Field notes from San Antonio stormwater work.
Everything here is written by Jim. Basin types and where each one actually fits. Detention pond maintenance and what gets cited when it’s skipped. A 30-day response plan for the day a Notice of Violation shows up in the mail. New posts go up when something on a job site is worth writing down, not on a content calendar.
Compliance · 8 minUDC 35-504 and San Antonio Site Design
Section 35-504 of San Antonio's Unified Development Code governs stormwater management on development inside the city: detention requirements, outflow limits, the regional program alternative, and drainage design. Projects increasing impervious area by more than 0.1 acres must provide detention
Oct 15, 2026
Compliance · 7 minBexar County Target Impervious Cover, Explained
Bexar County publishes target impervious cover percentages of 30% for single-family residential, 50% multi-family, 65% commercial and industrial, and 85% transportation. These are not development limits. They are thresholds that determine whether your project owes stormwater mitigation, and by how
Oct 12, 2026
Compliance · 7 minBexar County Post-Construction Permits: The Two-Part Process
Projects in unincorporated Bexar County disturbing one acre or more, or less than an acre as part of a larger common plan, need a post-construction storm water control measure permit. The process runs in two parts, a pre-construction review and a post-construction review, with engineer
Oct 8, 2026
Field guide · 8 minBasin Lining Requirements Over the Recharge Zone
Water quality basins over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone require impermeable liners. TCEQ's technical guidance, RG-348, allows clay, concrete, or geomembrane. A clay liner needs a minimum thickness of 12 inches and a permeability of 1 x 10⁻⁶ cm/sec. A geomembrane needs a minimum thickness of 30
Oct 5, 2026
Compliance · 7 minEdwards Aquifer Protection Plans: WPAP and CZP Basics
A Water Pollution Abatement Plan is required for regulated activity over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. A Contributing Zone Plan is required for regulated activity over the Contributing Zone disturbing five or more acres. Both are reviewed and approved by TCEQ under 30 TAC Chapter 213, and
Oct 1, 2026
Compliance · 4 minThe 48-Hour SAWS Notification Requirement
Send a copy of your Notice of Intent, or your Construction Site Notice, to stormwaterconstruction@saws.org at least 48 hours before construction-related activities begin on any San Antonio site. It takes two minutes and it is one of the most commonly missed requirements in the region.
Sep 28, 2026
Compliance · 7 minThe SAWS Construction Stormwater Ordinance (2014-06-19-0472)
San Antonio Water System enforces construction stormwater requirements locally as an MS4 co-permittee with the City of San Antonio and TxDOT, under ordinance 2014-06-19-0472, approved by City Council on June 19, 2014. The ordinance requires a certified SWPPP, the TPDES permit posted on site, and
Sep 24, 2026
Field guide · 7 minWho Regulates Stormwater in San Antonio? A Jurisdiction Map
Seven bodies touch stormwater in the San Antonio metro. TCEQ runs the state construction permit and the Edwards Aquifer overlay. SAWS, the City of San Antonio, and TxDOT are MS4 co-permittees. Bexar County Public Works regulates post-construction in the unincorporated area. The San Antonio River
Sep 21, 2026
Compliance · 11 minSan Antonio, Bexar County, and Edwards Aquifer Stormwater Rules
A San Antonio construction site can sit under five separate stormwater authorities at once: TCEQ for the state permit, TCEQ's Edwards Aquifer Protection Program for the aquifer overlay, SAWS and the City of San Antonio inside city limits, and Bexar County Public Works in the unincorporated area
Sep 17, 2026
Compliance · 6 minWhat the 2028 TXR150000 Renewal Could Change
The current TCEQ Construction General Permit, TXR150000, expires March 5, 2028. TCEQ opened the renewal process in 2026 and held a hybrid stakeholder meeting on June 9, 2026 at the Park 35 campus, where preliminary proposed modifications were presented. Informal comments go to SWGP@tceq.texas.gov.
