SAWS

A year-and-a-half after faucets around Bexar County ran dry during the 2021 February Freeze, the San Antonio Water System has a $202 million plan to keep the water flowing should it happen again, and the utility is teaming up with CPS Energy for part of it.

The San Antonio Water System is dealing with a record-breaking year of water main breaks. The unprecedented year has wait times for repairs taking longer than what customers would like.

The massive North East side campus, which includes eight manufacturing facilities, topped the list of commercial users of water during the 12-month period by a wide margin.

The Business Journal obtained records from SAWS that show information about the highest users of potable water, providing insight into how much water these massive businesses and institutions use.

A lightning strike caused a grass fire that spread to an oil tank at a site near a SAWS facility Monday night on the South Side, according to officials.

The Comal Springs streamflow dips to a 10-day average of 96 cfs - lowest since November 2014

With no foreseeable outdoor watering changes in sight, San Antonio Water System is reminding customers that Stage 2 watering rules still apply.

Residents in a Northeast Side neighborhood tell KSAT they were frustrated with a water main break they said took some time to fix.

San Antonio SAWS customers are experiencing more waterline breaks with the high temperatures and historic drought, and crews are taking longer to get their service back up.

Officials with the City of San Antonio, CPS Energy, SAWS and VIA held a briefing Monday about coordinated efforts to keep people safe in the extreme heat.

The aquifer drops below 640' for the first time in more than 7 years. Stage 3 restrictions are ahead for permit holders.

Crews with the Texas Department of Transportation and San Antonio Water System are working to repair a Southwest Side street due to a sinkhole.

A blocked sewer line has caused a sewer spill on the city’s far Northwest Side. Now, San Antonio Water System crews are working to clean up the site.

The 10-day rolling average of the Edwards Aquifer has dipped below 650 feet, prompting Stage 2 water restrictions

San Antonio Water System is offering coupons to customers as part of the WaterSaver Program.

The 10-day rolling average of the level of the Edwards Aquifer, measured at the J-17 well, has dropped below 660 feet as of Wednesday morning. Utilities that utilize the aquifer use the criteria to trigger restrictions on water use. Stage 1 restrictions will go into effect on Thursday for SAWS customers. Coming out of drought stages can be considered 15 days after the aquifer is above the trigger.

San Antonio Water System officials said they are ready for winter weather after making “extensive preparations” in the past year.

An active robocall scam is targeting customers of the San Antonio Water System, according to SAWS officials.

San Antonio services are ready to tackle major disruptions.

Here are some ways you can 'be ready.'

San Antonio Water System has launched a webpage that helps customers to prepare for emergencies that might affect their water services.

A raw, untreated water sample from a well on San Antonio's Northside during standard water quality sampling indicated the presence of E. coli bacteria, according to San Antonio Water System.

Water from a far West Side well has tested positive for E. coli bacteria, according to the San Antonio Water System.

The San Antonio Water System will install new electronic meters for customers over the next few years in order to help them better understand and control their water use, the utility said.

Smart water meters could save customers and SAWS both water and money. The rollout will cost roughly $215 million and could be complete by 2026.

As San Antonio’s city-owned utilities prepare for another winter, they’ve been taking steps to ensure the city isn’t left as vulnerable as it was during the February freeze.

Of the $30 million, $20 million will go towards helping CPS Energy customers and $10 million will go towards SAWS customers.

San Antonio city's council on Thursday agreed to spend $30 million helping residents with their utility bills.

The San Antonio Water System announced a boil water notice Sunday afternoon for 700 homes and businesses west of I-10.

The artisan wells that are 130 years old are actually still used to supply downtown San Antonio with drinking water and the historical water wells are in need of repairs.

Be on the lookout when downtown.

After a stretch of above-average rainfall and with the arrival of cooler temperatures, SAWS President/CEO Robert R. Puente and San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh have declared an end to Stage 1 water rules effective Tuesday.

The City of San Antonio is considering using a $30 million chunk of the federal money it received from the American Rescue Plan Act to help pay off or pay down the overdue utility bills of struggling San Antonio residents.

Council members’ concerns over the process for appointing trustees to the city’s water and utilities spurred lengthy discussions Thursday, but ultimately weren’t enough to derail the newest SAWS and CPS Energy board appointments.

