Environment
Is California water use increasing?
Produced by Aaron Mendelson & Chris Keller | Updated Sept. 7, 2016
Sources: California Water Resources Control Board. Built using: django-bakery, underscore.js, backbone.js, leaflet.js, chartist.js & Bootstrap. Circles on a line distribution charts based on CensusReporter charts, design and code created by Ryan Pitts, Joe Germuska, Ian Dees and Sara Schnadt. Icon credits: Waste icon created by Luis Prado and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution from The Noun Project. Washing Machine icon created by Megan Sheehan and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution from The Noun Project. Bucket icon created by Nithin Viswanathan and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution from The Noun Project. Water drop icon created by Diego Naive and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution from The Noun Project. Broom icon created by Anna Weiss and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution from The Noun Project. Clock icon created by Pavel Nikandrov and used via a Public Domain Mark from The Noun Project. Sprinkler icon created by Micah West and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution from The Noun Project. Cactus icon created by Edward Boatman and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution from The Noun Project. Shower icon used via a Public Domain Mark from The Noun Project.
August monthly water use by the City Of Palo Alto
- Water consumption in the City Of Palo Alto decreased 14.05 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 31.46 percent over the past five years.
- August 2013 258 million gallons
- August 2014 217 million gallons
- August 2015 203 million gallons
- August 2016 174 million gallons
- August 2017 217 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
Average daily water consumption by each residential customer
- About 58.0% of water consumption in the City Of Palo Alto is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer decreased 12.46 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
- 50.60
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
- 57.80
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
Year-over-year water consumption
- 2013 225 million gallons
- 2015 203 million gallons
- 2016 173 million gallons
- 2013 279 million gallons
- 2015 225 million gallons
- 2016 178 million gallons
- 2013 305 million gallons
- 2015 285 million gallons
- 2016 237 million gallons
- 2013 398 million gallons
- 2015 301 million gallons
- 2016 255 million gallons
- 2013 477 million gallons
- 2015 262 million gallons
- 2016 316 million gallons
- 2013 478 million gallons
- 2015 332 million gallons
- 2016 383 million gallons
- 2013 430 million gallons
- 2015 301 million gallons
- 2016 366 million gallons
- 2013 490 million gallons
- 2015 307 million gallons
- 2016 327 million gallons
- 2013 396 million gallons
- 2015 291 million gallons
- 2016 309 million gallons
- 2013 334 million gallons
- 2015 232 million gallons
- 2016 243 million gallons
- 2013 259 million gallons
- 2015 167 million gallons
- 2016 204 million gallons
- 2013 254 million gallons
- 2015 203 million gallons
- 2016 174 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed
Progress toward mandatory water reduction*
- City Of Palo Alto water use decreased by 31.54 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — achieving a 24 percent reduction.
- 61.149
- billion gallons consumed
- over the same months in 2013.
- 41.866
- billion gallons consumed
- between June 2015 and February 2016.
*: Approved by the State Water Resources Control Board in 2015, the reduction target was meant to achieve a 25 percent reduction in water use statewide. It is tied to an average July through Sept. 2014 daily per capita residential water use rate that placed water agencies into nine tiers.
Enforcement statistics
- Selected enforcement statistics reported by the City Of Palo Alto to the State Water Resources Control Board.
| Month | Watering Days | Complaints | Follow-up Actions | Warnings Issued | Penalties Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received15 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions4 | Warnings Issued6 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued3 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued6 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued10 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received6 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued3 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received6 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received15 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued4 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received28 | Follow-up Actions6 | Warnings Issued6 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2016 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received26 | Follow-up Actions6 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received20 | Follow-up Actions4 | Warnings Issued7 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received15 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received8 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions4 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions5 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received8 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received29 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued26 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received39 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued37 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received48 | Follow-up Actions9 | Warnings Issued39 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received54 | Follow-up Actions7 | Warnings Issued47 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received65 | Follow-up Actions14 | Warnings Issued51 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received29 | Follow-up Actions7 | Warnings Issued22 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received44 | Follow-up Actions44 | Warnings Issued33 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2015 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received18 | Follow-up Actions18 | Warnings Issued13 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2015 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2015 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2014 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2014 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2014 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2014 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2014 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2014 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2014 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
Here are some ways you can help conserve water
Turn the water off while brushing your teeth
Water before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
Use a broom to clean the driveway or sidewalk
Capture tap water
About the data: This data is for urban water suppliers and is based on the the most recent reports submitted to the State Water Resources Control Board. Since the gallons of water used per person per day measurement does not take into account rainfall, temperature, humidity and population density, the State Water Resources Control Board discourages comparisons between water suppliers.