Home
EfficiencyComplianceAdaptationManagement
WaterviewOutcomesAboutContact Us
Login to WaterView
Impact Study

Las Virgenes Municipal Water District

Optimizing
Water Efficiency Program

What if your water conservation program is increasing water use instead of reducing it?

That's exactly what happened to Las Virgenes Municipal Water District. Rather than abandoning the program, they turned to WaterView to uncover why—and transformed a surprising setback into a smarter, more targeted conservation strategy that maximized both water savings and program ROI.

Start a conversation for my agency

Optimizing Water Efficiency Program Outcomes with Data and Analytics

Case Study: Las Virgenes Municipal Water District
‍
In 2019, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District launched an extensive water efficiency outreach program offering direct installation of smart water controllers to improve residential outdoor water efficiency. Two years in, the District was shocked to learn that participants’ net water use had actually increased, not decreased – a finding not uncommon among conservation programs.
After analyzing program results with its new data analytics platform, WaterView, LVMWD concluded the smart water controllers were effective in reducing water use for some customer segments, just not for all. Now, armed with better data and analytics tools, Las Virgenes MWD can more effectively test, plan, and monitor their outreach programs to optimize results and maximize cost and water savings.

The Problem

Water efficiency and conservation programs are a common mechanism for water suppliers to effect smart water use in their communities. Sadly, these programs have had mixed results and can be costly, and don’t always result in water savings. This is largely due to a general lack of data and analytics tools to sufficiently plan, test, monitor, and optimize outreach offers.
‍
Las Virgenes MWD experienced this first-hand when they discovered that their Rachio smart water controller program actually increased participant water usage by 2,860 CCFs after one year. This was a significant issue due to the high program costs and state efficiency requirements.
‍
LVMWD launched the program in January 2019 to all its residents after having identified that 70% of residential water use was from outdoor watering.
The majority of participants in this program were large properties (avg parcel size of 19,000 sqft), commonly with extensive green landscapes and turf areas. The goal of the program was to reduce overall water use.

The Solution

In order to better understand why the program didn’t yield the conservation results they were expecting, LVMWD leveraged a new data analytics platform they had just licensed: WaterView.

WaterView is a water efficiency and data management platform designed specifically to help water professionals meet new state and agency water conservation requirements. It combines specialized data, GIS tools, and reports to transform how Agencies view, analyze, and action their consumption data.

WaterView provides advanced water budgets for each property in a service area and scores consumption relative to allocation to determine efficient and inefficient customers. Using the tool to isolate and analyze these efficiency tiers, LVMWD discovered that Inefficient Tier program participants did indeed lower their water use as a result of the smart controller install, with an average decrease of 10%. Conversely, Efficient Tier participants actually increased their usage by an average 37%, likely as a result of the smart water controller correcting deficit watering.

Efficiency Segments as % of Allocation Used

0% To 50%
51% To 100%
101% To 150%
151% To 200%
200% and above

Also, LVMWD was able to analyze a Control group with similar location and property characteristics to understand that overall water consumption increased over the analysis period, due to factors outside the program.

Had only “Inefficient Tier” customers been targeted for this program, over $60,000 would have been saved, along with water, and higher customer water bills avoided.

The Impact

Armed with the right data and technologies, Water Agencies like LVMWD can undertake community outreach and efficiency programs with confidence that they will deliver on the cost and water savings they promise. The Las Virgenes Rachio Controller program may not have yielded as much water savings as hoped, but it did provide valuable insights into how to design and execute future programs.

Moving forward, LVMWD and other WaterView customers can analyze their customer segments based on efficiency to identify ideal program participants and establish control groups to better interpret program results. They can also test new conservation programs with a pilot group to refine the customer targets and even differentiate offers to meet the various needs of their customers in different stages of conservation.

About WaterView

WaterView Compliance helps agencies meet regulatory objectives while improving data accuracy and consistency. Structured workflows, defensible data, and ongoing support designed to help agencies meet UWUO requirements with confidence. The platform keeps agencies organized and on track to meet compliance deadlines, while providing ongoing reporting support and the confidence to stand behind their numbers.
‍
WaterView Enterprise is a turn-key solution that supports both regulatory compliance and long-term water use efficiency. It provides the integrated data, analysis, and insights needed to better understand water use, improve allocation, and support data-driven planning over time.

Get in touch
Customer Highlights
Water Supplier
Las Virgenes Municipal Water District
Service Area
Agoura Hills
Calabasas
Hidden Hills
Westlake Village
Unincorporated Los Angeles County
Size
122 square-miles
Population
70,000 residents
Real Reviews From Real WaterView Customers

The hands on support of a consultant with the flexibility of doing it in-house.

City of Porterville

David Payne - Water Utility Superintendent

“WaterView helps us maintain compliance.”

Camrosa Water District

Natalie Roberts - Water Resources Coordinator

“WaterView customer support has been great!”

City of Glendale

Graciela Zapata - Civil Engineering Associate / Project Manager

“I can say with confidence that we would be lost through this process if we didn't have their insight and help. We have changed personnel so many times within our time working with [our account provider] and [the customer support team] has been flexible, adaptable, and patient.”

City of Vacaville

Kurtis Westbrook - Water Quality Supervisor

“I like how it visually displays data and can organize and crunch the data forreporting. The customer support is great.”

Let's start a conversation

Ready to get started?

Ask a question or learn more about what Eagle Aerial's products and solutions can do for your specific needs.

Learn More
Better Data,
Better Decisions.
Products
WaterView WaterView ComplianceWaterView EnterpriseCalWep LAM ExplorerWholesale LAM Explorer
Data
Custom Data SetsCII Meter AnalysisLUCD MappingDIM Premise DelineationSLA Mapping
Other
Impact Studies About UsContact UsLogin
COPYRIGHT © 2026 EAGLE AERIAL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceCookies Settings