The 2020 Proposed Operating Budget and Capital Improvement Program will allow the utility to continue providing high quality water, wastewater, recycled water and chilled water services at reasonable costs, while also maintaining a healthy financial position.
Some of the key objectives of this budget are to:
- Provide for the initiation of water delivery from the Vista Ridge Pipeline project
- Maintain infrastructure to ensure reliability of service and compliance with regulatory requirements
- Ensure that employee pay and benefits remain fair and competitive while retirement obligations are adequately funded
- Continue to implement technological advancements in order to increase productivity and enhance customer interactions
- Balance the need for strong financial metrics and the maintenance of credit ratings with the affordability of services
In April 2020, the more than 140-mile Vista Ridge Pipeline will begin delivering groundwater from aquifers below Burleson and Milam counties east of Austin. Under the contract, SAWS must purchase all the water that shows up in its tanks, up to 16.3 billion gallons, or 50,000 acre-feet, in a year. The pipeline is set to become San Antonio’s largest water supply outside of its mainstay, the Edwards Aquifer.
SAWS officials have said San Antonio does not need all 50,000 acre-feet right away. For years, the utility has been looking to sell up to 15,000 acre-feet per year to communities along the Interstate 35 corridor. So far, it has had no takers, partly because many of those communities are focused on developing their own water projects.
