help plan for worst-case conditions.

In an extreme, multiyear drought, pumping from our primary source, the Edwards Aquifer, would be reduced by 40 percent. If that drought started today, we would need to secure up to 37,000 more acre-feet of water rights by 2014 to meet peak demand. That's about 12 billion gallons.

Meeting SAWS Customer Needs

While SAWS continues to work closely with many other agencies and communities, we recognize that most area water utilities prefer to plan for their own demand. In addition, SAWS ratepayers should not bear the costs of meeting other communities' water needs. We will therefore continue to plan with those willing to share the risks and costs of water supply development.