D5 & San Antonio Water System Celebrate Approval of Funding
Published on February 03, 2026
District 5 Councilmember and San Antonio Water System Celebrate Approval of Pilot Program Funding
The Water & Sewer Lateral Improvements Program aims to help residents with the cost of installing these systems.
SAN ANTONIO (February 3, 2026) – In 2024, District 5 Councilmember Teri Castillo filed a Council Consideration Request (CCR) initiating the Water & Sewer Lateral Improvements Program with San Antonio Water System (SAWS). The goal of the request was to fund a new program to help residents with the cost of installing water and sewer lateral systems.
“Today we celebrate a huge victory,” Councilmember Castillo remarked after the SAWS board voted to approve up to $750,000 in funding for the SAWS Water & Sewer Laterals Improvement Program and the Plumbers to the People Program. “Every resident deserves a functioning connection to the main water and sewer infrastructure via lateral systems.
“A critical component of constituent services is being able to recognize patterns where residents are struggling. The D5 team works diligently toward addressing the lack of basic infrastructure and one of the trends the team identified had to do with laterals in disrepair and the lack of a proper connection to their sewer main.
“While there are a range of factors for the lack of proper sewer infrastructure, the effects can be detrimental to the health and safety of San Antonio residents. Additionally, the price of correcting these infrastructure gaps is far too expensive for constituents to take on and can lead to bad actors controlling water resources for SAWS paying customers.
“In older areas of San Antonio, especially in pockets of the urban core, there are residences without proper connection to the main sewer line. Together, we created a pilot to address these huge infrastructure gaps and meet the needs of our constituents ensuring water and sewer access for all.
“I am grateful to our team, especially our constituent services staff, and to leadership at SAWS for making this solution possible,” said the District 5 Councilmember.