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SAWS To Provide Water To Joint Base San Antonio

SAWS

Mayor Ivy Taylor, Councilman Joe Krier, Brig. Gen. Robert D. LaBrutta and SAWS President/CEO Robert R. Puente announced a ground breaking agreement Tuesday to provide a redundant water source to the city’s military bases.

A reliable, plentiful water supply is crucial in maintaining and attracting future military missions. Mayor Taylor and Councilman Krier, led the coordinated effort to take the water issue off the table for all military bases in San Antonio. The plan announced today will have SAWS infrastructure constructed to the military bases, ready to connect and deliver water to Camp Bullis, Ft. Sam Houston, Lackland Training Annex and Lackland Air Force Base. As well, a project currently underway will provide reliable water to ‘Security Hill,’ which houses Cybersecurity, Intelligence and Space Command efforts. The projects will provide a combined 20,450 feet of pipeline to the installations.

Alamo Area Council of Governments is seeking a state Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant to defray some of the costs for these projects. As the top priority, the pipeline to support Camp Bullis is slated to begin in 2016, as the base currently relies on the volatile Trinity Aquifer for its water supply.

"This agreement is a milestone in the City of San Antonio's long and rich history with the military,” said Mayor Ivy Taylor. “It will ensure that Joint Base-San Antonio has a stable, abundant supply of water for the vital work of its missions. This deal is also a demonstration that the City of San Antonio is a preeminent municipal partner for the Department of Defense."

"This level of cooperation is what the federal government can expect from Military City USA," City Councilman Joe Krier said. "The SAWS agreement with Joint Base-San Antonio makes our city a more attractive location when the Defense Department decides to relocate or expand military missions, which would mean more jobs for our region. I'm proud that we're able to accomplish this ground-breaking deal."

“SAWS is excited to provide this service and give back to our military institutions after their service to this community,” said Puente. “San Antonio is proud to be known as Military City USA and fully supports our bases and future military missions.”

Since 1992, San Antonio Water System has been a leader in innovative water management strategies, making San Antonio water’s most resourceful city. Water and wastewater services are provided to more than 1.6 million consumers in the San Antonio region.