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The San Antonio City Council received its final update on proposed rate increases for the San Antonio Water System on Thursday. The utility is seeking a series of rate increases that would total about 29% through 2029.
SAWS is proposing annual rate increases of 6% to 8% through 2029, though increases planned for 2028 and 2029 could be adjusted. The utility estimates the average residential customer's monthly bill would increase by about $4.60 each year.
During the discussion, San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones urged her council colleagues to approve the proposal, arguing it would help prevent future water infrastructure problems like those experienced in Corpus Christi.
“We can and must avoid something similar happening here in San Antonio. We need to pass this rate increase, and I hope my colleagues will join me in ensuring the city of San Antonio has the water she needs,” Jones said.
The proposal is lower than the plan originally presented earlier this year. In February, SAWS projected cumulative increases of about 34%, but later reduced that estimate after updating its financial projections.
Several council members expressed concerns about the proposed increases.
District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito said it would be difficult to justify higher rates while residents continue to deal with frequent water main breaks near Jefferson High School.
“The significant loss of water does pour into residents' bills, and that's not okay,” Alderete Gavito said.
SAWS CEO Robert Puente said the utility's ability to respond to major leaks has improved over the last three years.
"I'm very happy to report that since the height of 2023, which was the worst year for both the number of line breaks and the amount of water we lost, we've seen a 19% reduction because we hired more crews to go out into the streets and fix those breaks," Puente said.
"Our response time went from a very abysmal 14 days, totally unacceptable," he said. "So if you report a leak today, we will be out there tomorrow fixing it."
Alderete Gavito said she would prefer to see an audit completed before the council votes on the proposal.
“I know that the mounting pressures that SAWS is facing, and we want to be supportive of all the things that SAWS needs to do to be a well-run utility for the residents, but to me it makes sense to have to be armed with the complete information that you would get from an audit before we make a decision that would dramatically impact residents' monthly bills,” she said.
SAWS officials acknowledged the utility's aging infrastructure, including some pipes that are nearly 100 years old, and said the increases are needed to fund upgrades and replacements.
District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo said she supports the proposal, arguing that investing now could prevent larger costs in the future.
"If we fail to invest in infrastructure, it is going to cost the public more in the long run," Castillo said."We know that studies show reactive fixes can cost five to 20 times more than proactive replacement," she said. "If we delay investment today, we're only compounding public health risks and increasing long-term costs."The last SAWS rate increase was in 2020.
The City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposal June 18. If approved, the first increase would take effect July 1.
