San Antonio Water System

Scaling drought resilience with community-wide conservation

Over the last few decades, San Antonio’s water supply has become increasing limited due to over-pumping of groundwater. To supply the city with clean water, the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) created a program using financial incentives, public education, and outreach initiatives to help the area’s biggest guzzlers – its commercial, industrial, and institutional customers – use water more efficiently. These measures have resulted in a water savings of 3.2 million acre feet, reflecting an almost 50% reduction in water use over the last 20 years – notwithstanding robust population growth.