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 San Jose
- Water consumption in the City Of San Jose decreased 6.10 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 26.14 percent over the past five years.
- August 2013 417 million gallons
- August 2014 323 million gallons
- August 2015 328 million gallons
- August 2016 308 million gallons
- August 2017 323 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
Average daily water consumption by each residential customer
- About 72.0% of water consumption in the City Of San Jose is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer increased 12.72 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
- 62.90
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
- 55.80
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
Year-over-year water consumption
- 2013 350 million gallons
- 2015 377 million gallons
- 2016 312 million gallons
- 2013 383 million gallons
- 2015 342 million gallons
- 2016 290 million gallons
- 2013 466 million gallons
- 2015 433 million gallons
- 2016 322 million gallons
- 2013 592 million gallons
- 2015 441 million gallons
- 2016 390 million gallons
- 2013 737 million gallons
- 2015 451 million gallons
- 2016 459 million gallons
- 2013 737 million gallons
- 2015 493 million gallons
- 2016 551 million gallons
- 2013 818 million gallons
- 2015 528 million gallons
- 2016 578 million gallons
- 2013 791 million gallons
- 2015 520 million gallons
- 2016 584 million gallons
- 2013 675 million gallons
- 2015 508 million gallons
- 2016 543 million gallons
- 2013 630 million gallons
- 2015 475 million gallons
- 2016 423 million gallons
- 2013 493 million gallons
- 2015 341 million gallons
- 2016 355 million gallons
- 2013 417 million gallons
- 2015 328 million gallons
- 2016 308 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed
Progress toward mandatory water reduction*
- City Of San Jose water use decreased by 29.95 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — achieving a 20 percent reduction.
- 99.246
- billion gallons consumed
- over the same months in 2013.
- 69.519
- 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 San Jose to the State Water Resources Control Board.
| Month | Watering Days | Complaints | Follow-up Actions | Warnings Issued | Penalties Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions1 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received11 | Follow-up Actions9 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received14 | Follow-up Actions12 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions12 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions7 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions6 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions4 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions7 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions1 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received11 | Follow-up Actions9 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received14 | Follow-up Actions12 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received17 | Follow-up Actions16 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received18 | Follow-up Actions16 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received32 | Follow-up Actions30 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received14 | Follow-up Actions9 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions9 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received23 | Follow-up Actions22 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received26 | Follow-up Actions25 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received34 | Follow-up Actions29 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received11 | Follow-up Actions11 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received27 | Follow-up Actions26 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received39 | Follow-up Actions34 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received53 | Follow-up Actions38 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received61 | Follow-up Actions45 | Warnings Issued6 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received91 | Follow-up Actions87 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received169 | Follow-up Actions129 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received69 | Follow-up Actions47 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received76 | Follow-up Actions67 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2015 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received18 | Follow-up Actions18 | Warnings Issued— | 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
Capture tap water
Water before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
Turn the water off while brushing your teeth
Wash only full loads
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.