After more than a year of public outreach and prudent financial planning, San Antonio Water System has secured funding to begin its $2.6 billion “Water Forward” infrastructure improvement plan.
San Antonio City Council voted Oct. 8 to approve yearly rate adjustments through 2030 to finance needed repairs and upgrades to our city’s water and wastewater systems.
The rates are designed to balance three main priorities: Maintaining customer affordability, preserving SAWS’ financial strength, and funding the infrastructure needed to provide reliable water and wastewater services and regulatory compliance.
“Maintaining affordable rates requires making responsible investments now to avoid greater costs and risks in the future,” said Cecilia Velasquez, SAWS chief financial officer. The new rates will raise the average monthly residential bill by $3.91 in 2027, with similar increases each year through 2030. Because nearly 70% of SAWS customers used less than the average amount of water, most will see an even smaller increase.
“Even with the 2027 adjustment, SAWS’ average residential bill will remain among the lowest compared with the major Texas cities,” Velasquez said.
The rates will be used to upgrade essential systems across the city — from replacing aging water and sewer pipes to modernizing treatment plants to adding emergency backup power systems and more.
Commercial customers will see similar increases over the 4-year period, along with adjustments to various special service fees.
To help protect our most vulnerable citizens, rates will remain unchanged for those enrolled in SAWS’ Uplift bill payment assistance program, while doubling the number of customers who qualify.
The new rates will take effect Jan. 1, 2027, with charges appearing on February bills.
Want to know exactly how the new 2027 rates will affect you? Use our residential rate calculator at saws.org/calculator.
Learn more at saws.org/rates2027.
