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SAWS Frequently Asked Questions
Billing Inquiries
Interactive Pay-By-Phone
Contacting SAWS
Other Service Issues
Affordability Programs
Long-Term Water Supply Plan
Fluoride
Agricultural Programs
Billing Inquiries
- Where can I pay my water bill?
Payments can be made in person at any of the SAWS service locations listed on the back of your bill summary. SAWS has also teamed up with select local businesses to collect payments on SAWS behalf.
You can also pay by mail,
phone, via automatic bank debit, or online.
Contact SAWS Customer Service at 704-SAWS (704-7297) for details.
- How do I sign up for service, transfer service and/or disconnect service?
Contact our Customer Service by phone, mail, in person or by fax at 233-4160.
- Who do I contact if I have a question/concern/problem regarding my
water bill?
Questions on billing, transfers, and service turn-ons and turn-offs
should be directed to our Customer Service Department, 704-SAWS (704-7297).
- May I receive my SAWS bill electronically?
Yes! Register to receive your monthly water bill via e-mail by registering here. Now any SAWS customer can view current and past bills online. Just verify your SAWS account number, choose a user name and password, and you're all set to view your bill any time without obligation to use any of our other services.
- How do I sign up for automatic payments?
SAWS offers automatic bill payment through the Easy-Pay Plan. The SAWS Easy Pay Plan works by electronically transferring funds from your bank each month.
- I have multiple SAWS accounts; may I consolidate them into one bill?
At this time, we cannot consolidate your account statements into one bill.
- What happens if I do not pay my bill on time?
A 5-percent late fee will be assessed to your unpaid balance.
- I can't afford to pay my bill right now. Can I get an extension?
If you are experiencing financial difficulties which temporarily prevent
you from paying on time, please let us know. In many cases we can
work out a payment plan to allow you to continue receiving service.
Call SAWS Customer Service, 704-SAWS (704-7297).
- How is my water bill calculated?
Your residential water service bill is calculated using the following criteria:
- Water consumption
- Standard or seasonal rate type
- Meter size
- Inside or outside city limits
A residential rate calculator is available online. Be sure to have a copy of your bill with you to key in the information.
For general class water and sewer accounts
(including apartment, commercial, industrial and municipal)
For business classes, a five-step base-excess use structure has been developed. The monthly base amount for business class customers is equal to 90 percent of a customer’s monthly average usage. Increased unit rates will apply as usage exceeds each customer’s base amount.
Monthly Service Availability and Volume Charge
A portion of your statement includes a minimum bill (Monthly Service Availability Charge), based on your meter size, and the Monthly Volume Charge, which reflects your water consumption measured per 100 gallons of water usage during a billing period.
- How is the sewer portion of the bill calculated?
For residential accounts
SAWS bases residential sewer billing on the average monthly use of water during three complete consecutive billing periods from mid-November through mid-March.
Since water is mostly used indoors during the cooler months and likely ends up processed at SAWS treatment plants through the sewer system; this amount serves as the basis for winter averaging.
Customers who do not have a winter record of water usage or an interim average will be billed
an unaveraged or unmetered residential charge of $20.52 for inside city limits.
Customers who do not have a winter records of water usage or an interim average will be billed an unaveraged or unmetered residential charge of $24.62 for outside city limits.
For general accounts
Sewer service charges are computed from water usage schedules for all metered connections.
- What other charges are reflected on my bill?
Other fees included on your bill are the water supply fee, stormwater fee and the Edwards Aquifer Authority fee.
- Who should I speak to regarding billing discrepancies?
Please contact us at (210) 704-SAWS (7297) or service@saws.org.
- What is the process to have a name changed on my account?
Name change due to death requires a copy of the death certificate and valid identification. If a spouse requests a name change, they will need to show a copy of the marriage certificate to indicate the deceased person was their spouse.
Name change due to divorce requires a copy of the divorce decree or legal papers or marriage certificate indicating that the customer who is on the account was the spouse. Also update their identification.
Interactive Pay-By-Phone
- What is the IVR system? IVR stands for Interactive Voice Response System, a new telephone payment channel for our SAWS customers.
- How can I access the IVR payment system? From an area phone, dial 704-SAWS (7297) or dial it directly at 704-7234.
- What’s needed to sign up? All you need to use the IVR system is your SAWS account, service zip code and telephone number. You’ll also be asked for a pin code up to 8 digits long in lieu of a password.
- Is my transaction secure? The IVR system, like our other payment systems, utilizes a secure and encrypted channel for communication. All transport of financial data between SAWS and bank/credit card processors uses above-standard encryption techniques to ensure a safe and protected transaction. Even after your credit card or check payment has been approved, your financial information is never stored permanently in our system.
- When will my payment post to my SAWS account? All payments made Monday through Friday before 5 p.m. will post the same day. Payments made after 5 p.m. Monday through Friday will post the next business day. Payments made on weekends or holidays will post the next business day.
