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 Helix Water District
- Water consumption in the Helix Water District decreased 2.52 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 18.77 percent over the past five years.
- August 2013 807 million gallons
- August 2014 627 million gallons
- August 2015 673 million gallons
- August 2016 656 million gallons
- August 2017 627 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
Average daily water consumption by each residential customer
- About 80.0% of water consumption in the Helix Water District is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer decreased 2.96 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
- 62.30
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
- 64.20
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
Year-over-year water consumption
- 2013 690 million gallons
- 2015 665 million gallons
- 2016 597 million gallons
- 2013 637 million gallons
- 2015 685 million gallons
- 2016 611 million gallons
- 2013 791 million gallons
- 2015 777 million gallons
- 2016 675 million gallons
- 2013 908 million gallons
- 2015 836 million gallons
- 2016 703 million gallons
- 2013 1026 million gallons
- 2015 726 million gallons
- 2016 753 million gallons
- 2013 1082 million gallons
- 2015 811 million gallons
- 2016 854 million gallons
- 2013 1141 million gallons
- 2015 779 million gallons
- 2016 953 million gallons
- 2013 1168 million gallons
- 2015 853 million gallons
- 2016 971 million gallons
- 2013 1106 million gallons
- 2015 796 million gallons
- 2016 890 million gallons
- 2013 988 million gallons
- 2015 768 million gallons
- 2016 879 million gallons
- 2013 836 million gallons
- 2015 752 million gallons
- 2016 774 million gallons
- 2013 807 million gallons
- 2015 673 million gallons
- 2016 656 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed
Progress toward mandatory water reduction*
- Helix Water District water use decreased by 21.55 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — achieving a 20 percent reduction.
- 156.523
- billion gallons consumed
- over the same months in 2013.
- 122.799
- 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 Helix 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 Received6 | Follow-up Actions4 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions1 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions9 | Warnings Issued9 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received15 | Follow-up Actions11 | Warnings Issued9 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received9 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued4 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions7 | Warnings Issued3 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received17 | Follow-up Actions15 | Warnings Issued8 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received20 | Follow-up Actions19 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received6 | Follow-up Actions6 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received18 | Follow-up Actions4 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions11 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions5 | Warnings Issued4 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received6 | Follow-up Actions4 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions1 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions9 | Warnings Issued9 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received15 | Follow-up Actions11 | Warnings Issued9 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received18 | Follow-up Actions13 | Warnings Issued13 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received17 | Follow-up Actions13 | Warnings Issued12 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions4 | Warnings Issued3 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions5 | Warnings Issued4 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received14 | Follow-up Actions10 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions7 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received14 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued7 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received21 | Follow-up Actions17 | Warnings Issued12 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received27 | Follow-up Actions19 | Warnings Issued18 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received27 | Follow-up Actions19 | Warnings Issued18 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received39 | Follow-up Actions30 | Warnings Issued27 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received94 | Follow-up Actions68 | Warnings Issued67 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received123 | Follow-up Actions78 | Warnings Issued75 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received141 | Follow-up Actions104 | Warnings Issued99 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received192 | Follow-up Actions124 | Warnings Issued109 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received112 | Follow-up Actions87 | Warnings Issued76 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received94 | Follow-up Actions75 | Warnings Issued57 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received53 | Follow-up Actions45 | Warnings Issued36 | 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
Water before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
Repair broken sprinklers
Plant California Friendly plants
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.