SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Water System (SAWS) customers have been in Stage 3 water restrictions since June 2024.
Beginning Tuesday, Aug. 4, SAWS will drop Stage 3 restrictions, moving to Stage 2 guidelines, according to a SAWS news release. The important takeaway? Your designated watering day and time will not change.
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This move is more of a technicality than a lifting of watering restrictions, as the only change will be the discontinued surcharge for single-family household water use exceeding 20,000 gallons per month.
The change comes after the aquifer’s 10-day average climbed above the Stage 3 trigger level of 640 feet below mean sea level — ending restrictions that had been in place since June 2024.
“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.”
What Stage 2 watering rules
Under Stage 2 rules, landscape watering with an irrigation system, sprinkler or soaker hose is still permitted once a week between 5 and 10 a.m. and again between 9 p.m. and midnight on a customer’s designated watering day.
Watering days are determined by 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 remains allowed at any time on any day.
To help customers maintain conservation habits, SAWS offers a range of water-saving programs, coupons and rebates.
This year, customers can receive up to $600 in SAWS coupons to replace water-intensive grass with drought-tolerant landscaping.