Edwards Aquifer enters September within three feet of a Stage 3 trigger
On September 1 the EAA’s J-17 index well read 643.6 feet with a ten-day average of 642.9. The Stage 3 trigger, a 35 percent permit reduction, is a ten-day average below 640 feet. The San Antonio Pool is in Stage 2; the Uvalde Pool has no restrictions.
- J-17, Sep 1
- 643.6 ft (10-day 642.9)
- Stage 3 trigger
- 10-day avg < 640 ft
- San Antonio Pool
- Stage 2, 30%
- Uvalde Pool
- No stage, 0%
What happened
The Edwards Aquifer Authority’s provisional readings for September 1, 2026 put the J-17 index well at 643.6 feet above mean sea level with a ten-day average of 642.9 feet. Comal Springs flowed at 181 cfs and San Marcos Springs at 109 cfs. The San Antonio Pool remains in Stage 2 Critical Period Management with a 30 percent permit reduction, declared August 6.
Under the EAA’s stage rules, Stage 3 for the San Antonio Pool is triggered when the J-17 ten-day average falls below 640 feet, and it carries a 35 percent reduction. Any one indicator falling through its threshold tightens the stage; relaxing requires all of them to recover. The Uvalde Pool, at a J-27 reading of 851.6 feet, remains free of restrictions after exiting CPM on August 11.
What it means if you own water here
Less than three feet of aquifer separates a 30 percent haircut from a 35 percent one, and reductions are prorated by the day. Anyone leasing San Antonio Pool water into the fourth quarter should be modeling the Stage 3 case now, because the delivered volume, not the permitted volume, is what a lessee actually receives.
The split between the pools is the other story: an Uvalde permit delivers 100 percent this week while a San Antonio permit delivers 70 percent. Pool location is a priced variable.
Article Sources
WaterLeases requires every market figure to trace to a public primary source: state agencies, published indices, official notices, or named reporting. Read our data and methodology standards.