The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) has cut cumulative water use by 648 acre-feet since 2020, with per-capita daily consumption falling from 120 gallons to below 114, according to a new progress report on the district's water efficiency master plan.

The plan was adopted in 2024 as the district worked to build long-term resiliency after a two-year drought. In the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2026, MMWD delivered about 20,000 acre-feet of water to its customers, down from more than 24,000 acre-feet in 2020, the Marin Independent Journal reported.

Carrie Pollard, MMWD's water efficiency manager, said the 648 acre-feet figure counts only measures that produce ongoing savings year after year. She said the savings equal about 6% of 2025 single-family demand.

"So that 648 acre-feet is really having an impact," Pollard said. "We're seeing benefit to the community by reduced demands."

Where the savings come from

Wireless smart meters account for the largest share. Leak-notification letters sent after meters flagged unusual usage contributed more than 350 acre-feet of savings. Home wireless monitors added another 126 acre-feet, according to district data.

The district's cash-for-grass rebate program, which pays customers to replace lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping, drew more than 230 applications in 2026 and 207 in 2025, Pollard said. MMWD is seeking an $83,000 grant to fund removal of another 111,000 square feet of turf in the next fiscal year.

Those lawn replacements align with a state mandate. Under AB 1572, enacted in 2023, public agencies must stop irrigating non-functional turf with potable water by Jan. 1, 2027, according to a compliance summary from law firm Best Best & Krieger. Commercial properties face a Jan. 1, 2028, deadline, and homeowners association common areas must comply by Jan. 1, 2029.

Post-drought habits holding

Larry Minikes, a Marin Conservation League board member, said water use did not bounce back to pre-drought levels as many had expected. He credited the tiered rate increases MMWD enacted in 2022, saying higher prices at the upper tiers pushed ratepayers to stay within cheaper, lower-use brackets.

Pollard said per-capita use data show the district is "avoiding those historic rebound trends that we had seen in the past."

MMWD board president Jed Smith called the report "exciting progress" and asked staff to provide updates more frequently.

The district is also marketing pre-sale conservation inspections to real estate agents, aiming to flag inefficiencies before a home is listed. The effort addresses complaints from recent buyers surprised by high water bills. Staff are visiting about 25% of schools in the service area for classroom presentations and watershed field trips.

The district, headquartered in Corte Madera, serves about 188,100 residents across southern Marin and surrounding communities, according to a July report on its urban water management plan. MMWD's 10-year plan to convert all analog meters to wireless smart meters projects an additional 520 acre-feet of savings by 2030 and more than 1,300 acre-feet by 2050.