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 South Coast Water District
- Water consumption in the South Coast Water District decreased 1.48 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 24.88 percent over the past five years.
- August 2013 156 million gallons
- August 2014 114 million gallons
- August 2015 119 million gallons
- August 2016 117 million gallons
- August 2017 114 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
Average daily water consumption by each residential customer
- About 73.0% of water consumption in the South Coast Water District is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer decreased 0.50 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
- 79.00
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
- 79.40
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
Year-over-year water consumption
- 2013 137 million gallons
- 2015 124 million gallons
- 2016 113 million gallons
- 2013 134 million gallons
- 2015 120 million gallons
- 2016 115 million gallons
- 2013 167 million gallons
- 2015 150 million gallons
- 2016 124 million gallons
- 2013 178 million gallons
- 2015 148 million gallons
- 2016 129 million gallons
- 2013 199 million gallons
- 2015 141 million gallons
- 2016 143 million gallons
- 2013 207 million gallons
- 2015 143 million gallons
- 2016 146 million gallons
- 2013 221 million gallons
- 2015 148 million gallons
- 2016 167 million gallons
- 2013 221 million gallons
- 2015 151 million gallons
- 2016 169 million gallons
- 2013 208 million gallons
- 2015 146 million gallons
- 2016 157 million gallons
- 2013 192 million gallons
- 2015 143 million gallons
- 2016 153 million gallons
- 2013 164 million gallons
- 2015 128 million gallons
- 2016 137 million gallons
- 2013 156 million gallons
- 2015 119 million gallons
- 2016 117 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed
Progress toward mandatory water reduction*
- South Coast Water District water use decreased by 26.73 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — achieving a 24 percent reduction.
- 30.572
- billion gallons consumed
- over the same months in 2013.
- 22.400
- 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 South Coast Water District to the State Water Resources Control Board.
| Month | Watering Days | Complaints | Follow-up Actions | Warnings Issued | Penalties Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions46 | Warnings Issued41 | Penalties Assessed8 |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received6 | Follow-up Actions49 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received9 | Follow-up Actions87 | Warnings Issued72 | Penalties Assessed36 |
| MonthSeptember 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions111 | Warnings Issued99 | Penalties Assessed33 |
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received1 | Follow-up Actions20 | Warnings Issued18 | Penalties Assessed7 |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received1 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued7 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions24 | Warnings Issued22 | Penalties Assessed1 |
| MonthMay 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued4 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions13 | Warnings Issued12 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions28 | Warnings Issued27 | Penalties Assessed2 |
| MonthFebruary 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions56 | Warnings Issued55 | Penalties Assessed23 |
| MonthJanuary 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received7 | Follow-up Actions38 | Warnings Issued33 | Penalties Assessed4 |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions46 | Warnings Issued41 | Penalties Assessed8 |
| MonthNovember 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received6 | Follow-up Actions49 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received9 | Follow-up Actions87 | Warnings Issued72 | Penalties Assessed36 |
| MonthSeptember 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions111 | Warnings Issued99 | Penalties Assessed33 |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received18 | Follow-up Actions77 | Warnings Issued62 | Penalties Assessed8 |
| MonthJuly 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions49 | Warnings Issued49 | Penalties Assessed17 |
| MonthJune 2016 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received10 | Follow-up Actions73 | Warnings Issued61 | Penalties Assessed11 |
| MonthMay 2016 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received11 | Follow-up Actions85 | Warnings Issued54 | Penalties Assessed31 |
| MonthApril 2016 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received16 | Follow-up Actions139 | Warnings Issued119 | Penalties Assessed8 |
| MonthMarch 2016 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions91 | Warnings Issued86 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2016 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received4 | Follow-up Actions192 | Warnings Issued164 | Penalties Assessed18 |
| MonthJanuary 2016 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions55 | Warnings Issued51 | Penalties Assessed12 |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received11 | Follow-up Actions63 | Warnings Issued52 | Penalties Assessed12 |
| MonthNovember 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received11 | Follow-up Actions47 | Warnings Issued47 | Penalties Assessed47 |
| MonthOctober 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received24 | Follow-up Actions105 | Warnings Issued81 | Penalties Assessed26 |
| MonthSeptember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received19 | Follow-up Actions117 | Warnings Issued98 | Penalties Assessed21 |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received24 | Follow-up Actions405 | Warnings Issued269 | Penalties Assessed112 |
| MonthJuly 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received39 | Follow-up Actions375 | Warnings Issued312 | Penalties Assessed26 |
| MonthJune 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received33 | Follow-up Actions569 | Warnings Issued536 | Penalties Assessed26 |
| MonthMay 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received40 | Follow-up Actions157 | Warnings Issued27 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received36 | Follow-up Actions174 | Warnings Issued69 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2015 | Watering Days1 | Complaints Received5 | Follow-up Actions54 | Warnings Issued54 | 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
Wash cars with a bucket and sponge
Capture tap water
Repair leaks
Plant California Friendly plants
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.