SAWS Board explains winter storm response

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Water System Board of Trustees met Tuesday. One of the topics of discussion was how the public utility prepared for and responded to last month’s winter storm.

You can watch the discussion in the video player above.

Due to power outages and broken pipes, thousands of San Antonio homes were without running water for days during the week of wintry weather. Those with water were told to boil it for several days following the winter storm.

Last week, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced that he would be forming a new committee to discover how the city can better prepare for situations like last week’s winter storm in the future.

According to Nirenberg, the storm impacted residents and led to “questions and calls for accountability,” along with ongoing concerns for the city’s own resilience and preparedness.

“While many of the factors that triggered the devastating electrical and water outages in our community were not within our control, it is our duty to report to the community how our emergency response operations and public utilities got in this situation and what can be done to be better prepared for the future,” Nirenberg said in a letter to City Council members.

Also on KSAT:

• Timeline: How the historic winter storm, Texas blackout cold-stunned the San Antonio area
• San Antonio residents can now apply for plumbing repairs assistance from SAWS