Stage 3 surcharges affect less than 2% of residential customers
After a brief reprieve, San Antonio Water System customers are again under Stage 3 watering rules. Under city ordinance, Stage 3 is triggered when the Edwards Aquifer 10-day rolling average falls below 640 feet mean sea level.
As a reminder, watering hours for Stage 3 are the same as Stage 2 (5-10 a.m. and 9 p.m. to midnight on the customer’s designated watering day, determined by the last number of their address), but a high use surcharge will apply to residential customers using 20,000 gallons or more in a month.
Less than 2% of San Antonio residential customers exceed 20,000 gallons of water use and receive surcharges. Commercial customers are also subject to a surcharge on water used for irrigation based on the meter size.
“The return to Stage 3 is not surprising, given the hot, dry weather we’ve been experiencing,” said Martha Wright, SAWS director of conservation. “Our community has proven that even in drought, it’s possible for customers to maintain their yards while protecting the aquifer.”
To help customers save water, SAWS offers a variety of water-saving programs, coupons and rebates. Customers can receive up to $600 in SAWS coupons to replace water-intensive grass with a drought-tolerant, water-saving landscape.
SAWS’ long-term investments in diversified water supplies – including the nation’s largest groundwater-based Aquifer Storage and Recovery facility and the desalination plant – have helped San Antonio avoid the more severe drought watering rules experienced by other communities across the region.
Watering days are determined by the last digit of the address. Watering with a hand-held hose is still acceptable any time on any day.
0 or 1 – Monday
2 or 3 – Tuesday
4 or 5 – Wednesday
6 or 7 – Thursday
8 or 9 – Friday
SAWS has significantly diversified San Antonio’s water supplies and now the Edwards Aquifer represents only about half of the city’s available drinking water because it is just one of the utilities’ nine water sources.
