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The San Antonio Water System is moving forward with a proposed rate increase. Board members met on Tuesday to discuss what future rates for the local customers could look like.
The four-year rate plan would increase monthly residential bills by around 8% starting this summer and would increase around 32% over the next four years.
Currently, the average residential monthly bill sits at $56.68. The new proposal would increase bills as soon as July 1 to $61.15. Bills would be around $65.81 in 2027, $70.46 in 2028, and $75.19 in 2029. The numbers are based on an average resident who uses 6,300 gallons of water and 5,000 gallons of wastewater, excluding fees.
Rates would also go up for irrigation and general customers, including commercial, apartments, and industrial users. Customers who are enrolled in the Uplift Assistance Program would not be impacted by the rate increases. Those program rates would remain the same over the next four years.
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, who sits on the SAWS board, spoke about the need for the proposed increase during the meeting.
“Much of this we just don’t really have a choice in having to make these investments given the state of some of this equipment but also the necessary investments to keep up with demand,” said Jones.
SAWS has said the rate increase is needed to finance repairs and upgrades to the city’s water and wastewater system. There are also mandates from the Texas Legislature to install backup generators at water pump stations to ensure reliable water service during an extended power outage.
SAWS CEO Robert Puente said the utility is planning $3.2 billion in proposed improvement projects over the next five years — an increase from the $2.8 billion dollar capital program executed over the last several years. The number of capital projects in the program will also be roughly the same as before.
“Construction costs, materials, and labor and equipment have increased,” said Puente. “In real terms, this program is not materially larger, it’s a continuation of the same level of effort we have already successfully executed.”
Tuesday’s meeting was the first of two public hearings on the proposal. The second will be held May 5, when the SAWS board is expected to vote on the rate increase.
It will then go before San Antonio City Council for final approval in May or June.
