Water Use Objective Exploration Tool

This tool is intended to help all parties interested in the implementation of AB 1668 and SB 606 explore how forthcoming efficiency standards may affect urban water use. When users adjust the various parameters, the tool shows possible future scenarios and compares those to recent water use trends and the 2020 efficiency targets established by past legislation (SB X7-7, 2009).

The tool is not intended as a reporting tool, nor does it define what the forthcoming efficiency standards will be.

The tool is a work in progress and will be updated as more data become available. Feedback or corrected data are welcome and encouraged. Please e-mail the State Water Board’s conservation team at ORPP-WaterConservation@Waterboards.ca.gov.

The Water Conservation legislation of 2018 (SB 606 and AB 1668) established a new foundation for long-term improvements in urban water supplier conservation and drought planning in order to adapt to climate change and the longer more intense droughts in California.

The 2018 legislation applies to the actions of the Department of Water Resources (Department), the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board), and urban retail water suppliers; it does not set any standards or rules for individual customer water use.

In carrying out the legislation, the Department will provide recommendations and the State Water Board will adopt long-term standards for the efficient use of water.

Later this year, the State Water Board will begin the formal rulemaking process for the regulation that will set the outdoor standards as well as establish how variances, the bonus incentive, and the urban water use objective will be calculated. The residential indoor standard is set by the legislature; the water loss standard will be set by the water loss regulation. 

The infographic below shows generally how the urban water use objective would be calculated each year.

The following components of a supplier’s urban water use objective either rely on surrogate data or are excluded from the tool at this time:

• The budget associated with the standard for outdoor irrigation of landscape areas with Dedicated Irrigation Meters (DIM) in connection with Commercial, Institutional, and Industrial (CII) water use. Once the landscape area for CII landscapes with DIMs has been estimated, those data will be integrated into the tool. In the interim, the tool assumes this budget is equal to “landscape irrigation” deliveries, as reported by suppliers in the Electronic Annual Report.
• The budget associated with the water loss standard. Instead of basing the water loss budget on the individual draft water loss standards proposed by the water loss regulation, the tool relies on suppliers’ 2017 - 2019 average real water losses. The tool will be updated once the individual water loss standards are finalized.
• Budgets associated with variances. Variances are for unique uses that can have a material effect on an urban retail water supplier’s urban water use objective. Examples include significant fluctuations in seasonal population or significant use of evaporative coolers. Variances may be included in the tool as requisite data become available.

Learn more about Making Conservation a California Way of Life:

• Factsheet describing the 2018 water conservation legislation
• Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life – Primer of 2018 Legislation on Water Conservation and Drought Planning, Senate Bill 606 (Hertzberg) and Assembly Bill 1668 (Friedman), the Primer outlines the key authorities, requirements, timeline, roles, and responsibilities of State agencies, water suppliers, and other entities during implementation of actions described in the 2018 legislation.
• The Department of Water Resources’ website describing the 2018 water conservation legislation
• Save Our Water