What to know about San Antonio's new drought rules
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A slew of changes to San Antonio's drought rules, including when to water your lawn, are set to take effect after the City Council approved them Thursday.
Why it matters: The Edwards Aquifer — the city's primary water source — remains stressed by the region's population growth and a drought that's continued into a fifth year.
- The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) did not meet its reduction goals from watering rules in 2022 and 2023, Karen Guz, vice president of conservation, told the City Council last week.
Threat level: The aquifer is in danger of dropping low enough to trigger stage 5 drought restrictions from the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA). That's never happened in the San Antonio service area, per the Express-News.
Context: Before the new rules, SAWS did not follow the same drought stages as the EAA. That's because SAWS has diversified its water sources, and can rely on those options more when it cuts back on drawing from the aquifer.
- SAWS has been in stage 2 restrictions since 2022, even though the EAA declared stage 4 restrictions earlier this month.
The latest: Under the new rules, SAWS expects to announce stage 3 restrictions early next week.
What they're saying: "If this drought keeps continuing … there would be probably more restrictions in terms of water usage, and also reinforcement," Yongli Gao, a UTSA professor and member of the Institute for Water Research, Sustainability and Policy, tells Axios.
- "This is a water source for everybody," Gao says of the aquifer. "If we all do what we can to conserve water … hopefully we won't hit stage 5."
The new rules include:
- Reduced watering hours for drip irrigation systems, which were largely unregulated
- New watering hours to reduce SAWS' energy demand during peak times
- Aligning stage 3 drought restrictions with the EAA, which controls water use in parts of the Hill Country
- Placing fees for drought violations on customers' water bills, instead of issuing fines through municipal court that don't cover all customers
- Adding a surcharge for high water users, beginning in stage 3 restrictions
- Clarifying that SAWS employees can enter gated subdivisions to enforce drought rules
- Allowing SAWS to inspect irrigation plans for new construction, beginning in 2025, to ensure systems don't waste water
By the numbers: For single-family and small commercial users, the first-time violation fee will be $137 (the same as the current court cost). First-time residential violators can take a water education course to have the fee waived.
- A second violation for those customers will cost an extra $225.
- Large water users like corporations face a higher fee of $500 for a first-time violation and $625 for a second.
Zoom in: The new watering times, which still occur on certain days of the week depending on your address, are 5-10am and 9pm-midnight.
The bottom line: "These new rules will help us conserve and manage our resources and reduce water waste so that we can minimize the need for stricter rules in the future," Guz said in a statement.
What's next: The new watering hours take effect immediately.
- New charges for violations will begin July 6.