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SAN ANTONIO —San Antonio Water System (SAWS) will end Stage 3 watering rules effective Tuesday, Aug. 4, in accordance with City of San Antonio ordinances and SAWS Utility Service Regulations. Stage 2 watering rules will take effect at that time.
Stage 2 watering rules will go in effect Aug. 4
Recent rainfall has raised the Edwards Aquifer’s 10-day average above the Stage 3 trigger level of 640 feet mean sea level (msl), ending watering rules that have been in place since June 2024. That means Stage 3 drought surcharges will be discontinued for single-family household water use over 20,000 gallons per month.
“Stage 3 drought rules, combined with our diversified water resources, have helped us to weather this historic drought,” said SAWS Conservation Director Martha Wright. “Even under Stage 3, customers were able to water once a week, keeping their landscapes alive, while our community’s efforts protected our critical water supplies.”
Under Stage 2 watering rules, landscape watering with an irrigation system, sprinkler or soaker hose is permitted once a week between 5 and 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. and midnight on the designated watering day based on the last digit of a customer’s address:
- 0 or 1: Monday
- 2 or 3: Tuesday
- 4 or 5: Wednesday
- 6 or 7: Thursday
- 8 or 9: Friday
Watering with a hand-held hose is still allowed at any time on any day.
SAWS’ long-term investments in diversified water supplies – including the nation’s largest groundwater-based Aquifer Storage and Recovery facility and the desalination plant – have helped San Antonio avoid the more severe drought watering rules experienced by other communities across the region.
To help customers continue conserving water, SAWS offers a variety of water-saving programs, coupons and rebates. This year, customers can receive up to $600 in SAWS coupons to replace water-intensive grass with a drought-tolerant, water-saving landscape.
San Antonio Water System provides water and wastewater services to more than 2 million customers in the San Antonio region and continues to set the standard for service and water conservation within our industry. SAWS is the national leader in water innovation with the largest direct recycled water system in the country, a state-of-the-art inland desalination plant, and the largest groundwater-based Aquifer Storage & Recovery facility in the nation.
For more information, visit www.saws.org.
Tags:stage 2, stage 3 end, watering days, watering rules, Edwards Aquifer
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