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April 2017

Dispose of Expired Medications Safely Help keep pharmaceuticals out of the environment — bring all of your expired medicines to MedDropSA Saturday, May 20, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Brooks City Base, 8621 Boyle Rd.

Also, gather up any household hazardous waste items you have lying around and drop them off at the same time. It’s a drive-through event, so you don’t even have to get out of your car!

Please empty all pill bottles into a zipper storage bag and remove labels from bottles of liquids and inhalers.

For more information visit MedDropSA.com.

When it comes to acquiring new water sources, what matters most to you? What kinds of conservation programs are you most interested in? Your input is vital to San Antonio Water System’s Water Management Plan update and review process.Bexar County is growing by tens of thousands of people every year and the demand for water is growing along with it. So every five years, SAWS reviews and updates the Water Management Plan to ensure San Antonio has water for the future — to meet the growing needs of our city.SAWS uses four guiding principles to update the plan:

1. Conservation We identify conservation strategies to reduce per-person consumption by 30 percent between now and 2070. We are also committed to using leading edge technology for monitoring and reporting water loss.

2. New water projects This is critical to meeting future population growth and reducing San Antonio’s dependence on the Edwards Aquifer. We’ve made great strides by adding the new H2Oaks Center desalination plant in southeast Bexar County, and the Vista Ridge pipeline will continue the trend toward diversification.

3. Regional water projects By developing water supplies that can benefit multiple communities, costs are reduced and areas without the means to develop their own projects can benefit.

4. Innovative technology Our innovative recycled water system and aquifer storage and recovery process both help maximize current water supplies.To learn more, visit WaterCitySA.com. To share your own ideas, send us an email at WMP-input@saws.org.

It’s Time to Update San Antonio’s Water Management PlanSAWS Wants Your Input

SAWS CUSTOMER SERVICE or 24-HOUR EMERGENCY704-SAWS (7297)

PAST EDITIONSwww.saws.org/waternews

Rain Gardens: Why You’ll Want One

Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day, May 13, with a festival featuringour feathered friends at Mitchell Lake Audubon Center from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Enjoy fun, food, fowl-friendly plants and free admission!

What do you think of when you hear the words “rain garden?” If you answered, “sparkling pools and lush vegetation,” you’re partly right.

But the beauty behind these verdant islands of native plants and grasses goes much deeper. To understand why, it helps to know a little about storm water runoff.

As rain makes its way across lawns, roofs, parking lots and streets, it picks up chemicals such as fertilizers, motor oil, pesticides, herbicides, bacteria and other contaminants. These end up in streams, rivers and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.

Runoff can even affect the temperature of those waterways. All of these things together can harm water-dwelling organisms, the animals that feed

on those organisms and so on.

Rain gardens can help prevent all that and more. Plus they’re extremely drought tolerant and provide perfect habitat for native birds and pollinators.

So are you ready to help prevent water pollution and increase your garden enjoyment? To

learn how to select plants for and create your own epic rain garden, visit GardenStyleSA.com.

SAWS Fiesta Medals to Benefit Project Agua It’s as Puro San Antonio as Fiesta itself: medal mania! And SAWS will join the fray again this year with a festive new take on our popular toilet Fiesta medals.

Beginning in early April the medals will be on sale at SAWS Customer Centers for $10 each (cash only – limit 5 per customer). Proceeds will benefit Project Agua, SAWS’ payment assistance program that helps customers who are struggling to pay their water bill. Project Agua assists

thousands of San Antonio families each year.

Medals will be on sale until they are sold out. And keep an eye out for our “big toilet”at the Fiesta Flambeau Parade April 29!

Viva Fiesta

SA Zoo Salutes: Military

Appreciation Month May 1-31

San Antonio Zoo 3903 N. St. Mary’s St.

sazoo.org

Starting Out Wild Nature Play Day

May 6 Phil Hardberger Park

Classroom 8400 N.W. Military Highway sanantonio.gov/parksandrec

Basil Fest May 20

The Historic Pearl Brewery 300 Pearl Parkway

sanantonioherbmarket.org

Gardens & Yoga May 20

San Antonio Botanical Garden

555 Funston Place sabot.org

Beginner Bird Walks May 27

Mitchell Lake Audubon Center

10750 Pleasanton Road mitchelllake.audubon.org/events

Go Mad About Plants at Festival of Flowers Imagine the hustle and bustle of the stock exchange trading floor — but instead of stocks and bonds, they’re trading PLANTS! That’s the scene as enthusiasts of all things green and blooming descend on San Antonio’s Shrine Auditorium for Festival of Flowers.

More fun than frantic, Festival of Flowers features a citywide plant exchange you have to see to believe — possibly the largest in Texas — and it’s celebrating its 20th year.

In addition to the famous plant exchange, the event will feature a floral design challenge, rain barrel

demonstrations and even an indoor “gardening mall.” (Be sure to have cash or checks on hand for purchases as some vendors may not accept credit cards.)

The fun happens Saturday, May 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at San Antonio Shrine Auditorium, 901 N. Loop 1604 West. Admission is $6 for adults and parking is free.

Hours for the plant exchange are 9 a.m.-3 p.m. After 3 p.m., all of the remaining plants are sold at rock bottom prices.

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