05/25/2025
🚨 CRÓNICA ALERT: Choke Canyon Bone Dry & Edwards Aquifer Hits Historic Stage 5 Restrictions!
The drought is squeezing South Texas dry and Choke Canyon Reservoir is a good reminder down to 15% capacity and 33.69 feet below normal as of March 2025. Meanwhile, the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) just dropped breaking news: Stage 5 restrictions are here for the first time in history.
Pumpers with Edwards Aquifer permits (not SAWS customers) are getting hit hard with a 44% cut in water withdrawals, up from 40% in Stage 4. That’s a serious clampdown on water use for industrial, agricultural, and municipal permit holders.
What About San Antonio Water Systems Customers?
SAWS customers are still under Stage 3 restrictions, meaning you can water your lawn once a week (check your address for your day) from 5–10 a.m. or 9 p.m.–midnight. SAWS, the biggest pumper from the Edwards Aquifer, is leaning harder on other sources like the Vista Ridge pipeline and Canyon Lake to keep taps flowing. But with the aquifer’s J-17 well at a critical 625.6 feet (and dropping), things could get tighter.
