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 Santa Cruz
- Water consumption in the City Of Santa Cruz increased 1.62 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 29.71 percent over the past five years.
- August 2013 240 million gallons
- August 2014 182 million gallons
- August 2015 166 million gallons
- August 2016 169 million gallons
- August 2017 182 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
Average daily water consumption by each residential customer
- About 60.0% of water consumption in the City Of Santa Cruz is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer increased 2.42 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
- 33.80
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
- 33.00
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
Year-over-year water consumption
- 2013 216 million gallons
- 2015 200 million gallons
- 2016 179 million gallons
- 2013 207 million gallons
- 2015 183 million gallons
- 2016 163 million gallons
- 2013 240 million gallons
- 2015 207 million gallons
- 2016 181 million gallons
- 2013 265 million gallons
- 2015 205 million gallons
- 2016 202 million gallons
- 2013 328 million gallons
- 2015 213 million gallons
- 2016 234 million gallons
- 2013 325 million gallons
- 2015 220 million gallons
- 2016 257 million gallons
- 2013 338 million gallons
- 2015 235 million gallons
- 2016 264 million gallons
- 2013 332 million gallons
- 2015 235 million gallons
- 2016 256 million gallons
- 2013 301 million gallons
- 2015 225 million gallons
- 2016 248 million gallons
- 2013 301 million gallons
- 2015 226 million gallons
- 2016 222 million gallons
- 2013 259 million gallons
- 2015 184 million gallons
- 2016 182 million gallons
- 2013 240 million gallons
- 2015 166 million gallons
- 2016 169 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed
Progress toward mandatory water reduction*
- City Of Santa Cruz water use decreased by 26.94 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — achieving a 8 percent reduction.
- 46.932
- billion gallons consumed
- over the same months in 2013.
- 34.289
- 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 Santa Cruz to the State Water Resources Control Board.
| Month | Watering Days | Complaints | Follow-up Actions | Warnings Issued | Penalties Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received34 | Follow-up Actions34 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received14 | Follow-up Actions14 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received16 | Follow-up Actions16 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received14 | Follow-up Actions14 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received8 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions7 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received1 | Follow-up Actions1 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received34 | Follow-up Actions34 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received28 | Follow-up Actions28 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received31 | Follow-up Actions31 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received24 | Follow-up Actions24 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received26 | Follow-up Actions26 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions12 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions7 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received8 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2015 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received13 | Follow-up Actions13 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received70 | Follow-up Actions68 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed921 |
| MonthSeptember 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received28 | Follow-up Actions26 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed971 |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received63 | Follow-up Actions29 | Warnings Issued33 | Penalties Assessed1421 |
| MonthJuly 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received59 | Follow-up Actions37 | Warnings Issued22 | Penalties Assessed1020 |
| MonthJune 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received76 | Follow-up Actions46 | Warnings Issued30 | Penalties Assessed649 |
| MonthMay 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received91 | Follow-up Actions64 | Warnings Issued27 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2015 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received42 | Follow-up Actions32 | Warnings Issued10 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2015 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | 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
Wash only full loads
Repair leaks
Water before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
Take shorter showers
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.