In short
- Your watering day is set by the last digit of your street address.
- Sprinklers can only run during set hours, and those hours get shorter as the stage goes up.
- Watering with a hand-held hose is allowed any time, any day.
- Check the stage in effect today on saws.org. It changes with the Edwards Aquifer.
Find your watering day
This is SAWS's "Know your day" chart. It's based on the last digit of your street address.
| Your address ends in | Your watering day |
|---|---|
| 0 or 1 | Monday |
| 2 or 3 | Tuesday |
| 4 or 5 | Wednesday |
| 6 or 7 | Thursday |
| 8 or 9 | Friday |
| No street address (medians, neighborhood entrances) | Wednesday |
Sprinkler hours by stage
These rules apply to irrigation systems and sprinklers. Stages are triggered by the Edwards Aquifer level (a 10-day rolling average at SAWS's monitored well).
| Stage | Starts when the aquifer drops to | Sprinklers allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Year-round | Above 660 ft | Any day, midnight–10 a.m. and 9 p.m.–midnight |
| Stage 1 | 660 ft | Once a week on your day, midnight–10 a.m. and 9 p.m.–midnight |
| Stage 2 | 650 ft | Once a week on your day, 5–10 a.m. and 9 p.m.–midnight |
| Stage 3 | 640 ft | Once a week on your day, 5–10 a.m. and 9 p.m.–midnight |
| Stage 4 | Declared by the City Manager with SAWS | Once every other week on your day, 5–10 a.m. or 9 p.m.–midnight |
SAWS says coming out of a stage can be considered 15 days after the aquifer is back above the trigger level.
Hand watering and drip
- Hand-held hose: allowed any time, any day.
- Drip irrigation: during watering hours, up to three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) in Stage 1; Monday and Friday in Stages 2 and 3; Friday only in Stage 4.
- Tree bubblers: in Stage 3, on Monday and Friday during watering hours, like drip.
SAWS can add a water-waste charge to your bill when staff see and document a violation in person. SAWS says the first charge can be waived by taking a one-hour online course. See the current amount on the SAWS page.
Making one day a week work for your lawn
With one watering day a week, how you water matters. For St. Augustine, Texas A&M AgriLife recommends:
- Water deep, then let it dry. Wet the soil about 6 inches deep and let it dry out between waterings. Frequent, shallow watering keeps roots shallow.
- Watch for drought stress. Blade edges curling, grass that doesn't spring back when you walk on it, or a dull bluish-gray color mean it needs water. A hand-held hose is allowed any day.
- Mow higher in summer. AgriLife Extension in Bexar County recommends 3 inches for St. Augustine and 4 inches in summer.
Brown patches that keep growing even with water may not be drought. See drought or chinch bugs?
Sources
- San Antonio Water System (SAWS), “Drought Restrictions & Watering Rules” (page and "Know your day" chart checked Oct 18, 2026)
- San Antonio Water System (SAWS), “Stage 3 Watering Rules” (checked Oct 18, 2026)
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, “Chinch Bugs in St. Augustine Lawns (E-420)” (Merchant and Mott, 2006)
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Bexar County, “Lawn Grasses”
Checked Oct 18, 2026. Water rules and dates can change: always confirm with the source.