Edwards Aquifer: Uvalde Pool exits drought restrictions; San Antonio Pool snaps back to Stage 2
The EAA lifted all Critical Period Management for the Uvalde Pool effective August 11, 2026, its first unrestricted status since June 2022. Five days earlier the San Antonio Pool returned to Stage 2 (30 percent cuts) after a 13-day break at Stage 1.
- Uvalde Pool
- No stage, 0% (Aug 11)
- San Antonio Pool
- Stage 2, 30% (Aug 6)
- J-17 at declaration
- 649.8 ft (10-day avg)
- VISPO in a suspension year
- $214/AF
What happened
The Edwards Aquifer Authority declared an end to Critical Period Management for the Uvalde Pool effective August 11, 2026, on a J-27 ten-day average of 850 feet, the pool’s first unrestricted status since June 2022. Permit reductions there fell to zero.
The San Antonio Pool moved the other way. After reaching Stage 1 (20 percent) on July 24, the first time all indicators had cleared the Stage 2 thresholds since April 10, 2022, the pool returned to Stage 2 and a 30 percent permit reduction effective August 6 on a J-17 ten-day average of 649.8 feet. The San Antonio Pool has been under some stage of CPM continuously since March 2022 apart from that 13-day break.
What it means if you own water here
The two pools are now on opposite footing, and pool location directly sets a permit’s delivered yield and therefore its lease value. A Uvalde permit delivers 100 percent; a San Antonio permit delivers 70 percent, prorated by day.
The reduction percentages are what a lessee actually receives, so lease pricing in the San Antonio Pool should reflect the 30 percent haircut in force, not the paper permit volume. The EAA states 2026 is a VISPO suspension year, which pays enrolled irrigators $214 per acre foot.
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