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 Desert Water Agency
- Water consumption in the Desert Water Agency decreased 5.36 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 14.66 percent over the past five years.
- August 2013 720 million gallons
- August 2014 686 million gallons
- August 2015 652 million gallons
- August 2016 617 million gallons
- August 2017 686 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
Average daily water consumption by each residential customer
- About 65.0% of water consumption in the Desert Water Agency is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer decreased 9.10 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
- 122.90
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
- 135.20
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
Year-over-year water consumption
- 2013 665 million gallons
- 2015 592 million gallons
- 2016 532 million gallons
- 2013 620 million gallons
- 2015 611 million gallons
- 2016 449 million gallons
- 2013 647 million gallons
- 2015 604 million gallons
- 2016 554 million gallons
- 2013 844 million gallons
- 2015 785 million gallons
- 2016 650 million gallons
- 2013 1081 million gallons
- 2015 797 million gallons
- 2016 663 million gallons
- 2013 1219 million gallons
- 2015 727 million gallons
- 2016 813 million gallons
- 2013 1262 million gallons
- 2015 886 million gallons
- 2016 987 million gallons
- 2013 1248 million gallons
- 2015 888 million gallons
- 2016 1017 million gallons
- 2013 1160 million gallons
- 2015 871 million gallons
- 2016 1068 million gallons
- 2013 916 million gallons
- 2015 736 million gallons
- 2016 772 million gallons
- 2013 1006 million gallons
- 2015 726 million gallons
- 2016 797 million gallons
- 2013 723 million gallons
- 2015 652 million gallons
- 2016 617 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed
Progress toward mandatory water reduction*
- Desert Water Agency water use decreased by 26.80 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — but the agency failed to meet a 36 percent reduction.
- 159.397
- billion gallons consumed
- over the same months in 2013.
- 116.686
- 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 Desert Water Agency to the State Water Resources Control Board.
| Month | Watering Days | Complaints | Follow-up Actions | Warnings Issued | Penalties Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received32 | Follow-up Actions34 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed10 |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received17 | Follow-up Actions46 | Warnings Issued44 | Penalties Assessed40 |
| MonthOctober 2017 | Watering Days5 | Complaints Received22 | Follow-up Actions74 | Warnings Issued72 | Penalties Assessed56 |
| MonthSeptember 2017 | Watering Days5 | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions29 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed28 |
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received58 | Follow-up Actions28 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received55 | Follow-up Actions25 | Warnings Issued4 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received27 | Follow-up Actions13 | Warnings Issued3 | Penalties Assessed2 |
| MonthMay 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received35 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received21 | Follow-up Actions12 | Warnings Issued6 | Penalties Assessed6 |
| MonthMarch 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions23 | Warnings Issued19 | Penalties Assessed19 |
| MonthFebruary 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received11 | Follow-up Actions11 | Warnings Issued10 | Penalties Assessed11 |
| MonthJanuary 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received9 | Follow-up Actions15 | Warnings Issued14 | Penalties Assessed10 |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received32 | Follow-up Actions34 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed10 |
| MonthNovember 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received17 | Follow-up Actions46 | Warnings Issued44 | Penalties Assessed40 |
| MonthOctober 2016 | Watering Days5 | Complaints Received22 | Follow-up Actions74 | Warnings Issued72 | Penalties Assessed56 |
| MonthSeptember 2016 | Watering Days5 | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions29 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed28 |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days5 | Complaints Received23 | Follow-up Actions31 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed25 |
| MonthJuly 2016 | Watering Days5 | Complaints Received50 | Follow-up Actions70 | Warnings Issued63 | Penalties Assessed34 |
| MonthJune 2016 | Watering Days5 | Complaints Received72 | Follow-up Actions84 | Warnings Issued75 | Penalties Assessed26 |
| MonthMay 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received66 | Follow-up Actions93 | Warnings Issued86 | Penalties Assessed37 |
| MonthApril 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received54 | Follow-up Actions78 | Warnings Issued21 | Penalties Assessed54 |
| MonthMarch 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received65 | Follow-up Actions169 | Warnings Issued122 | Penalties Assessed122 |
| MonthFebruary 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received74 | Follow-up Actions57 | Warnings Issued56 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received22 | Follow-up Actions20 | Warnings Issued17 | Penalties Assessed1 |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received65 | Follow-up Actions58 | Warnings Issued45 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received69 | Follow-up Actions57 | Warnings Issued56 | Penalties Assessed3 |
| MonthOctober 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received96 | Follow-up Actions78 | Warnings Issued73 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received115 | Follow-up Actions91 | Warnings Issued63 | Penalties Assessed1 |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received178 | Follow-up Actions140 | Warnings Issued131 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received160 | Follow-up Actions140 | Warnings Issued120 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received222 | Follow-up Actions193 | Warnings Issued176 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received314 | Follow-up Actions254 | Warnings Issued224 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received160 | Follow-up Actions141 | Warnings Issued138 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2015 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received61 | Follow-up Actions58 | Warnings Issued41 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2015 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2015 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2014 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2014 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2014 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2014 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2014 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2014 | Watering Days7 | 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
Repair broken sprinklers
Plant California Friendly plants
Take shorter showers
Turn the water off while brushing your teeth
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.