{"id":226880,"date":"2026-03-30T12:17:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T12:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/226880\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T12:17:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T12:17:09","slug":"san-antonio-water-bills-could-rise-under-proposed-saws-rate-hike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/226880\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio water bills could rise under proposed SAWS rate hike"},"content":{"rendered":"

The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is weighing a proposed rate increase that could affect your bill. But before it is voted on and sent to the City Council, residents can make their voices heard on the measure.<\/p>\n

During a board of trustees meeting in January<\/a>, SAWS laid out proposed plans that could raise the average customer’s monthly residential bill from\u00a0the current $60.41 to $79.47 over the next four years,\u00a0which would be about a 32% increase by 2029. The recommendation comes after environmental engineering firm Carollo Engineers conducted a study.<\/p>\n

Following the approval of an interim budget in November, trustees tabled discussions about a possible rate change until 2026. SAWS last raised rates in 2020, according to SAWS.<\/p>\n

SAWS said the hikes could help fund around $3 billion in a bevy of infrastructure projects, including water main repairs. Among the infrastructure projects, the rate increase is needed, in part, due to ongoing drought conditions and “legislative requirements,” according to a December news release.<\/p>\n

Despite the proposed increase, SAWS said its\u00a0customers will still have some of the lowest water and sewer rates in Texas.<\/p>\n

“The budget and rate projections reflect our continued commitment to providing sustainable, affordable water services while balancing financial responsibility with the needs of our growing community,” SAWS stated on its website. “SAWS remains focused on operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and strategic investments to serve our customers reliably and sustainably.”<\/p>\n

The following month, during a meeting between SAWS and City Council on February 4<\/a>, some members lobbed prudence at the idea of an increase, pointing to economic instability. In a statement after the briefing, District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte, who co-authored a memorandum asking for a SAWS efficiency review, said council “must hold SAWS accountable.”<\/p>\n

“San Antonians deserve confidence that their utility dollars are being managed responsibly and efficiently before being asked to pay more,” he said. “Transparency and accountability are non-negotiables when it comes to our residents’ dollars.”<\/p>\n

Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones also said during the meeting that “we’re all concerned with\u00a0the economic picture for our most vulnerable” residents.<\/p>\n

The utility is planning two more trustee meetings, on April 7 and May 5, to discuss rates, a SAWS spokesperson told MySA this week. Following the trustees’ decision, the buck for final approval would rest on the San Antonio City Council, as SAWS is city-owned.<\/p>\n

To date, SAWS has taken part in “more than 60 presentations” at various homeowners and neighborhood organizations, chambers and other trade groups, the spokesperson said. They did not specify if those presentations covered the proposed rate increases.<\/p>\n

If approved, the new rates could take effect “in the first half of 2026,” SAWS said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the utility’s website, board meetings are usually held on the first Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. in the SAWS Administrative Office Board Room, located at 2800 U.S. Hwy 281 North.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is weighing a proposed rate increase that could affect your bill. But…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":226881,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[847,820,82,84,83],"class_list":{"0":"post-226880","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-mysanews","9":"tag-mysastaff","10":"tag-san-antonio","11":"tag-san-antonio-headlines","12":"tag-san-antonio-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=226880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=226880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}