Proposal would add watering restriction fines directly to your monthly bill

SAN ANTONIO - The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) board is working to change the 'watering rules' for all its customers.

With recent drought, protecting our water resources like the Edwards Aquifer has become more important than ever. On Thursday the SAWS board held a public meeting about the 'drought plan.' They say it's all to help keep water usage down, while avoiding going into 'stage 4' restrictions.

“This drought is the hardest one SAWS has been through since we were created,” explained SAWS VP Karen Guz.

San Antonio did not meet water conservation goals in the past two years for several reasons. Guz says although 90-percent of customers followed the rules, 10-percent did not, and the proposed new rules are in large part an effort to get that 10-percent to comply.

So here are some of the changes that could affect you and your home

Right now, SAWS issues citations if you violate restrictions, meaning you pay a fee and get a court date. Under the new rules, fees would be charged directly to your water bill, along with information about why you were charged.

Under the proposed changes, households exceeding a usage threshold of 20,000 gallons would incur a surcharge of a little over $10 for every 1,000 gallons used beyond this limit. SAWS officials assert that this measure is intended to encourage conservation, particularly with hotter temperatures approaching.

Guz further explained, "Single-family customers during last summer, the average was under eight thousand gallons a month, so we are talking about a small number of households who happen to use a lot and asking them to please try to cut back below that threshold of 20,000. It would really help us all."

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Another change pertains to drip irrigation. It's currently unregulated, but under the new rules, it would follow the aquifer stages. At ‘stage 3,’ you can run it twice a week (Mondays and Fridays).

One of the biggest changes would be the hours when you can water your lawn. You'll remember all last summer, SAWS told us to water once a week, from 7 to 11 (am or pm). But since watering takes up a lot of energy, SAWS is proposing a different schedule to relieve the grid during peak hours. modified hours would be 5 to 10 am, and 9pm to midnight.

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Responses from the public are mixed, with people from several neighborhoods voicing concerns about the proposed changes.

"The revised rules in today's proposal are a weakened plan from poor process. Move to amend, implement a better plan. Not this last-minute swerve to use more water."

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Today's meeting was the first of several to get this implemented. Over the next two months, both the Saws board and city council will have to approve the different parts of the proposal.