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Recent rainfall has helped raise Edwards Aquifer levels, allowing the authority to ease pumping restrictions across the region.
Permit holders in the San Antonio Pool, which includes Bexar County and parts of several surrounding counties, have moved from Stage 2 to Stage 1. Under Stage 1, they must reduce pumping by 20%.
Conditions have also improved in the Uvalde Pool. Under the EAA's Critical Period Management Plan, it moved out of Stage 4 last week for the first time since March 2024. The pool has since moved from Stage 3 to Stage 2, reducing the required pumping cut from 10% to 5%.
The changes apply to municipal water utilities, including the San Antonio Water System, and other permit holders that draw large amounts of water from the aquifer.
SAWS residential and commercial customers remain under Stage 3 watering rules. The utility relies on several water sources beyond the Edwards Aquifer, so its watering restrictions do not always change when the authority adjusts pumping limits.
The Edwards Aquifer Authority is the groundwater conservation district that manages and protects the aquifer, which supplies water to more than 2 million people in the region.
Its jurisdiction covers eight counties: all of Uvalde, Medina and Bexar counties and parts of Atascosa, Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe and Hays counties.
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