No rate increase for former BexarMet customers in 2012

SAWS and former BexarMet crews work shoulder-to-shoulder on a water service interconnect between the two systems in the Stone Oak area.

San Antonio Water System today provided an update to the Joint Committee on Oversight of Bexar Metropolitan Water District on the integration of the two systems. With the BexarMet dissolution approved by the federal government earlier this year, SAWS has up to five years to completely integrate the former BexarMet system.

SAWS briefed the Oversight Committee that it has been able to create a new budget for BexarMet that – as committed – would keep the former utility's customer rates the same in 2012. In addition, former BexarMet employees, whose salaries have been unchanged for the past several years, will receive a 2.5 percent pay raise.

Significant advances are being made in merging the two utilities: monitoring equipment and email systems have already been merged. Some former BexarMet service areas have been connected to nearby SAWS infrastructure to ensure an affordable, reliable source of water. Anaqua Springs no longer requires water to be trucked to the area.

Read More

San Antonio Water System is working for the first time with Canyon Regional Water Authority (CRWA) to conduct maintenance activities on the Lake Dunlap pipeline system serving the region, including 15,000 customers in a portion of northeast San Antonio formerly served by BexarMet.

CRWA provides surface water from Lake Dunlap to 11 local communities, including Cibolo, parts of San Marcos and Seguin, and a portion of northeast San Antonio formerly served by the BexarMet. Periodic maintenance is recommended to clean the pipes that deliver water from Lake Dunlap. CRWA and BexarMet last performed this maintenance approximately three years ago.

Read More

On Jan. 26, San Antonio Water System received notification that the U.S. Department of Justice cleared election results allowing dissolution of BexarMet. In November, 74 percent of BexarMet ratepayers voted to dissolve the utility and consolidate it into SAWS.

Read More