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 City Of Merced
- Water consumption in the City Of Merced increased 2.12 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 21.73 percent over the past five years.
- August 2013 406 million gallons
- August 2014 350 million gallons
- August 2015 311 million gallons
- August 2016 318 million gallons
- August 2017 350 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
Average daily water consumption by each residential customer
- About 72.0% of water consumption in the City Of Merced is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer increased 2.08 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
- 88.50
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
- 86.70
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
Year-over-year water consumption
- 2013 389 million gallons
- 2015 335 million gallons
- 2016 292 million gallons
- 2013 352 million gallons
- 2015 320 million gallons
- 2016 279 million gallons
- 2013 500 million gallons
- 2015 425 million gallons
- 2016 319 million gallons
- 2013 642 million gallons
- 2015 471 million gallons
- 2016 382 million gallons
- 2013 936 million gallons
- 2015 531 million gallons
- 2016 506 million gallons
- 2013 1072 million gallons
- 2015 621 million gallons
- 2016 677 million gallons
- 2013 1197 million gallons
- 2015 666 million gallons
- 2016 753 million gallons
- 2013 1156 million gallons
- 2015 679 million gallons
- 2016 748 million gallons
- 2013 971 million gallons
- 2015 614 million gallons
- 2016 650 million gallons
- 2013 782 million gallons
- 2015 516 million gallons
- 2016 518 million gallons
- 2013 547 million gallons
- 2015 344 million gallons
- 2016 351 million gallons
- 2013 406 million gallons
- 2015 311 million gallons
- 2016 318 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed
Progress toward mandatory water reduction*
- City Of Merced water use decreased by 38.22 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — achieving a 36 percent reduction.
- 125.310
- billion gallons consumed
- over the same months in 2013.
- 77.414
- 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 City Of Merced to the State Water Resources Control Board.
| Month | Watering Days | Complaints | Follow-up Actions | Warnings Issued | Penalties Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received21 | Follow-up Actions13 | Warnings Issued8 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received40 | Follow-up Actions25 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed1 |
| MonthOctober 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received80 | Follow-up Actions53 | Warnings Issued27 | Penalties Assessed4 |
| MonthSeptember 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received117 | Follow-up Actions71 | Warnings Issued46 | Penalties Assessed6 |
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received129 | Follow-up Actions43 | Warnings Issued18 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received82 | Follow-up Actions40 | Warnings Issued11 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received78 | Follow-up Actions28 | Warnings Issued8 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received57 | Follow-up Actions45 | Warnings Issued12 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received28 | Follow-up Actions24 | Warnings Issued4 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received25 | Follow-up Actions9 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received6 | Follow-up Actions5 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2017 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received17 | Follow-up Actions13 | Warnings Issued3 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received21 | Follow-up Actions13 | Warnings Issued8 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received40 | Follow-up Actions25 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed1 |
| MonthOctober 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received80 | Follow-up Actions53 | Warnings Issued27 | Penalties Assessed4 |
| MonthSeptember 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received117 | Follow-up Actions71 | Warnings Issued46 | Penalties Assessed6 |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received64 | Follow-up Actions36 | Warnings Issued17 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received107 | Follow-up Actions69 | Warnings Issued12 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received112 | Follow-up Actions90 | Warnings Issued10 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received79 | Follow-up Actions65 | Warnings Issued13 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received59 | Follow-up Actions40 | Warnings Issued9 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received11 | Follow-up Actions15 | Warnings Issued18 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received24 | Follow-up Actions21 | Warnings Issued3 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received18 | Follow-up Actions14 | Warnings Issued4 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received37 | Follow-up Actions34 | Warnings Issued3 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received46 | Follow-up Actions36 | Warnings Issued10 | Penalties Assessed3 |
| MonthOctober 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received161 | Follow-up Actions126 | Warnings Issued35 | Penalties Assessed10 |
| MonthSeptember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received201 | Follow-up Actions163 | Warnings Issued33 | Penalties Assessed1 |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received293 | Follow-up Actions259 | Warnings Issued34 | Penalties Assessed4 |
| MonthJuly 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received354 | Follow-up Actions319 | Warnings Issued35 | Penalties Assessed3 |
| MonthJune 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received369 | Follow-up Actions333 | Warnings Issued36 | Penalties Assessed10 |
| MonthMay 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received378 | Follow-up Actions313 | Warnings Issued65 | Penalties Assessed13 |
| MonthApril 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received426 | Follow-up Actions362 | Warnings Issued64 | Penalties Assessed3 |
| MonthMarch 2015 | Watering Days— | Complaints Received— | Follow-up Actions— | Warnings Issued— | 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 only full loads
Turn the water off while brushing your teeth
Take shorter showers
Wash cars with a bucket and sponge
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.