A cleanup is underway on the city’s West Side following a sewer spill from recent heavy rainstorms, according to the San Antonio Water System.

San Antonio Water System is set to resume water shutoffs after a year and a half.

CPS Energy an SAWS says disconnections can be stalled.

The city’s water and power utilities both put a hold on service disconnections in March 2020 because of the pandemic. Since then, the number of customers behind on their payments has swelled. Now they’re at risk unless they can start making good on their past-due accounts.

The government said it is "looking at options" to deal with labour shortages ahead of Christmas.

A moratorium on shutting off water due to lack of payment is coming to an end in San Antonio in October.

The leaders of San Antonio's utilities will be featured in a "State of Utilities" update hosted by the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

Drivers who use Pinn Road near State Highway 151 are still dealing with some detours, as SAWS works on replacing sewer lines near Leon Creek.

The moratorium on shutting off water due to lack of payment is coming to an end in San Antonio in just a few months.

The Great Freeze of February now seems like a distant, ugly memory. The plumbing damaged by frozen pipes has largely been repaired or replaced, and...

The Committee on Emergency Preparedness presented its analysis of what went wrong during the extended freezing temperatures and how the city and its utilities could prepare better next time.

Former District 8 Councilman Reed Williams told city council he expects the Committee on Emergency Preparedness to wrap up its work with a report by June 15. Mayor Ron Nirenberg established the committee to examine what went wrong during February's winter freeze, which left many without power or water.

A sewer spill cleanup is underway on the West Side following Saturday’s heavy rainfall, according to the San Antonio Water System.

Two months ago, Mayor Ron Nirenberg formed a committee to investigate local winter storm response and provide recommendations for the future.

Here's what you need to know.

SAWS enters Stage 2 water restrictions as drought conditions persist.

SAWS customers may soon be dealing with Stage 2 water restrictions, should drought conditions persist.

Bexar County Judge Nelson WolffWhat could have been done differently at the local level to better prepare for and respond to the deadly storm? “ERCOT, the manager of the state energy grid, forced CPS Energy to shed load during the long freeze event, which was the root cause of the outages in our community. We must also examine backup generators for water pumping stations.”AdDo you believe state leaders’ decision to deregulate Texas’ power grid was a mistake? “The deregulation of the state power grid answers the call of a market-based economy. We need: better communication; better coordination; and better preparation.

SAN ANTONIO – A CPS Energy senior director sought to keep information about pump station power outages confidential last month as the city’s water situation worsened, according to emails obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders. CPS Energy officials this week defended Kruse’s email, claiming utility infrastructure could have been the target of threats had the information it contained not remained confidential. AdRelated: CPS Energy uses a college student for weather forecasting. CPS Energy officials refused multiple requests from the Defenders to make Kruse or President & CEO Paula Gold-Williams available for an interview. AdBut the records released by SAWS also show that messaging from CPS Energy was, at times, disjointed during the early stages of the outages.

SAN ANTONIO – The city of San Antonio and San Antonio Water System will close their bottled and bulk water distribution sites at 5 p.m. on Thursday. According to a news release, the decision to close the sites was made due to lower demand for bottled and bulk water after service was restored to all of San Antonio. The city will continue to provide bottled water delivery to vulnerable residents, including homebound seniors and apartment complexes with no drinking water, through Saturday. “Thanks to their efforts, we were able to distribute more than 500,000 cases of water and provide bulk water to our community.”AdSAWS is accepting applications from customers who need assistance making plumbing repairs to quickly restore service and minimize water loss. They can also get help filing an application by calling 210 233-FIXX (3499) or by emailing to CPR-SA@saws.org.

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. 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.

