Water Use
Water Self-Sufficiency by 2023
The City of Santa Monica supplies imported and local water to approximately 92,000 residents covering an area of approximately 8 square miles. Looking to its future, the City hopes to eliminate its dependence on imported water by addressing the challenge of existing groundwater quality, identifying new sources of local water supply, and more effectively reduced and managed its water demands.
With an adopted goal of water self-sufficiency achieved by eliminating reliance on Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) supply by 2023, the City of Santa Monica developed a Sustainable Water Master Plan focused on reducing water demand and enhancing local water supply production capabilities.
With the severe droughts we face in Santa Monica, residents must be a part of the solution by participating in citywide efforts to lower water consumption. Reducing water use will lessen the impacts of the drought on local groundwater and imported water supplies while improving local, regional and state-wide water sustainability.
How we are doing?
The City of Santa Monica is currently on target to achieve water self-sufficiency by 2023. Despite increases in development and a growing daytime population, Santa Monica has been relatively successful at managing citywide water demand. The majority (66%) of the City’s water use occurs within the residential sector. Reducing citywide water use through educational campaigns and rebates for high-efficiency water fixtures and lawn removal are part of Santa Monica’s citywide conservation efforts.
Local water production has increased substantially since 2010, but this area needs continued improvement in order to meet the 100% local water target by 2023. Santa Monica’s most promising solutions for reducing imported water are through expanded stormwater and rainwater capture. Rainwater harvesting is a less reliable option due to the cistern size requirements and lack of incentive for residential installation.Preliminary recommendations from the Sustainable Water Master Plan for expanding groundwater resources include:
- Expansion of the existing Arcadia Water Treatment Plant.
- Design and construct the new Olympic Water Treatment Plant (Gillette/Boeing Settlement Project).
- Rehabilitate old wells and drill additional new wells in the Olympic, Charnock and Coastal Sub-basins.
- Develop and implement improvements in treatment efficiency to reduce the amount of water lost to brine disposal during treatment (reduction of brine water losses beyond the current 18%).
Water Sourced Locally
This indicator measures the percent of total water in Santa Monica that is sourced locally. Local water refers to water that is sourced within the City of Santa Monica. Imported water comes from anywhere beyond the city’s borders, including distant watersheds in California and throughout the Western United States.
As of June 2022, the city produces 51% of its water supply from local groundwater wells and imports the remaining 49% from MWD.
Gallons Per Capita
This graph measures the number of gallons of water used per person per day (GPCD) in Santa Monica by dividing the total gallons of citywide water use by the number of residents and days per year.
As of June 2022, the measured water usage for Santa Monica residents averaged 102 gallons per capita (daily). This is a significant improvement over 2010 usage of 130 GPCD.
How can I save water?
- Replace older flush and flow fixtures with high-efficiency devices. Toilet rebates are available and the City’s Office of Sustainability and the Environment provides free faucet aerators and shower heads.
- Replace your lawn and parkways with drought-tolerant landscaping. Sign up for a Landscape Design Consultation and apply for a Cash for Grass rebate.
- Use drip irrigation or a weather-based irrigation controllers to adjust irrigation based on weather conditions. Rebates are available.
- Sign up for a free Water Use Consultation for your home or business.
- Find more water-saving tips at smgov.net/water.