San Antonio could climb out of Stage 2 water restrictions next week, if only for a brief respite.

This weekend will mark 30 days that the Edwards Aquifer monitoring well has measured above 650 feet, triggering the easing of water limits to Stage 1.

The San Antonio Water System doesn't want any celebratory lawn-watering, however. The utility would like to see water users remain frugal.

While recent rain has helped increase moisture in the soil, it hasn't been enough to fully recharge local lakes or the aquifer, a SAWS spokeswoman said. The rain also has been sufficient to keep mostly dormant landscapes hydrated.

“People really don't need to be using their sprinklers now,” Anne Hayden said.

She also noted that in February, when farmers begin planting and irrigating, the aquifer level likely will drop, pushing San Antonio back into Stage 2.

The Edwards Aquifer Authority announced last week that it moved a significant portion of the region from Stage 2 to Stage 1 restrictions, including Bexar and Medina counties (not including incorporated cities), and parts of Atascosa, Comal, Hays, Caldwell and Guadalupe counties.

But because aquifer levels remain below historical averages, the EAA also warns that a return to Stage 2 will be likely if drought conditions persist.

Meteorologists have suggested they will, thanks to a La Niña weather pattern that generally brings with it milder and drier winters to the region.

This has been the single driest year in recorded history for Texas, but just the 12th driest in San Antonio, thanks to the recent rains, according to the National Weather Service.

San Antonio has been under water restrictions since April.

Stage 2 kicked in at the end of May, after the Edwards monitoring well dropped below 650 feet. That has meant SAWS customers must limit their use of irrigation systems to one day a week between the hours of 3 and 8 a.m. and 8 and 10 p.m.

Under Stage 1, landscape watering with sprinklers or irrigation systems is restricted to one day a week before 10 a.m. or after 8 p.m. In both cases, a customer's day to water is determined by the last digit of the street address; those without addresses can water on Wednesdays.