The average San Antonio Water System residential bill will rise about $3.91 a month in January 2027, the first of four annual increases the San Antonio City Council approved on October 8. By 2030 the same household could pay up to $16.51 more a month than it does now. The council vote was 8-3.
Four January increases, and where the average bill lands
KSAT reports that the council passed the amended plan 8-3. Rates rise each January: 6.9% in 2027, 6.5% in 2028, between 4.5% and 6.8% in 2029, and between 4% and 6.2% in 2030.
A SAWS chart, as KSAT summarizes it, puts the average residential bill at about $60.59 after the first step and about $64.53 in 2028. The 2029 bill could reach $68.92, and the 2030 bill could reach $73.19. Each step adds between $2.70 and $4.39 a month.
The second step adds about $3.94, KSAT reports, so by the end of 2028 the average customer would pay about $7.85 more a month than before the first increase. Over a full year, $3.91 a month comes to $46.92 more in 2027.
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Added together, the four increases come to between 23.7% and 29.1% by 2030. The last two years are given as ranges, so the 2029 and 2030 dollar figures are ceilings rather than fixed amounts.
FOX San Antonio described the January change in plainer terms: less than $4 a month, starting January 1, 2027. For a household on a fixed monthly income, the first step is small. The total after four straight increases is the number that matters for planning.
Why the council amended the plan before voting
The amendment lowered the upper range of the 2029 and 2030 increases. That saves the average customer up to 42 cents a month, KSAT reports. Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito of District 7 called her amendment a “win-win” for residents and the utility and said it would save residents “millions of dollars.”
SAWS officials said the change would delay even more work, on top of the $600 million in projects already pushed back after the council delayed the original vote in June. The utility did not name which projects would slip further.
The plan reached its October vote after a delay. The council put off the original vote in June, KSAT reports, and the amended version that passed trims the 2029 and 2030 ceilings but leaves the first two steps at 6.9% and 6.5%.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones supports the increases. She said the projects are needed for safe drinking water and to support local businesses. She was the only council member to vote against the amendment that lowered the maximum.
Three council members voted against the final plan: Jalen McKee-Rodriguez of District 2, Marc Whyte of District 10 and Misty Spears of District 9. The other eight voted yes, which approves rates that begin taking effect in January 2027.
What the money is meant to build
The increases fund a multibillion-dollar infrastructure program, KSAT reports. It covers replacing aging water and sewer pipes, modernizing treatment plants and installing emergency backup power systems. Delays to that work are the cost SAWS cites when council members trim the increases.
Under the Water Forward program, SAWS will replace thousands of miles of water and sewer mains that have reached the end of their expected lifespan, FOX San Antonio reports. That is the line item customers are paying for on the bill.
SAWS says its bond ratings are the highest in its history for a second year in a row. Cecilia Velasquez, the utility’s senior vice president and chief financial officer, said the ratings “are a confirmation of all the hard work we’ve done.” Velasquez said the ratings lower customers’ interest costs and let SAWS fund capital improvements while keeping operations efficient.
The help SAWS already lists for customers
SAWS lists several affordability programs. The Uplift Assistance Program has its own affordability water and wastewater rates. Plumbers to People and Courtesy Notice are also listed, along with payment arrangements for customers who fall behind.
The page does not give eligibility rules or application steps. Customers can call SAWS Customer Service at 210-704-SAWS (7297) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Water and sewer emergencies are covered at the same number around the clock.
At the 2030 ceiling, $16.51 more a month works out to $198.12 more over a year than the average customer pays today. SAWS also lists Winter Averaging as a separate service on the same page, though the page gives no details on how it works.
The amendment’s saving of up to 42 cents a month is the only reduction reported so far. For a San Antonio household, the vote means a bill that climbs every January through 2030, starting with $3.91 and reaching as much as $16.51 more at the end.
Which other household bills have help waiting?
A water bill that climbs every January through 2030 lands on top of heating, Medicare and property-tax bills that rise on their own schedules. Several of the programs that offset those costs are opt-in, so a household has to apply for them.
This story is about one utility bill, but the bigger question is the household’s whole cost list, which is the job The Benefits Checklist does. It scans 11 benefit programs retirees most often miss, with the 2026 income limits, a 50-state phone directory and a printable application tracker.
Scan 11 benefit programs against the household budget with The Benefits Checklist →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
