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 Santa Margarita Water District
- Water consumption in the Santa Margarita Water District decreased 3.79 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 24.28 percent over the past five years.
- August 2013 565 million gallons
- August 2014 416 million gallons
- August 2015 445 million gallons
- August 2016 428 million gallons
- August 2017 416 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
Average daily water consumption by each residential customer
- About 84.0% of water consumption in the Santa Margarita Water District is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer decreased 5.08 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
- 72.80
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
- 76.70
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
Year-over-year water consumption
- 2013 487 million gallons
- 2015 486 million gallons
- 2016 387 million gallons
- 2013 478 million gallons
- 2015 518 million gallons
- 2016 438 million gallons
- 2013 649 million gallons
- 2015 675 million gallons
- 2016 452 million gallons
- 2013 755 million gallons
- 2015 741 million gallons
- 2016 563 million gallons
- 2013 874 million gallons
- 2015 720 million gallons
- 2016 651 million gallons
- 2013 981 million gallons
- 2015 705 million gallons
- 2016 766 million gallons
- 2013 1073 million gallons
- 2015 696 million gallons
- 2016 908 million gallons
- 2013 1027 million gallons
- 2015 785 million gallons
- 2016 901 million gallons
- 2013 1002 million gallons
- 2015 701 million gallons
- 2016 776 million gallons
- 2013 820 million gallons
- 2015 647 million gallons
- 2016 674 million gallons
- 2013 618 million gallons
- 2015 576 million gallons
- 2016 569 million gallons
- 2013 565 million gallons
- 2015 445 million gallons
- 2016 428 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed
Progress toward mandatory water reduction*
- Santa Margarita Water District water use decreased by 24.47 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — achieving a 24 percent reduction.
- 130.612
- billion gallons consumed
- over the same months in 2013.
- 98.658
- 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 Santa Margarita Water District to the State Water Resources Control Board.
| Month | Watering Days | Complaints | Follow-up Actions | Warnings Issued | Penalties Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received1 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions3 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2017 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2017 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions4 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2017 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2016 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received1 | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received3 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions2 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received6 | Follow-up Actions4 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions10 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received9 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued4 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2016 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions6 | Warnings Issued15 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2016 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received9 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued25 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2016 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions11 | Warnings Issued45 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received15 | Follow-up Actions12 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received11 | Follow-up Actions10 | Warnings Issued35 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received16 | Follow-up Actions13 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received21 | Follow-up Actions18 | Warnings Issued45 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received49 | Follow-up Actions12 | Warnings Issued60 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received32 | Follow-up Actions25 | Warnings Issued40 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received15 | Follow-up Actions12 | Warnings Issued9 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions14 | Warnings Issued14 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received8 | Follow-up Actions30 | Warnings Issued30 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions24 | Warnings Issued24 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions15 | Warnings Issued15 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2015 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions15 | Warnings Issued15 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2014 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions15 | Warnings Issued15 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2014 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions28 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2014 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions70 | Warnings Issued70 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2014 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions58 | Warnings Issued58 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2014 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions56 | Warnings Issued56 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2014 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions41 | Warnings Issued41 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2014 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions120 | Warnings Issued120 | Penalties Assessed— |
Here are some ways you can help conserve water
Repair broken sprinklers
Wash cars with a bucket and sponge
Turn the water off while brushing your teeth
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.