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 Contra Costa Water District
- Water consumption in the Contra Costa Water District decreased 5.44 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 38.17 percent over the past five years.
- August 2013 778 million gallons
- August 2014 585 million gallons
- August 2015 509 million gallons
- August 2016 481 million gallons
- August 2017 585 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
Average daily water consumption by each residential customer
- About 74.0% of water consumption in the Contra Costa Water District is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer decreased 5.40 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
- 57.80
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
- 61.10
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
Year-over-year water consumption
- 2013 541 million gallons
- 2015 527 million gallons
- 2016 486 million gallons
- 2013 519 million gallons
- 2015 494 million gallons
- 2016 406 million gallons
- 2013 574 million gallons
- 2015 541 million gallons
- 2016 443 million gallons
- 2013 674 million gallons
- 2015 574 million gallons
- 2016 453 million gallons
- 2013 901 million gallons
- 2015 657 million gallons
- 2016 561 million gallons
- 2013 1119 million gallons
- 2015 667 million gallons
- 2016 697 million gallons
- 2013 1248 million gallons
- 2015 753 million gallons
- 2016 915 million gallons
- 2013 1271 million gallons
- 2015 759 million gallons
- 2016 990 million gallons
- 2013 1305 million gallons
- 2015 768 million gallons
- 2016 1011 million gallons
- 2013 1155 million gallons
- 2015 753 million gallons
- 2016 911 million gallons
- 2013 917 million gallons
- 2015 688 million gallons
- 2016 689 million gallons
- 2013 778 million gallons
- 2015 509 million gallons
- 2016 481 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed
Progress toward mandatory water reduction*
- Contra Costa Water District water use decreased by 34.15 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — achieving a 28 percent reduction.
- 154.056
- billion gallons consumed
- over the same months in 2013.
- 101.441
- 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 Contra Costa Water District to the State Water Resources Control Board.
| Month | Watering Days | Complaints | Follow-up Actions | Warnings Issued | Penalties Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received8 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued8 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received9 | Follow-up Actions9 | Warnings Issued9 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received19 | Follow-up Actions19 | Warnings Issued19 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received37 | Follow-up Actions37 | Warnings Issued37 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received15 | Follow-up Actions15 | Warnings Issued15 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received16 | Follow-up Actions16 | Warnings Issued16 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions12 | Warnings Issued12 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions5 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions5 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions5 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued3 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received8 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued8 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received9 | Follow-up Actions9 | Warnings Issued9 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received19 | Follow-up Actions19 | Warnings Issued19 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received32 | Follow-up Actions32 | Warnings Issued32 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received21 | Follow-up Actions21 | Warnings Issued21 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received18 | Follow-up Actions18 | Warnings Issued18 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received20 | Follow-up Actions20 | Warnings Issued20 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received11 | Follow-up Actions11 | Warnings Issued11 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received14 | Follow-up Actions14 | Warnings Issued14 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received9 | Follow-up Actions9 | Warnings Issued9 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received11 | Follow-up Actions11 | Warnings Issued11 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued3 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received18 | Follow-up Actions18 | Warnings Issued18 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received60 | Follow-up Actions60 | Warnings Issued60 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received68 | Follow-up Actions68 | Warnings Issued68 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received87 | Follow-up Actions87 | Warnings Issued87 | Penalties Assessed2 |
| MonthJuly 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received59 | Follow-up Actions59 | Warnings Issued59 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received94 | Follow-up Actions94 | Warnings Issued94 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received108 | Follow-up Actions108 | Warnings Issued108 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received75 | Follow-up Actions75 | Warnings Issued75 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received35 | Follow-up Actions35 | Warnings Issued35 | 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
Plant California Friendly plants
Repair broken sprinklers
Water before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
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.