San Antonio Delays SAWS Rate Plan: Current 2026 Commercial Bill Checks
San Antonio delayed and effectively denied the SAWS 27% plan as-is. Current 2026 General Class rates remain; map fixed, volume, sewer, and Uplift lines.
Direct answer
San Antonio City Council delayed and effectively denied the proposed 27% SAWS rate plan as-is on June 18, 2026. The City says current rates remain in place and SAWS is expected to return later in 2026 with a new proposal. Commercial, apartment, industrial, and municipal General Class accounts should use the current 2026 schedule—not the rejected proposal—for bill planning, while keeping fixed, water-volume, sewer-volume, Uplift, and special lines separate.
Delayed
Council status
27% plan effectively denied as-is
Remain
Current rates
New proposal expected later in 2026
$1.958
Base water
Per kgal at the account’s base
$4.368
Sewer volume
Per kgal for inside-city General Class
Current General Class bill map
Separate the adopted SAWS lines before modeling an account
The current schedule uses meter-size fixed charges, account-relative water tiers, a separate sewer volume rate, and additional fees. The declared example below includes only five stated lines.
- Current bill line
- Water availability
- Commercial decision
- Fixed by meter size. The declared 2-inch inside-city example uses $65.62 per month.
- Current bill line
- Sewer availability
- Commercial decision
- Fixed by meter size. The declared 2-inch inside-city example uses $64.39 per month.
- Current bill line
- Water volume
- Commercial decision
- $1.958/kgal at the account’s base; higher rates apply above 100%, 125%, and 175% of that account-relative base.
- Current bill line
- Sewer volume
- Commercial decision
- $4.368/kgal for inside-city General Class usage in the current schedule.
- Current bill line
- Water and sewer Uplift
- Commercial decision
- $0.102/kgal water plus $0.106/kgal sewer in the declared model.
- Current bill line
- Separate charges
- Commercial decision
- Supply, stormwater, TCEQ, drought, permits, strength, irrigation, recycled, outside-city, and special lines require their own account check.
Official decision status
City Council did not approve the 27% proposal as presented
The City of San Antonio’s June 18 release says Council voted to delay the proposed SAWS rate increase, effectively denying the plan as-is. The City says current rates remain in place while SAWS is expected to return later in 2026 with a new proposal.
That later City decision controls the current status. A possible July start and an assumed 8% blended increase are no longer sound planning cases for the rejected plan, so this page removes that hypothetical rather than carrying it forward.
Current customer class
General Class includes apartment, commercial, industrial, and municipal accounts
SAWS’s current General Class schedule is effective for consumption on or about January 1, 2026. It covers apartment, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers, with inside-city and outside-city schedules that should not be mixed.
The January date belongs to the current adopted schedule, not to the delayed proposal. A bill review should confirm the class, service location, meter size, and every line before using the inside-city example below.
Fixed charges
Water and sewer availability charges stay tied to meter size
For an inside-city 2-inch General Class account, SAWS lists a $65.62 monthly water availability charge and a $64.39 monthly sewer availability charge. The model includes both amounts at 100 kgal and 80 kgal.
Lower modeled volume does not change those two fixed charges. Other meter sizes have different availability amounts, so an operator should use the meter shown on the actual account instead of borrowing the declared 2-inch values.
Account-relative water tiers
SAWS measures excess water against each account’s base
The current inside-city General Class water rate is $1.958 per 1,000 gallons at base use. Rates then rise to $2.252 above 100% through 125% of base, $2.937 above 125% through 175%, and $3.427 above 175%.
The base is account specific, so 100 kgal is not a universal commercial threshold. The example expressly assumes that 100 kgal equals the declared account’s base; it does not cross into an excess tier.
Sewer and Uplift
The declared usage-linked exposure is larger than the water-base line alone
SAWS lists inside-city General Class sewer volume at $4.368 per 1,000 gallons for all use. The current schedule also lists a water Uplift fee of $0.102/kgal and sewer Uplift fee of $0.106/kgal.
For the declared model, sewer-billed volume is assumed to equal water volume. That assumption must be replaced with the actual bill, especially when an account has irrigation, process, adjustment, or other treatment that separates water and sewer volumes.
Special and industrial charges
Permit and wastewater-strength lines require separate treatment
SAWS publishes separate 2026 special-service fees, including industrial permits and wastewater surcharges tied to total suspended solids and biochemical oxygen demand. Those charges are not part of the standard inside-city General Class model.
Supply, stormwater, TCEQ, drought, permit, industrial-strength, irrigation, recycled-water, outside-city, and account-specific lines must be reviewed on their own terms. No rejected-proposal percentage should be applied to them.
Smart Valve analysis
The current-rate example declares its account base and exclusions
The model uses one inside-city General Class account with a 2-inch meter, declares that the account’s base is 100 kgal, and assumes all modeled volume is billed for sewer. It changes volume from 100 kgal to 80 kgal without entering an excess water tier.
This is arithmetic using current official schedule lines, not a SAWS quote, average bill, forecast of a future proposal, or savings guarantee. Every excluded line must be checked against the actual account.
