Name: More than 32,000 San Antonio area residents could have their water shut off if coronavirus moratorium weren’t in effect
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More than 32,000 San Antonio area residents could have their water shut off if coronavirus moratorium weren’t in effect

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In another sign of the coronavirus pandemic’s financial toll, the San Antonio Water System reported Tuesday that more than 32,000 households are so behind on paying their bills that their water would have been shut off if there wasn’t a moratorium on disconnections.In early March, before the pandemic hit South Texas, there were about 4,800 delinquent accounts about to be disconnected when the utility’s board of trustees decided to imposed a moratorium, recognizing that running water is essential to good health and hygiene and to slowing the spread of the virus.As residents lost their jobs and much of the economy tanked, that number grew dramatically and has shown no signs of slowing down.As of Oct. 30, there were 32,237 residential accounts owing a total $18.5 million. Another 1,517 business accounts also were delinquent to the point of disconnection, for a total of nearly $4 million.A fifth of the potential residential disconnections fall under ZIP codes west of Interstate 35. More than 1,300 of those accounts are in 78207, the heart of the West Side and the third most impoverished ZIP code in San Antonio, according to Mary Bailey, SAWS’ vice president of customer experience and strategic initiatives.In the past, SAWS gave customers about 61 days when a bill was past due until giving a final notice for disconnection. Typically, disconnections occurred about a week after that final notice.SAWS suspended disconnections and late fees March 12. If a customer already had service disconnected for nonpayment, SAWS also restored water upon request without requiring a payment.At Tuesday’s meeting, the board decided the utility will reassess the moratorium in December and consider resuming disconnections and charging late fees, depending on the coronavirus situation and the state of the economy.Also Tuesday, the board approved the utility’s 2021 budget at $909.4 million, about 2 percent less than the 2020 budget. Commercial and industrial water usage is expected to continue to decline, something that has been happening since the pandemic began, officials said.The budget does assume that late fees and disconnections will resume in the second quarter, said Cecilia Velasquez, SAWS’ director of financial services.There’s provision for $454 million in operations and maintenance costs, an increase of 4 percent over the 2020 budget. Much of that increase supports the first full year of delivery of water from the Vista Ridge pipeline.The $2.8 billion Vista Ridge pipeline is bringing in about 45 million gallons a day to the SAWS service area, providing water to some 162,000 households.No rate increases are included in the 2021 budget.Liz Hardaway is a staff writer covering San Antonio government and politics. To read more from Liz, . | Twitter:

In another sign of the coronavirus pandemic’s financial toll, the San Antonio Water System reported Tuesday that more than 32,000 households are so behind on paying their bills that their water would have been shut off if there wasn’t a moratorium on disconnections.In early March, before the pandemic hit South Texas, there were about 4,800 delinquent accounts about to be disconnected when the utility’s board of trustees decided to imposed a moratorium, recognizing that running water is essential to good health and hygiene and to slowing the spread of the virus.As residents lost their jobs...

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Liz Hardaway

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More than 32,000 San Antonio area residents could have their water shut off if coronavirus moratorium weren’t in effect

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