AdThe San Antonio - Bexar County Office of Emergency Management announced all major San Antonio highways and other roads closed. Wintry precipitation from Sunday night resulted in snow for San Antonio and the surrounding area. AdThe San Antonio area saw the final round of wintry weather that dropped up to 5 inches of snow. According to records dating back to 1947, the longest time San Antonio spent below freezing was 70 years ago. Money donated to Let’s Help SA will be distributed to the San Antonio Food Bank, SAMMinistries and Haven for Hope.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Water System is now accepting applications from customers who need help making repairs to broken pipes in order to restore service and minimize water loss after last week’s recent winter storm. The program provides assistance to repair burst pipes that resulted in a loss of water service to the residence or made it necessary to turn off water service to the home. The CPR program, in collaboration with the San Antonio Area Foundation, kicked off with $25,000 in seed money from Wells Fargo and a $250,000 donation from the San Antonio Spurs. To help SAWS provide assistance to as many residents as possible, the utility is asking residents and businesses to make a tax-deductible donation online. As an additional resource, the City of San Antonio has established the Emergency Resource Call Center and website to assist residents affected by the winter storm.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced on Tuesday 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. I've appointed a Select Committee on 2021 Winter Storm Preparedness and Response to evaluate what happened locally and what can be done to be better prepared for the future. 😷 (@Ron_Nirenberg) February 24, 2021According to Nirenberg, the San Antonio community “deserves answers.”The following is a list of all committee members, made up of community stakeholders and City Council members:AdChair - Reed Williams, former City Council member District 8Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia, City Council District 4Ana Sandoval, City Council District 7Manny Pelaez, City Council District 8Clayton Perry, City Council District 10Lisa Tatum, former assistant criminal district attorney and president of the Texas Bar AssociationGeneral Edward A Rice. “I look forward to the answers that this process will provide and the actions that will enable San Antonio to weather future crises.”Related: City of San Antonio launches call center, website to aid in recovery from weather crisis

A Park Policeman patrols along the River Walk as snow falls, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg on Tuesday announced the formation of a committee that will look into why the city and utility companies were not better prepared for their response to a winter storm that paralyzed the city for a week. Rice Jr.: RetiredNirenberg said while he wants a prompt and comprehensive effort by the committee, he wants members to be thorough in their work. The mayor asked that City Manager Erik Walsh provide support to the committee with appropriate city staff that will coordinate with CPS Energy and San Antonio Water System, and to include any experts or stakeholders as necessary. AdThe announcement comes one day after the CPS Energy Board of Trustees voted Monday for a review and audit of CPS Energy, which the utility president and CEO, Paula Gold-Williams said Tuesday she “absolutely welcomes” and “(is) ready to participate.”Related Stories:

Montinique Monroe/Getty ImagesTexas is dealing with more than power outages during the winter storm. On Wednesday, SAWS announced during a City Hall meeting that the utility company would soon issue a boil water notice for the San Antonio area "out of an abundance of caution." However, the Alamo City isn't the only one issuing boil water notices.

SAN ANTONIO - A SAWS representative gives us her quick tips to help keep your water bill low:Stop faucets and toilets from leakingStop water spigots from leaking Pro Tip: If there is a green spot or wet spot around the spigot, it can signify a leakDouble check your pool's auto-fill settingLook for grass alternativesClick here to visit SAWS' website to learn how to lower your billCopyright 2019 by KSAT - All rights reserved.

Mike Sudduth could not believe when he received a $400 SAWS bill. Copyright 2019 by KSAT - All rights reserved.

A raw, untreated water sample taken from a well on Lemonwood Lane in Castle Hills tested positive for E. coli bacteria during a water quality sampling Saturday, San Antonio Water System officials said. Officials said the well is a vestige of the former BexarMet system, which only feeds limited areas in Castle Hills. We are constantly testing San Antonios water to ensure it is high quality, said Donovan Burton, Vice President of Water Resources and Governmental Relations. SAWS has shut down, disinfected the well and retested it. Copyright 2019 by KSAT - All rights reserved.

click to enlarge Shutterstock.comThere are more than 600 heat-related deaths in the United States each year, but vulnerable populations, particularly senior citizens and children, are at a higher risk.The Gonzaba Medical Group has teamed up with the City of San Antonio, United Healthcare and SAWS to host a free fan giveaway for senior citizens on Friday, July 26, at Woodlawn Lake Park.Event partners will distribute more than 800 free box fans to senior citizens who are at least 62 years old, from 9 to 11 a.m. The fans will be distributed first-come, first-serve.Attendees are invited to enjoy music, refreshments, and connect with community leaders such as District 7 Councilwoman Ana Sandoval, following the fan drive.Physicians will also be on-site to provide safety tips and remind locals to beat the heat by wearing lightweight and light-color clothing, staying indoors with air conditions and drinking water often.

A spokesperson with SAWS told KSAT the road will be blocked off for the remainder of the day while crews work to repair a broke pipe.