- I made a mistake, can I delete my payment? No. Please be certain that you intend to make a payment before doing so and that the amount entered is correct.
- Is there a payment limit? The system accepts payments up to $999.99 for credit card payments, and there is no limit for check/savings account payments.
- Can I register more than one SAWS account? Yes, you can register as many SAWS accounts as you like. When making a payment, the system will ask you which SAWS account you’d like to pay.
- What types of payments are taken? Payments from your checking/savings account, as well as VISA and Mastercard payments are allowed.
- Is there a fee for my payment? No, like our other payments systems, SAWS does not charge a fee.
- Do I need to speak with anyone to sign up? No. The IVR system provides the ultimate convenience to customers wanting to avoid long lines or waiting on hold. Since all functionality is built into the system, human intervention is not required.
- What if I need to speak to an operator? From the main menu, you can opt out of the system, and transfer to a Customer Service agent, by pressing “0”.
- Besides taking payments, what else can the system do? Customers can check their account balance, verify their last payment, and confirm the most recent amount billed.
Contacting SAWS
- Why am I being asked for identification when I don't have my bill?
For security reasons, we ask for identification so that we will not provide information to someone other than the person who is signed up for the account.
Other Service
Issues
- Who
do I call for help in an emergency?
In general, plumbing problems that occur on private property are
the responsibility of the owner. However, emergencies such as
water main or sewer line leaks or breaks should be reported to
SAWS immediately, 24 hours a day, seven days a week:
- Water
and Sewer Emergencies: 704-SAWS (704-7297)
- How do I determine if I have a leak on my property?
To check for leaks, turn off all indoor and outdoor faucets, and then look at your water meter. If the fine flow indicator (usually a small triangle or diamond on the face of the meter) is turning, you have a leak. Watch your meter for 5 or 10 minutes to see if the fine flow indicator moves. If it continues to move, then a leak exists on your property and needs to be located. For more information on checking for leaks, click here.
- Who should I contact to report a leak?
Please contact us at (210) 704-SAWS (7297) or service@saws.org.
Affordability
Programs
- What
is SAWS doing to help people in financial need pay their water
bills?
In an effort to help manage rising utility bills, SAWS offers the Affordability Discount to low-income residential customers who meet certain income eligibility requirements. To receive the discount, a customer must apply with the City of San Antonio Department of Community Initiatives (DCI) by calling (210) 207-7830 for details.
Project Agua provides water bill payment assistance to customers who are having difficulty paying their water bill. Available funds are used to help low-income SAWS residential ratepayers who are elderly, disabled or who have young children. Program qualifications include being a SAWS residential customer and qualifying through DCI for participation.
SAWS’ Senior Citizen Billing Program offers residential customers 60 years of age and older, an exemption of late payment penalties for both water and sewer service charges.
Plumbers to People, a service that provides free plumbing repairs to low-income SAWS customers. Water waste caused by leaks can greatly increase water bills, and for many low-income families that increase may prohibit them from being able to pay a plumber to repair their faucet or toilet.
Long-term
Water Supply Plan
- Why does
San Antonio need to get more water resources? Can't we just use
the Edwards Aquifer?
The Edwards Aquifer will always be San Antonio's primary source
of water, and conservation programs
to use it efficiently and protect the water
quality will be expanded. We're also acquiring additional
rights to Edwards water in several ways including purchasing or
leasing additional water rights.
While the Edwards will always be the cornerstone of San Antonio's
water supply, we also realize that it is a limited resource. No
one knows for sure exactly how much usable water it actually contains.
As a result, the Edwards Region made a choice to limit the amount
of water taken from the aquifer so it can be preserved for many
years to come. By managing the water we remove from the aquifer,
we will continue to be able to rely on it to meet our basic water
needs.
But
San Antonio is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas
in the nation and relying solely on the Edwards is not the
answer. That's why SAWS has been actively developing additional
water resources, so that we can limit our dependence on
the aquifer.
Some short-term resource options (opportunities that are developing
during the next ten years) include: purchasing or leasing additional
water rights from the Edwards Aquifer; completing a new recycled
water system for commercial landscaping and industry; tapping
additional groundwater like the northern Bexar Cow Creek Aquifer;
piping water in from Canyon Lake; and building an aquifer storage
and recovery system.
Longer-term water resources being considered are projects bringing
in water from the Guadalupe River the Lower Colorado River Basin,
and the Simsboro Aquifer. New ways to produce more water from
the Edwards are also being pursued. We're even looking at ocean
water desalination.
Fluoride
Agriculture
Programs
- How
does SAWS work with farmers in the region?
SAWS is dedicated to preserving the agricultural economy in the
area. We continue to work with farmers to help them conserve water,
prove their water rights in the Edwards Aquifer permitting process,
and negotiate fair water-rights leases equitable to both parties.
A new agriculture program gives farmers the opportunity to receive
water-saving pivot irrigation systems in exchange for water rights
in the acreage that make up the corners of their fields, an area
that is not usually irrigated.
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