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 Sacramento Suburban Water District
- Water consumption in the Sacramento Suburban Water District decreased 2.11 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016. Overall, consumption in August has decreased 31.96 percent over the past five years.
- August 2013 701 million gallons
- August 2014 566 million gallons
- August 2015 487 million gallons
- August 2016 477 million gallons
- August 2017 566 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
Average daily water consumption by each residential customer
- About 73.0% of water consumption in the Sacramento Suburban Water District is residential. The average daily gallons used by each residential customer increased 0.95 percent in August 2017 compared to August 2016, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
- 63.50
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
- 62.90
- average daily gallons
used by each residential
customer for August 2017
Year-over-year water consumption
- 2013 530 million gallons
- 2015 512 million gallons
- 2016 466 million gallons
- 2013 539 million gallons
- 2015 501 million gallons
- 2016 476 million gallons
- 2013 704 million gallons
- 2015 692 million gallons
- 2016 480 million gallons
- 2013 917 million gallons
- 2015 702 million gallons
- 2016 619 million gallons
- 2013 1312 million gallons
- 2015 723 million gallons
- 2016 853 million gallons
- 2013 1367 million gallons
- 2015 950 million gallons
- 2016 1132 million gallons
- 2013 1788 million gallons
- 2015 1025 million gallons
- 2016 1250 million gallons
- 2013 1545 million gallons
- 2015 1057 million gallons
- 2016 1326 million gallons
- 2013 1391 million gallons
- 2015 936 million gallons
- 2016 1093 million gallons
- 2013 1102 million gallons
- 2015 789 million gallons
- 2016 802 million gallons
- 2013 666 million gallons
- 2015 571 million gallons
- 2016 515 million gallons
- 2013 701 million gallons
- 2015 487 million gallons
- 2016 477 million gallons
Displayed in millions of gallons
2014 water use data is incomplete and therefore not displayed
Progress toward mandatory water reduction*
- Sacramento Suburban Water District water use decreased by 30.68 percent between June 2015 and February 2016 — the nine months of the initial statewide conservation mandate — but the agency failed to meet a 32 percent reduction.
- 175.880
- billion gallons consumed
- over the same months in 2013.
- 121.924
- 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 Sacramento Suburban Water District to the State Water Resources Control Board.
| Month | Watering Days | Complaints | Follow-up Actions | Warnings Issued | Penalties Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received20 | Follow-up Actions15 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received25 | Follow-up Actions21 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received25 | Follow-up Actions37 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received55 | Follow-up Actions86 | Warnings Issued9 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received44 | Follow-up Actions191 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received41 | Follow-up Actions118 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received47 | Follow-up Actions113 | Warnings Issued7 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received30 | Follow-up Actions82 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received14 | Follow-up Actions24 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received12 | Follow-up Actions16 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received16 | Follow-up Actions7 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2017 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received17 | Follow-up Actions18 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received20 | Follow-up Actions15 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received25 | Follow-up Actions21 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received25 | Follow-up Actions37 | Warnings Issued2 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received55 | Follow-up Actions86 | Warnings Issued9 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received63 | Follow-up Actions124 | Warnings Issued10 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJuly 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received58 | Follow-up Actions126 | Warnings Issued5 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2016 | Watering Days7 | Complaints Received63 | Follow-up Actions122 | Warnings Issued6 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received85 | Follow-up Actions79 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received65 | Follow-up Actions29 | Warnings Issued4 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received46 | Follow-up Actions17 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthFebruary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received39 | Follow-up Actions30 | Warnings Issued1 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJanuary 2016 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received44 | Follow-up Actions10 | Warnings Issued— | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received27 | Follow-up Actions25 | Warnings Issued7 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthNovember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received46 | Follow-up Actions98 | Warnings Issued47 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthOctober 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received119 | Follow-up Actions315 | Warnings Issued251 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthSeptember 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received170 | Follow-up Actions430 | Warnings Issued238 | Penalties Assessed2 |
| MonthAugust 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received189 | Follow-up Actions606 | Warnings Issued476 | Penalties Assessed3 |
| MonthJuly 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received287 | Follow-up Actions191 | Warnings Issued281 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthJune 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received283 | Follow-up Actions218 | Warnings Issued20 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMay 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received210 | Follow-up Actions152 | Warnings Issued10 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthApril 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received183 | Follow-up Actions118 | Warnings Issued102 | Penalties Assessed— |
| MonthMarch 2015 | Watering Days2 | Complaints Received97 | Follow-up Actions78 | Warnings Issued51 | 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
Use a broom to clean the driveway or sidewalk
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.