Urban Water Use

Urban Water Management Plans (UWMPs) are prepared by urban water suppliers every five years to support long-term water resource management. Any urban water supplier in California that provides water to more than 3,000 water connections or provides more than 3,000 acre-feet of water must prepare a UWMP. The goal of the plan is to ensure that California water supply is not vulnerable due to a lack of long-term resource planning. UWMPs are significant efforts that include planning for supply, demand, and water system improvements. For example, UWMPs require suppliers to quantify existing water supply and demand, project future demand and supply, and document reduced reliance on Delta water.

UWMPs are supported by the Department of Water Resources (DWR) who assists water suppliers through workshops and trainings, and the UWMP guidebook. DWR reviews individual UWMPs for completeness to ensure water suppliers have addressed legislative requirements. DWR compiles UWMP data and provides it to the public.

California Water Conservation Act of 2009 (SB X7-7) sets a target of reducing urban water consumption in California by 20% by the year 2020. The law was passed during a three-year drought period that showed the need to make water management more efficient. In addition to setting a target for urban water use, the legislation included measures that would support efficiency such as encouraging the quantification of agricultural water efficiency and adding requirements to Urban Water Management Plans (UWMPs). Among those new requirements for UWMPs is the calculation of per capita water use by suppliers.

In 2014, then California Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency that lasted until 2017. Under that emergency declaration, most urban water suppliers in the state were required to submit monthly water use reports. former Governor Brown's Executive Orders B-37-16 and B-40-17 directed the State Water Resource Control Board (SWRCB) to continue requiring urban water suppliers to report on water use. Every month, water suppliers report to the SWRCB residential water use per capita and conservation. Although it varies significantly between water suppliers, in California roughly two-thirds of urban water use is residential with commercial and industrial uses accounting for the remaining water use. The SWRCB generates reports on residential water use and conservation and releases this residential water use data monthly in their Water Conservation and Production Reports. To learn more about the SWRCB’s conservation program visit their Conservation Portal.

Executive order B-37-16, which is colloquially referred to as Making Water Conservation a Way of Life for California, is built upon the plan outlined in the California Water Action Plan which included a series of 10 steps for making water conservation a way of life in California.  The order had four goals:

1. Improve conservation and reporting,
2. Eliminate water waste,
3. Improve drought resilience, and
4. Promote agricultural water efficiency.

SB 606/AB 1668

In 2018, the legislator passed SB 606/AB 1668 which refined and codified many of the approaches laid out in B-37-16 and the California Water Action Plan. The legislation required measures related to each of the 4 goals for “Making Water Conservation a Way of Life for California. Making Conservation a California Way of Life is a new regulatory framework proposed by State Water Board staff that establishes specific efficiency goals for each Urban Retail Water Supplier. These goals are based on the unique characteristics of the supplier’s service area and give suppliers the flexibility to implement locally appropriate solutions. These goals are expected to reduce urban water use by more than 400,000 acre-feet or around 1.2 million households by 2030, helping California adapt to the water supply impacts brought on by climate change.

Future tracking of this performance measure will depend on the implementation of this proposed legislation.

Making Conservation a California Way of Life Fact Sheet

Each chapter of the Delta plan includes strategies to achieve the goals of the plan. These strategies are general guidance on achieving the objective laid out in the plan and in the Delta Reform Act of 2009. Associated with these strategies are recommendations. The recommendations describe more specific and implementable actions to support the achievement of Delta Plan strategies. Strategies and recommendations may also have associated performance measures. Delta Plan performance measures track progress in achieving desired outcomes for the Delta Plan. Below are the strategies and recommendations associated with this performance measure. 

Delta Plan Strategy

• Increase water conservation and expand local and regional supplies

Delta Plan Recommendations

• Implement Water Efficiency and Water Management Planning Laws
• Require State Water Project Contractors to Implement Water Efficiency and Water Management Laws
• Ensure Compliance with Reasonable and Beneficial Use
• Expand Water Supply Reliability
• Develop Water Supply Reliability Guidelines
• Revise State Grant and Loan Priorities
• Demonstrate State Leadership

Metric

• Gallons per capita per day of urban water use. This will be evaluated at least every five years as Urban Water Management Plans (UWMP) are updated.
• Percentage change in urban per capita water use from SB X7-7 baseline years. This will be evaluated at least every five years as UWMPs are updated.

Baseline

• SB X7-7 baselines established in 2010/2015 UWMPs.

Target

• 2015 targets established in 2010/2015 UWMPs. Interim targets are set by individual suppliers, using one of four methods identified in SB X7-7, and are to be achieved by December 31, 2015, and reported in subsequent UWMPs.
• 2020 targets established in 2010/2015 UWMPs. Targets are set by individual suppliers, using one of four methods identified in SB X7-7, and are to be achieved by December 31, 2020, and reported in subsequent UWMPs.

Methods:

Urban Water Management Plans (UWMPs) report actual gallons per capita day (GPCD) for water users as well as targets.  We calculated weighted averages of actual and target GPCD by population for each hydraulic region and statewide.  

A note about 2015 data: The City of Vernon was excluded from data for the South Coast Region data because their demographic characteristics make GPCD an unreliable metric for Vernon's water use efficiency. To learn more read Vernon's 2015 UWMP.

Data Source:

1. 2010 UWMP data
2. 2015 UWMP data
3. 2020 UWMP data
4. Status of 2020 Urban Water Management Plans (ca.gov)

Urban Water Efficiency - Department of Water Resources

Urban Water Management Plans

The Delta Plan

Making Conservation a California Way of Life Fact Sheet

AB 1668