San Antonio Water System

San Antonio Water System crews have been hard at work all summer, diligently making repairs throughout the city, but the prolonged drought and record-setting temperatures have led to the highest number of main breaks and leaks within a single month, currently 1,000 – with more expected tomorrow, August 31.

While SAWS water supplies (which include a large amount of non-Edwards Aquifer water) continue to do well, the high demand for outdoor watering is driving record pumping. That plus shifting soils due to sweltering heat and dry conditions have led to the highest number of main breaks in SAWS history.

“While we’ve been fortunate to receive some rainfall in the last week, it hasn’t been enough to saturate the ground or reduce demand on our infrastructure, so the result is all these water leaks, which we’ve never experienced before,” said Carlos Mendoza, SAWS Vice President of Distribution and Collections. “Customers can do their part by abiding by Stage 2 watering rules and being patient as our crews work to prioritize and repair this record-setting number of main breaks we are experiencing.”

SAWS has 52 crews plus contractors working around the clock responding to main breaks as quickly as possible, while still working to keep employees safe in this extreme heat. Precautions include alternating between two crews to provide each one 30-minute breaks to rehydrate when temps are above 100 degrees and mandatory 15-minute breaks every hour when temps are below triple digits.

A spike in main breaks is a recurring issue across the state during this drought. While SAWS works year-round proactively evaluating and repairing pipes, the challenges of dry soils and demand are still challenging crews’ abilities to make repairs.

Repairing all leaks is a priority but given the unprecedented number of work orders, prioritizing leaks is necessary. Leaks are repaired based on priority numbering: “1” for emergencies, “2” for urgent, and “3” for routine.  Customers can see a visual explanation of the leak priorities, as well as the site for reported leaks, on our leak and outage map.

Certain SAWS tanks show levels dropping overnight beyond normal Stage 2 demand levels. To keep compliance top of mind, increased patrols and citation efforts are taking place in these areas. Customers who do not comply with the watering rules will receive a citation with Municipal Court fines costing up to $150 for first-time offenses. Nearly 6,000 water waste citations have been issued this year, and neighborhood patrolling will continue, including inside gated communities.

Although SAWS can meet the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) Drought Stage cutbacks through conservation and our diverse water supply portfolio — including 14 water projects from eight different sources — it is imperative that customers comply with Stage 2 watering rules to reduce demand and help make up for reduced Edwards water availability.

During Stage 2, watering with a sprinkler, irrigation system or soaker hose is allowed only between 7-11 a.m. and 7-11 p.m. on your designated day which is determined by the last digit of your address.

SAWS customers can take advantage of SAWS WaterSaver coupons and rebates to spruce up their yards and save money while saving water. Learn more at gardenstylesanantonio.com/coupons-and-rebates.