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 Valley County Water District
- Water consumption in the Valley County Water District increased 0.28 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 16.30 percent over the past five years.
- August 2013 178 million gallons
- August 2014 144 million gallons
- August 2015 148 million gallons
- August 2016 149 million gallons
- August 2017 144 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
Average daily water consumption by each residential customer
- About 68.0% of water consumption in the Valley County Water District is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer increased 22.38 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
- 58.50
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
- 47.80
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
Year-over-year water consumption
- 2013 163 million gallons
- 2015 148 million gallons
- 2016 134 million gallons
- 2013 156 million gallons
- 2015 151 million gallons
- 2016 137 million gallons
- 2013 188 million gallons
- 2015 181 million gallons
- 2016 147 million gallons
- 2013 214 million gallons
- 2015 183 million gallons
- 2016 162 million gallons
- 2013 240 million gallons
- 2015 175 million gallons
- 2016 177 million gallons
- 2013 259 million gallons
- 2015 200 million gallons
- 2016 202 million gallons
- 2013 275 million gallons
- 2015 202 million gallons
- 2016 220 million gallons
- 2013 283 million gallons
- 2015 210 million gallons
- 2016 231 million gallons
- 2013 264 million gallons
- 2015 194 million gallons
- 2016 213 million gallons
- 2013 232 million gallons
- 2015 184 million gallons
- 2016 199 million gallons
- 2013 195 million gallons
- 2015 162 million gallons
- 2016 177 million gallons
- 2013 178 million gallons
- 2015 148 million gallons
- 2016 149 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed
Progress toward mandatory water reduction*
- Valley County Water District water use decreased by 22.24 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — achieving a 16 percent reduction.
- 37.050
- billion gallons consumed
- over the same months in 2013.
- 28.809
- 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 Valley County Water District to the State Water Resources Control Board.
| Month | Watering Days | Complaints | Follow-up Actions | Warnings Issued | Penalties Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received18 | Follow-up Actions18 | Warnings Issued18 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received34 | Follow-up Actions34 | Warnings Issued34 | Penalties Assessed1 |
| MonthOctober 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received28 | Follow-up Actions28 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received30 | Follow-up Actions30 | Warnings Issued30 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received28 | Follow-up Actions28 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions28 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received44 | Follow-up Actions44 | Warnings Issued44 | Penalties Assessed2 |
| MonthMay 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received28 | Follow-up Actions28 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed2 |
| MonthApril 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received17 | Follow-up Actions17 | Warnings Issued17 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received30 | Follow-up Actions30 | Warnings Issued30 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2017 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received15 | Follow-up Actions15 | Warnings Issued15 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days3 | Complaints Received18 | Follow-up Actions18 | Warnings Issued18 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received34 | Follow-up Actions34 | Warnings Issued34 | Penalties Assessed1 |
| MonthOctober 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received28 | Follow-up Actions28 | Warnings Issued28 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received30 | Follow-up Actions30 | Warnings Issued30 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received29 | Follow-up Actions29 | Warnings Issued45 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received32 | Follow-up Actions32 | Warnings Issued32 | Penalties Assessed1 |
| MonthJune 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received24 | Follow-up Actions24 | Warnings Issued24 | Penalties Assessed6 |
| MonthMay 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received45 | Follow-up Actions45 | Warnings Issued45 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received26 | Follow-up Actions26 | Warnings Issued26 | Penalties Assessed4 |
| MonthMarch 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received24 | Follow-up Actions24 | Warnings Issued24 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received32 | Follow-up Actions32 | Warnings Issued32 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received16 | Follow-up Actions16 | Warnings Issued20 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received8 | Follow-up Actions8 | Warnings Issued8 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received21 | Follow-up Actions21 | Warnings Issued21 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received2 | Follow-up Actions76 | Warnings Issued76 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received48 | Follow-up Actions48 | Warnings Issued48 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received1 | Follow-up Actions77 | Warnings Issued77 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2015 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received64 | Follow-up Actions64 | Warnings Issued64 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2015 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received39 | Follow-up Actions39 | Warnings Issued39 | Penalties Assessed1 |
| MonthApril 2015 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received31 | Follow-up Actions31 | Warnings Issued31 | Penalties Assessed8 |
| MonthMarch 2015 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received27 | Follow-up Actions27 | Warnings Issued17 | Penalties Assessed6 |
| MonthFebruary 2015 | Watering Days— | 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 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
Repair broken sprinklers
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.