Don’t let the spring rains and green grass fool you: San Antonio is in the fifth year of a drought.
While landscape watering rules have helped us weather droughts in the past, our per-person water use has been inching higher. That’s why SAWS is proposing reasonable adjustments to our drought plan – to save water now and reduce the chance of stricter rules in the future.
New rules are expected to take effect as early as mid-July, pending City Council approval. Here are five things you need to know.
1. NEW WATERING HOURS
SAWS watering hours have been the same for years. So why change now? One reason is many people have asked for more time to water early in the morning.
The evening watering hours are also a time of peak power demand. CPS Energy has asked energy-intensive customers like SAWS to help shift power use later. (Note: Hose-end sprinkler users can request a variance from SAWS to water earlier.)
2. NON-COMPLIANCE CHARGE
To make drought rule enforcement more fair, SAWS will no longer issue municipal court citations. Instead, a water waste non-compliance charge will appear on the customer’s bill. This means the rules will apply to all SAWS customers, not just those inside San Antonio city limits.
The first charge for a single family or small commercial site will be $137. This fee can be waived by taking a one-hour course online. Subsequent charges are higher to discourage repeat violations. Charges will also be higher for high use commercial irrigation customers.
As before, violations will need to be witnessed and documented in-person by SAWS-trained staff. On request, the customer can review the evidence and, if desired, appeal the enforcement decision to a Board-appointed committee of non-SAWS employees.
3. NEW STAGE 3 AND 4 SURCHARGE
In deeper stages of drought, a new surcharge will encourage both residential and commercial customers with very high outdoor use to conserve. This will only affect the top 5% of water users.
For single family accounts, the Stage 3 surcharge of $10.37 per thousand gallons will take effect for water use above 20,000 gallon a month. In Stage 4, that threshold drops to 12,000 gallons.
Commercial irrigation surcharge rates will vary based on water use and meter size.
4. NEW DRIP IRRIGATION RULES
Even though drip irrigation makes more efficient use of water than spray nozzles, the amount of water used per hour tends to be about the same for both.
The revised rules for drip will help save more water by better aligning the scheduled watering hours with the severity of the drought stage.
5. IRRIGATION INSPECTIONS
The lack of inspections for newly installed irrigation systems means state standards are not always followed. And systems that are poorly constructed will continue to waste water for years to come.
To fill this gap, SAWS will begin reviewing irrigation plans prior to construction, and then inspecting the installed system for proper operation before it is approved.