Sep 14, 2026
Field guide · 8 minThe Most Common SWPPP Violations on San Antonio Job Sites
The violations we write most often are not exotic. They cluster in two groups: documentation that was never completed, and controls that were installed incorrectly rather than not installed at all. Roughly half of what gets cited on a well-run site is paperwork, which is the part contractors
Sep 10, 2026
Compliance · 8 minFiling the Notice of Termination
A Notice of Termination must be filed within 30 days after final stabilization is achieved, operational control is transferred, or alternative authorization is obtained. Final stabilization generally means uniform perennial vegetative cover at 70% of native background density. Permit coverage
Sep 7, 2026
Compliance · 7 minMulti-Operator Sites: Who Holds the Liability?
TXR150000 assigns liability to "operators," and a site can have several at once. Primary operators control construction plans or day-to-day compliance activity. Secondary operators, usually owners, hire others or approve plan changes without on-site control. If no primary operator exists at a
Sep 3, 2026
Field guide · 7 minSWPPP Site Maps and BMP Sequencing
A compliant SWPPP site map shows your actual drainage areas, flow directions, discharge points, receiving waters, and the location of every control, tied to a construction sequence that describes when each control goes in and comes out. A map that does not change as the site changes is the most
Aug 31, 2026
Compliance · 7 minStabilization Deadlines Contractors Get Wrong
Under TXR150000, stabilization must be initiated immediately, meaning no later than the end of the next work day, wherever earth-disturbing activity has permanently ceased or has temporarily ceased and will not resume within 14 calendar days. Once initiated, it must be completed within 14 calendar
Aug 27, 2026
Compliance · 7 minHow Often Are SWPPP Inspections Required in Texas?
Texas construction sites must be inspected at least once every 14 calendar days and within 24 hours of the end of a storm event of 0.5 inches or greater. The permit also allows an elective schedule of once every 7 calendar days regardless of rainfall, plus reduced monthly frequencies for
Aug 24, 2026
Compliance · 7 minFiling a Notice of Intent Through STEERS, Step by Step
Texas construction sites disturbing five acres or more must file a Notice of Intent with TCEQ before construction begins, submitted electronically through STEERS. The fee is $225 electronic, $325 on paper. The filing itself takes under an hour. Getting the STEERS account authorized to submit it
Aug 20, 2026
Compliance · 6 minTXR150000 Explained for Texas Contractors
TXR150000 is the TCEQ Construction General Permit, the statewide authorization that lets Texas construction sites discharge stormwater legally. The current version took effect March 5, 2023 and expires March 5, 2028. It applies to sites disturbing one acre or more, and it is the document that
Aug 17, 2026
Compliance · 7 minThe 1-Acre vs. 5-Acre SWPPP Rule, Explained
Texas construction sites disturbing 1 to under 5 acres are "small construction activity": they need a SWP3 and a posted Small Construction Site Notice, but no Notice of Intent and no fee. Sites of 5 acres or more are "large construction activity" and must also file an electronic NOI ($225) and a
Aug 13, 2026
Compliance · 7 minWhen Is a SWPPP Required in Texas?
A SWPPP is required in Texas whenever construction disturbs one acre or more of soil and discharges stormwater to surface water in the state. Projects under one acre are also regulated if they are part of a larger common plan of development or sale. The plan must be in place before construction
Aug 10, 2026
Compliance · 14 minTexas SWPPP Requirements: A Field Guide to the TCEQ Construction General Permit
If your project will disturb one acre or more of soil in Texas, you need coverage under the TCEQ Construction General Permit, TXR150000, and a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan in place before construction begins. Sites of five acres or more must also file a Notice of Intent. Smaller sites
Aug 5, 2026
Field guide · 5 minTypes of stormwater basins, compared
Detention, retention, infiltration, bioretention, constructed wetlands. What each basin type does, how it's built, and where it earns its keep in Texas, including the two detention variants used over the Edwards Aquifer.
Mar 25, 2025
Compliance · 4 minYou got a stormwater NOV in San Antonio. Here's the 30-day response.
The 30-day clock on a stormwater NOV starts the day the city issues it, not the day you decide to deal with it. What the notice means, the three things that usually trigger one, and how to put together a response the inspector will accept.
May 14, 2024
Maintenance · 4 minStormwater basin maintenance in San Antonio: what it covers, what neglect costs
Detention ponds fail quietly. Vegetation thins, inlets clog, walls start to slump, and the first sign is usually water in a parking lot. Here's what basin maintenance covers in San Antonio, how to spot trouble early, and what a neglected pond costs to rebuild.
May 9, 2024
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