SAN ANTONIO -- The Edwards Aquifer is skyrocketing... so are we close to getting out of water restrictions?
The answer to that question in the short term is no. But give it a few weeks and, yes, the rules could change. However, it all depends if this pattern of rain continues.
Since the rain started coming down last week, San Antonio officially picked up more than 4 1/2 inches of rain. Other spots, especially across the recharge zone, even more.
The result? The aquifer level is up more than ten feet in the span of about five days, Now above the Stage Two trigger of 650.
So, should we be out of Stage Two water restrictions? A number of folks we talked with said "yes" to at least Stage Two.
But SAWS says not so fast. As the aquifer goes above each trigger level, it says the 650 mark in this case, we have to stay above it for 30 days before we can get out of Stage Two. And 30 days above 660 to get out of water restrictions altogether.
Karen Guz with SAWS says the rules read that way "so the aquifer can really fully recover. So we don't end right back in restrictions and is a confusing situation."
The Edwards Aquifer Authority says it's been years since it's seen the aquifer respond to rainfall like this. The reason: runoff that's still going on from very hard, dry ground, as well as just the porous limestone makeup of the aquifer itself. So that means water can travel through to the aquifer quickly.
