As San Antonio grapples with sweltering heat and scarce rainfall, the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is hashing out fresh strategies to maintain control over water resources. Presented ahead of public input earlier this month, the SAWS Board of Trustees was privy to a slew of proposed changes aimed at water conservation, as reported by KSAT. With the city's water demands tightening their grip, the organization’s Vice President of Conservation, Karen Guz, outlined an approach that could see a shift from penalizing with Municipal Court citations to hitting violators where it hurts—their wallet.
In the plan detailed by Guz, charging the violation fee directly to the water bill is a solution meant to level the playing field among customers. As San Antonio's water wasters are slapped with more than 3,000 citations so far this year, some of the heftiest users are causing a systemic strain—notably, "just six percent of our top residential water customers used 21 percent of water provided to household water accounts," Guz told KSAT. This disproportionate usage is forcing SAWS to rethink their tactics for keeping water use within reasonable bounds.
But it's not just enforcement tactics that are getting a makeover; SAWS is also tweaking the existing drought management rules. Proposed time changes for watering are on the table, intending to minimize usage during peak energy hours, thus aiding the city's crumbling infrastructure under the weight of a growing population and the increasing pressure on the water supply. With stricter regulations like flow restrictors for repeat offenders, the board hopes to rein in misuse. Annalisa Peace, Executive Director of the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, explained in a statement obtained by FOX San Antonio that the proposed measures aim to make conservation efforts "much more fair for all SAWS rate payers."
According to FOX San Antonio, the shift in policy could also streamline the implementation of eco-friendly irrigation requirements, particularly for new housing constructions outside city limits. Cast in stark light by SAWS, inefficient watering systems are not only pumping up water bills for San Antonio residents but laying a heavy burden on the city's delicate water system.
The revamp of these regulations, alongside synchronized drought stages between SAWS and the Edwards Aquifer Authority, is set to reduce customer confusion and, at the same time, preserve the lifeblood of the city—a constant and clean water supply. As San Antonio continues to wilt under intense heat, the eyes of residents and stakeholders alike will be on the SAWS Board of Trustees to see whether these new conservation methods will dampen the drought’s sting. Neighborhood patrolling is set to continue, ensuring that the community plays an active role in safeguarding this precious resource.
