Sprinklers water a lawn at a home on Howard Street in Monte Vista Terrace in 2022. 

William Porter’s contribution to the local treasury began as many others have lately in the city of San Antonio: A city employee saw that he was using his sprinkler system outside his scheduled time and issued a $150 citation. 

“I feel ambushed,” Porter, a computer software developer who lives with his wife on the Northeast Side, told the Express-News. “I’m sorry I violated the rules. I won’t violate them again.” 

Porter was among 2,000 citations written since San Antonio Water System stopped giving warnings earlier this month to residents who don’t comply with water restrictions. Porter installed a new automated irrigation system that ran on a timer. He said he hadn’t realized the timer was set to more than an hour ahead of the required 7 a.m. watering time. 

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This summer is one of the hottest and driest in San Antonio on record. The punishing drought that is drying Texas waterways and browning lawns has brought on strict watering rules aimed at cutting consumption in San Antonio. 

Under Stage 2 restrictions, watering with a sprinkler, irrigation system or soaker hose is allowed only between 7 and 11 a.m. or 7 and 11 p.m. and only on a designated day based on the last digit of a resident’s address. 

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“We’re not telling people they can’t water their lawns,” said Karen Guz, SAWS director of conservation. “We’re just trying to help moderate it and keep it within reason.” 

The city’s water enforcers — who patrol neighborhoods across San Antonio at all hours — have encountered many people like Porter, said Guz. Most aren’t watering on their scheduled day or don’t have irrigation systems set properly. 

Others are using water so excessively that it is “running like a river through the neighborhood,” Guz said. 

SAWS is enforcing water conservation with patrols and an anonymous water waste reporting system, which allows San Antonians to tip off the utility when they notice potential violations.

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Most of SAWS’ water enforcement is concentrated in the areas of San Antonio that use the most water, Guz said. Those areas include new homes on the Northwest Side, portions of Terrell Hills and Olmos Park, and neighborhoods most likely to have automated irrigation systems. 

These systems are simple to operate and consume approximately 2,000 gallons of water per use, as well as about 70 percent more water in the summer than hoses and other watering devices.

“It’s not surprising to us that we hear of high consumption in newer areas of San Antonio, where pretty much every single house has an automatic irrigation that can be easily set and used without anyone paying attention,” Guz said. “And so it’s also not surprising to us that we’re in those kinds of neighborhoods enforcing a lot.” 

Since Stage 1 watering restrictions began on March 10, SAWS has issued 4,835 warnings. The thousands of tickets issued this month for homes, businesses, and apartment complexes represent less than half a percent of the 500,000 or so customers served by SAWS.

On average, when someone gets a citation, residents often make significant reductions to their water use, Guz said. And most people who receive a water violation citation don’t get a second one. 

“There are always a few people who aren’t really getting to the garage to set the controller or they’re stubborn,” she said. “A tiny number gets two and even tinier numbers get three, but it’s almost always one and done.” 

Timothy Fanning is a digital reporter for the San Antonio Express-News.