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 Placer County Water Agency
- Water consumption in the Placer County Water Agency increased 18.34 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 20.22 percent over the past five years.
- August 2013 484 million gallons
- August 2014 387 million gallons
- August 2015 326 million gallons
- August 2016 386 million gallons
- August 2017 387 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
Average daily water consumption by each residential customer
- About 65.0% of water consumption in the Placer County Water Agency is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer increased 15.73 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
- 82.40
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
- 71.20
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
Year-over-year water consumption
- 2013 354 million gallons
- 2015 412 million gallons
- 2016 323 million gallons
- 2013 419 million gallons
- 2015 367 million gallons
- 2016 349 million gallons
- 2013 583 million gallons
- 2015 518 million gallons
- 2016 420 million gallons
- 2013 651 million gallons
- 2015 609 million gallons
- 2016 517 million gallons
- 2013 1009 million gallons
- 2015 648 million gallons
- 2016 742 million gallons
- 2013 1150 million gallons
- 2015 773 million gallons
- 2016 968 million gallons
- 2013 1372 million gallons
- 2015 1166 million gallons
- 2016 1071 million gallons
- 2013 1278 million gallons
- 2015 891 million gallons
- 2016 1123 million gallons
- 2013 1079 million gallons
- 2015 793 million gallons
- 2016 944 million gallons
- 2013 890 million gallons
- 2015 662 million gallons
- 2016 712 million gallons
- 2013 636 million gallons
- 2015 405 million gallons
- 2016 415 million gallons
- 2013 483 million gallons
- 2015 326 million gallons
- 2016 386 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed
Progress toward mandatory water reduction*
- Placer County Water Agency water use decreased by 25.28 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — but the agency failed to meet a 32 percent reduction.
- 138.022
- billion gallons consumed
- over the same months in 2013.
- 103.128
- 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 Placer County Water Agency to the State Water Resources Control Board.
| Month | Watering Days | Complaints | Follow-up Actions | Warnings Issued | Penalties Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received1 | Follow-up Actions1 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2017 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received13 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received25 | Follow-up Actions1 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions1 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received1 | Follow-up Actions1 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2016 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received13 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received18 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received17 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions1 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions1 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received14 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2016 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received14 | Follow-up Actions7 | Warnings Issued4 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2016 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions4 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions12 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received13 | Follow-up Actions9 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received47 | Follow-up Actions36 | Warnings Issued18 | Penalties Assessed1 |
| MonthSeptember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received45 | Follow-up Actions55 | Warnings Issued26 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received105 | Follow-up Actions43 | Warnings Issued22 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received145 | Follow-up Actions91 | Warnings Issued38 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received121 | Follow-up Actions60 | Warnings Issued18 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received73 | Follow-up Actions28 | Warnings Issued8 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received97 | Follow-up Actions97 | Warnings Issued90 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received62 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2014 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2014 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2014 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2014 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2014 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2014 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2014 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
Here are some ways you can help conserve water
Repair broken sprinklers
Take shorter showers
Water before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
Capture tap water
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.