Smart Valve analysis — current schedule, not the delayed proposal
One declared inside-city 2-inch General Class account
Assume the account’s base is 100 kgal and all modeled volume is sewer billed. The example includes current water and sewer availability, base water volume, sewer volume, and both Uplift fees.
| Included current line | 100 kgal | 80 kgal | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-inch water availability | $65.62 | $65.62 | $0.00 |
| 2-inch sewer availability | $64.39 | $64.39 | $0.00 |
| Base water volume at $1.958/kgal | $195.80 | $156.64 | $39.16 |
| Sewer volume at $4.368/kgal | $436.80 | $349.44 | $87.36 |
| Water + sewer Uplift at $0.208/kgal | $20.80 | $16.64 | $4.16 |
| Included model total | $783.41 | $652.73 | $130.68 |
The $130.68 difference comes from the three included usage-linked lines. The $130.01 in availability charges remains in both totals. This is not a whole-bill quote and does not model a future proposal.
20% usage check
$130.68
Modeled monthly difference at 20% lower declared volume
Moving the declared account from its 100-kgal base to 80 kgal changes included base water volume by $39.16, sewer volume by $87.36, and the two Uplift lines by $4.16.
Boundary: Availability charges remain fixed. The result depends on the declared account base and equal sewer-billed volume, and excludes supply, stormwater, TCEQ, drought, permit, strength, irrigation, recycled, outside-city, special, and account-specific charges. Smart Valve does not guarantee this result.
Decision checklist
What to check first on the bill
- 1Record that the 27% proposal was delayed and effectively denied as-is; do not budget it as approved.
- 2Confirm inside-city or outside-city service and the General Class account descriptor.
- 3Match the water and sewer availability charges to the actual meter size.
- 4Obtain the account-specific base before applying the water volume tiers.
- 5Compare water volume with sewer-billed volume and both Uplift lines.
- 6Separate supply, stormwater, TCEQ, drought, permit, strength, irrigation, recycled, and special charges.
- 7Watch for a new official SAWS proposal later in 2026 before changing the rate forecast.
Scope boundary
Where Smart Valve realistically fits
Smart Valve can help a commercial team review controllable metered use and model current usage-linked water, sewer, and Uplift exposure when the actual account supports those relationships. The declared example keeps the account-relative base visible rather than replacing it with a citywide average.
Smart Valve does not change availability charges, the account base, tariff tier, proposal status, stormwater, industrial-strength treatment, permits, or other fixed and special lines. A property-specific assessment should begin with actual SAWS bills and operating conditions.
Related commercial water decisions
Track the next Texas utility decisions
Follow official rate, sewer, drought, and growth-cost signals across Texas markets.
Compare nearby Leon Valley commercial rates
See a San Antonio-area schedule with different water tiers, sewer, and pass-through fees.
Separate fixed and usage-linked bill lines
Map availability, volume, sewer, fees, and special charges before forecasting.
Review the industrial water decision path
Use the industrial workflow when process water, permits, or wastewater strength matters.
Prepare a SAWS account review
Collect class, meter, account base, volume, sewer, and fee records first.
Review source and estimate boundaries
See how official decisions, current schedules, calculations, and assumptions are separated.
Frequently asked questions
Did San Antonio approve the proposed 27% SAWS rate plan?
No. The City’s June 18 release says Council delayed the increase and effectively denied the plan as-is. Current rates remain, and SAWS is expected to return later in 2026 with a new proposal.
Which customers are in the SAWS General Class?
SAWS identifies apartment, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in General Class. Inside-city and outside-city schedules differ, so confirm the account location before modeling.
How do current SAWS commercial water tiers work?
Inside-city General Class water begins at $1.958/kgal at the account’s base, with higher rates above 100%, 125%, and 175% of that account-specific base. One fixed gallon threshold does not apply to every commercial account.
Would 20% lower usage reduce the entire SAWS bill?
No. The declared example changes only included water-volume, sewer-volume, and Uplift lines. Availability and every excluded fixed, stormwater, permit, strength, special, or account-specific charge are not assumed to fall.
Primary source trail
Sources and retrieval details
Published: June 18, 2026Status checked: July 16, 2026Retrieved: July 16, 2026
Controlling official post-vote source for the delayed and effectively denied-as-is proposal, current-rate status, and expected later-2026 replacement proposal.
Published: Current 2026 scheduleEffective: Consumption on or about January 1, 2026Retrieved: July 16, 2026
Official current schedule for customer coverage, inside/outside-city treatment, meter-size availability charges, account-relative water tiers, sewer volume, and Uplift fees.
Source URL: https://www.saws.org/service/water-sewer-rates/general-class-rates/ (opens in a new tab)
Published: Current 2026 fee scheduleRetrieved: July 16, 2026
Official source for separate special-service, industrial-permit, and wastewater-strength fee treatment kept outside the standard General Class model.
Source URL: https://www.saws.org/service/water-sewer-rates/special-services-fees/ (opens in a new tab)
Editorial contact
Media & product inquiries
Send relevant corrections, launch information, approved assets, or testing opportunities to thesmartwatervalve@gmail.com. Contact does not guarantee coverage, favorable treatment, commercial placement, or a review.
Audit the current SAWS account before forecasting the next proposal
Use the actual class, meter size, account base, water and sewer volumes, Uplift fees, and special lines. Do not budget the delayed plan as approved or treat fixed charges as reducible.