Agenda - City of Santa Monica

Figure 1. Demand Analysis: Comparison of the LUCE Water Demand Projection with the Baseline
Demand Projection
15,300
15,900
13,500
14,100
Next, the effects of weather and economic conditions on the City’s water demand were
explored. Regression analyses were performed to evaluate the correlation between
water use for various customer categories (single family, multi-family, commercial,
institutional and landscape irrigation) and weather and economic (unemployment rate)
factors. Data from the regression analyses indicated that there was no s ignificant
correlation observed with weather related parameters for the City. However, a better
correlation was found between the City’s unemployment rate and the water use of
single family, multi-family and landscape irrigation customer classes. A decrease in the
unemployment rate resulted in an increase in water use among these customers. The
analysis suggests the reduction in water use was due in large part to the recession and
higher unemployment rate.
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