Edwards Aquifer Near Historic Lows: What San Antonio Homeowners Need to Know Right Now

The Edwards Aquifer, the underground limestone reservoir that supplies drinking water to more than two million people across the San Antonio region, is struggling heading into fall. On October 17, 2025, the J-17 index well — the standard measure of aquifer health located in Bexar County — recorded a level of 625.4 feet. That reading sits 37 feet below the long-term average for this time of year, and it is a number that deserves attention from anyone who owns, buys, sells, or rents a home in this area.

To understand how serious that is, consider what happened earlier this year. In May 2025, the J-17 well dropped to 623.1 feet, the third-lowest reading ever recorded for that well. Only two moments in modern history were worse: June 1990 and August 1957. The aquifer has recovered slightly since that spring low point, but at 625.4 feet this week, it remains in genuinely stressed territory. One natural landmark that puts this in plain terms: Comal Springs in New Braunfels, just northeast of San Antonio along the I-35 corridor, typically stops flowing when the aquifer falls to 620 feet. We are currently less than six feet above that threshold.

For most San Antonio homeowners, the most immediate concern is water restrictions. The Edwards Aquifer Authority uses a tiered trigger system, and the lower the J-17 reading falls, the stricter the watering rules become. If you live in a neighborhood served by San Antonio Water System — which covers the central city, the North Side near Stone Oak and Shavano Park, the South Side communities near Palo Alto College, and large portions of Bexar County — you already know that outdoor watering schedules are regulated. At current levels, those restrictions can tighten with little notice. Lawns, landscaping, and irrigation systems that were designed around more generous watering windows may struggle.

Homeowners who have invested in water-intensive landscaping — think large St. Augustine lawns popular in neighborhoods like Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, or the Dominion — may face higher water bills or stressed turf if restrictions increase. Now is a practical time to look at where your outdoor irrigation is going and whether drought-tolerant native plants could reduce your exposure. Texas native grasses, agave, and drought-adapted shrubs are not just environmentally sensible right now; they protect your landscaping investment when water becomes more expensive or harder to schedule.

If you have a private well on a rural property — common in areas like Helotes, Castroville, or along the Highway 16 corridor heading toward Bandera County — a low aquifer affects you even more directly. Well yields can drop, and some shallower wells may not perform reliably when the aquifer is this depressed. If you are buying a home with a private well anywhere in the Hill Country fringe or western Bexar County, this is the moment to ask for a well yield test and a water quality report as part of your due diligence. Do not skip it.

For buyers and sellers, aquifer levels are becoming part of the conversation in a way they were not a decade ago. Homes in the 78006 ZIP code around Boerne, the 78070 area near Spring Branch, and unincorporated areas served by smaller water utilities are worth researching carefully. Some smaller utilities in the region draw directly from the aquifer and have less storage buffer than SAWS. Knowing your water source before you make an offer is simply good homework in 2025.

Renters are not insulated from this either. Landlords facing higher water bills or mandatory landscaping changes may pass costs along at lease renewal. If you are a tenant responsible for your own water bill, expect that outdoor use restrictions could affect your routine, and budget accordingly for a utility that has nowhere to go but up in cost when supply is this tight.

The broader picture matters, too. October in San Antonio can still bring meaningful rainfall — the Gulf of Mexico remains active through late fall — but the aquifer responds slowly to precipitation, and a few rainy weekends will not erase a deficit that has been building all year. The region is heading into what is typically a drier stretch of the calendar.

None of this is cause for alarm, but it is cause for awareness. San Antonio has managed through difficult aquifer cycles before, and the infrastructure, conservation programs, and regional water planning that exist today are more sophisticated than in previous drought eras. What helps most right now is every homeowner, renter, and property manager making small, consistent choices — fixing leaks, adjusting irrigation timers, rethinking landscaping — because those choices add up across a city of nearly 1.5 million people.

If you have questions about how water availability or utility costs might affect a property you are buying or selling in the San Antonio area, reach out to us. It is the kind of local detail that matters and that we are glad to help you think through.