Environment

Is California water use increasing?

Produced by Aaron Mendelson & Chris Keller | Updated Sept. 7, 2016

August monthly water use by the City Of Santa Monica

Water consumption in the City Of Santa Monica decreased 5.43 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 23.04 percent over the past five years.
  • August 2013 355 million gallons
  • August 2014 284 million gallons
  • August 2015 289 million gallons
  • August 2016 273 million gallons
  • August 2017 284 million gallons

Displayed in millions of gallons

Average daily water consumption by each residential customer

About 67.0% of water consumption in the City Of Santa Monica is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer decreased 4.25 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
63.10
average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
65.90
average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017

Year-over-year water consumption

January
  • 2013 323 million gallons
  • 2015 316 million gallons
  • 2016 268 million gallons
February
  • 2013 303 million gallons
  • 2015 300 million gallons
  • 2016 262 million gallons
March
  • 2013 353 million gallons
  • 2015 340 million gallons
  • 2016 284 million gallons
April
  • 2013 361 million gallons
  • 2015 334 million gallons
  • 2016 310 million gallons
May
  • 2013 394 million gallons
  • 2015 332 million gallons
  • 2016 330 million gallons
June
  • 2013 410 million gallons
  • 2015 320 million gallons
  • 2016 339 million gallons
July
  • 2013 436 million gallons
  • 2015 328 million gallons
  • 2016 349 million gallons
August
  • 2013 437 million gallons
  • 2015 347 million gallons
  • 2016 349 million gallons
September
  • 2013 419 million gallons
  • 2015 322 million gallons
  • 2016 330 million gallons
October
  • 2013 410 million gallons
  • 2015 314 million gallons
  • 2016 327 million gallons
November
  • 2013 370 million gallons
  • 2015 296 million gallons
  • 2016 290 million gallons
August
  • 2013 355 million gallons
  • 2015 289 million gallons
  • 2016 273 million gallons

Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed

Progress toward mandatory water reduction*

City Of Santa Monica water use decreased by 19.71 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — but the agency failed to meet a 20 percent reduction.
63.990
billion gallons consumed
over the same months in 2013.
51.375
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 Santa Monica to the State Water Resources Control Board.
Month Watering Days Complaints Follow-up Actions Warnings Issued Penalties Assessed
MonthAugust 2017 Watering Days7 Complaints Received22 Follow-up Actions22 Warnings Issued12 Penalties Assessed
MonthJuly 2017 Watering Days7 Complaints Received32 Follow-up Actions22 Warnings Issued16 Penalties Assessed
MonthOctober 2017 Watering Days7 Complaints Received34 Follow-up Actions24 Warnings Issued8 Penalties Assessed
MonthSeptember 2017 Watering Days7 Complaints Received30 Follow-up Actions25 Warnings Issued15 Penalties Assessed
MonthAugust 2017 Watering Days7 Complaints Received20 Follow-up Actions20 Warnings Issued40 Penalties Assessed
MonthJuly 2017 Watering Days7 Complaints Received15 Follow-up Actions15 Warnings Issued35 Penalties Assessed
MonthJune 2017 Watering Days7 Complaints Received30 Follow-up Actions30 Warnings Issued22 Penalties Assessed
MonthMay 2017 Watering Days7 Complaints Received28 Follow-up Actions28 Warnings Issued30 Penalties Assessed20
MonthApril 2017 Watering Days7 Complaints Received18 Follow-up Actions18 Warnings Issued27 Penalties Assessed
MonthMarch 2017 Watering Days7 Complaints Received20 Follow-up Actions20 Warnings Issued30 Penalties Assessed
MonthFebruary 2017 Watering Days7 Complaints Received11 Follow-up Actions11 Warnings Issued5 Penalties Assessed
MonthJanuary 2017 Watering Days7 Complaints Received10 Follow-up Actions10 Warnings Issued4 Penalties Assessed
MonthAugust 2016 Watering Days7 Complaints Received22 Follow-up Actions22 Warnings Issued12 Penalties Assessed
MonthNovember 2016 Watering Days7 Complaints Received32 Follow-up Actions22 Warnings Issued16 Penalties Assessed
MonthOctober 2016 Watering Days7 Complaints Received34 Follow-up Actions24 Warnings Issued8 Penalties Assessed
MonthSeptember 2016 Watering Days7 Complaints Received30 Follow-up Actions25 Warnings Issued15 Penalties Assessed
MonthAugust 2016 Watering Days7 Complaints Received32 Follow-up Actions32 Warnings Issued12 Penalties Assessed64
MonthJuly 2016 Watering Days7 Complaints Received20 Follow-up Actions20 Warnings Issued15 Penalties Assessed
MonthJune 2016 Watering Days7 Complaints Received30 Follow-up Actions30 Warnings Issued47 Penalties Assessed
MonthMay 2016 Watering Days7 Complaints Received44 Follow-up Actions44 Warnings Issued1 Penalties Assessed
MonthApril 2016 Watering Days7 Complaints Received31 Follow-up Actions31 Warnings Issued13 Penalties Assessed
MonthMarch 2016 Watering Days7 Complaints Received41 Follow-up Actions41 Warnings Issued21 Penalties Assessed
MonthFebruary 2016 Watering Days7 Complaints Received36 Follow-up Actions36 Warnings Issued23 Penalties Assessed
MonthJanuary 2016 Watering Days7 Complaints Received35 Follow-up Actions35 Warnings Issued26 Penalties Assessed2
MonthAugust 2015 Watering Days7 Complaints Received28 Follow-up Actions28 Warnings Issued25 Penalties Assessed3
MonthNovember 2015 Watering Days7 Complaints Received36 Follow-up Actions36 Warnings Issued35 Penalties Assessed
MonthOctober 2015 Watering Days7 Complaints Received66 Follow-up Actions66 Warnings Issued65 Penalties Assessed5
MonthSeptember 2015 Watering Days7 Complaints Received60 Follow-up Actions60 Warnings Issued66 Penalties Assessed
MonthAugust 2015 Watering Days7 Complaints Received101 Follow-up Actions101 Warnings Issued41 Penalties Assessed
MonthJuly 2015 Watering Days7 Complaints Received72 Follow-up Actions71 Warnings Issued72 Penalties Assessed1
MonthJune 2015 Watering Days7 Complaints Received123 Follow-up Actions245 Warnings Issued174 Penalties Assessed
MonthMay 2015 Watering Days7 Complaints Received69 Follow-up Actions68 Warnings Issued66 Penalties Assessed1
MonthApril 2015 Watering Days7 Complaints Received89 Follow-up Actions89 Warnings Issued89 Penalties Assessed
MonthMarch 2015 Watering Days7 Complaints Received52 Follow-up Actions52 Warnings Issued52 Penalties Assessed1
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 Days7 Complaints Received Follow-up Actions Warnings Issued Penalties Assessed
MonthAugust 2014 Watering Days7 Complaints Received Follow-up Actions Warnings Issued Penalties Assessed
MonthJuly 2014 Watering Days7 Complaints Received Follow-up Actions Warnings Issued Penalties Assessed
MonthJune 2014 Watering Days7 Complaints Received Follow-up Actions Warnings Issued Penalties Assessed

Here are some ways you can help conserve water

Water before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.

Plant California Friendly plants

Wash only full loads

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.

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