Californians’ water usage is down 9% and other takeaways from The Times’ updated water tracker
California residents are using about 8 fewer gallons of water per day than they did during the last drought emergency, according to newly released state data.
Between April 2023 and last April, urban water users consumed an average of 77 gallons per person per day. That comes out to a 9% decrease since the drought emergency ended in March 2023. This period includes the effects of two consecutive wet winters, the first of which relieved the years-long historic drought that had gripped the western United States since 2021.
In July 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15%, a move that would have brought statewide water use down to about 79 gallons per person per day. While residents fell short of the goal, they still cut back by about 7% — or 85 gallons per person per day.
The latest maps and charts on the California drought, including water usage, conservation and reservoir levels.
The State Water Resources Control Board tracks water use in California’s cities and towns and makes the data available through an online tracking tool. Last month, the agency revived its monthly reporting of local water supplies and use for more than 400 urban suppliers.
This data will feed The Times’ water supply tracker where readers can look up how much water is being used in their areas compared with their county and the state. These figures, which are released on a two-month lag, will be updated monthly, according to water board officials.
The state’s relaunch of its water use dashboard coincides with the adoption of new permanent conservation rules for urban water suppliers. The Making Conservation a California Way of Life framework is designed to help the state save 500,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2040. That’s enough to supply more than 1.4 million households per year. The rules are individualized to retail water utilities and would require some agencies to cut water usage by more than 30% within the next 16 years.
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As record temperatures dry out the state and contribute to increased wildfire activity, The Times’ water supply tracker will continue to provide regular updates on rainfall totals, reservoir levels and drought conditions. For now, we’ve removed a chart tracking the Sierra snowpack.
The snowpack is part of the state’s natural water storage system. In early April, the snowpack reached a healthy peak before melting off through mid-June, leaving most of California’s reservoirs above normal levels. The Times will resume snow coverage this winter.
Times staff writer Hayley Smith contributed to this report.
