Feb. 27, 2002 -- Some San Antonio Water System customers who live and work in far northern San Antonio began receiving water from the Trinity Aquifer system recently.
This is the first time SAWS has distributed drinking water other than from the Edwards Aquifer through its pipelines, and it's an important first step in reducing the city's dependence on the Edwards Aquifer.
"The Trinity Aquifer project demonstrates that San Antonio Water System is aggressively moving to develop new water resources for the community and region as outlined in our city's water plan," said Eugene Habiger, SAWS President and CEO. "The contracts for this project were signed in February 2000, and in two short years we've put this $5.5 million project on line to serve customers."
Trinity Aquifer water is similar to Edwards water in taste, chemistry and hardness; however, Trinity water has a slightly more naturally occurring fluoride. Trinity Aquifer water contains about 0.7 parts per million of fluoride, which is within the level recommended by national standards for dental protection.
"We understand that some customers in this area might be taking fluoride supplements to prevent tooth decay," Habiger noted. "We have been closely coordinating our efforts with the health department, dental associations and local physicians and it is recommended people now receiving the naturally-fluoridated Trinity Aquifer water should consult their physician or dentist on whether they should continue taking fluoride supplements."
SAWS will begin fluoridating the rest of the San Antonio's water in August.
Groundwater studies conducted in the area where SAWS will be withdrawing Trinity Aquifer water show that this project can safely produce about 2 billion gallons of water (6,200 acre feet) annually. One acre-foot equals 325,851 gallons and is enough water for two families of four for one year. The main source of the water comes from Trinity's Lower Glen Rose and Cow Creek formations.
The initial phase of this project will provide about 800 million to 950 million gallons (2,500-2,900 acre feet) of water per year. The next step in the process will be the construction of a 5 million-gallon storage tank. That tank will be jointly constructed and shared by SAWS and BexarMet. The additional storage capacity will allow SAWS to increase its water delivery to the full 2 billion-gallon level.
The water supply fee, paid by San Antonio Water System customers, funded the Trinity Aquifer project. In the coming years, SAWS will explore other innovative solutions to the city's long-term water needs. Some of these projects include the Aquifer Storage and Recovery program in South Bexar county, a Lower Colorado River Authority project at Bay City, and a Lower Guadalupe River water supply, among others.
The city's water plan can be viewed at SAWS Web site www.saws.org.
