Historic Low Recharge Triggers 50,000 Acre-Foot Forbearance for Edwards Aquifer in 2027

Historic Low Recharge Triggers 50,000 Acre-Foot Forbearance for Edwards Aquifer in 2027With the 10-year rolling average for aquifer recharge dropping to its lowest level since the late 1950s, the Edwards Aquifer Authority is initiating mandatory Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) forbearance measures to protect spring flows.

The 10-year average recharge fell to 465,000 acre-feet, triggering a 50,000 acre-foot ASR forbearance program for 2027.

San Antonio Water System (SAWS) faces a 'double trigger' requiring additional forbearance, which it will offset using water previously banked in the ASR.

The Voluntary Irrigation Suspension Program Option (VISPO) was triggered for a third consecutive year, maintaining an enrollment goal of 41,795 acre-feet.

The committee approved the EAA's $12 million 2027 work plan to manage these spring flow measures and ongoing biological monitoring.

The Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) will enforce a 50,000 acre-foot Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) forbearance program in 2027 after prolonged drought drove the aquifer's 10-year rolling recharge average to its lowest point in nearly 70 years. During a June 4, 2026 meeting of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP) Implementing Committee, staff reported that the most recent 2025 recharge estimate was roughly 460,000 acre-feet. This dragged the 10-year rolling average down to 465,000 acre-feet—well below the 500,000 acre-foot threshold and the lowest recorded since the late 1950s. This depressed recharge average officially triggered the ASR forbearance program for 2027. The EAA sent notices to ASR participants in late April, requiring 50,000 acre-feet of water currently under EAA lease or forbearance agreements to remain unpumped. Staff confirmed during the meeting that there is no opt-out clause for the ASR forbearance if rainfall improves significantly before 2027. The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) faces a "double trigger" under the program. Because the 10-year recharge average dropped below 500,000 acre-feet and the J-17 index well levels are depressed, SAWS is required to forbear pumping above and beyond the 50,000 acre-feet covered by the EAA. To offset this reduction in production, SAWS will recover water it previously banked in the ASR facility. SAWS completed its EAHCP storage goal of 126,000 acre-feet in 2020. In addition to the ASR forbearance, the Voluntary Irrigation Suspension Program Option (VISPO) has been triggered for a third consecutive year. The suspension was activated after the J-17 well reading hit 628 feet in August of the previous year. The EAA will maintain its VISPO enrollment goal of 41,795 acre-feet to further ease demand on the aquifer. To manage these programs, the Implementing Committee approved the EAA's 2027 work plan, featuring a budget of just over $12 million. The funding will cover the administration of the VISPO and ASR forbearance agreements, alongside ongoing water quality sampling, biological monitoring, and refugia projects.