The Impact of COVID-19 on Urban Water Consumption in the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we define home, which is recast as the new coffee shop, restaurant, entertainment center, and office during the pandemic. The shift toward working from home led to substantial changes in how consumers behave, affecting the consumption of resources in some cases for years to come. Using data from six water utilities in various states in the U.S., we investigated how water consumption has changed attributable to the implementation of stay-at-home (SAH) orders. The results indicated an overall increase of between 3.08% and 13.65% in daily water consumption during the SAH orders compared to the same period in 2018 and 2019, with the gaps closing as lockdown restrictions eased. The findings also revealed that the changes in water consumption across sectors and user groups were heterogeneous. Specifically, the results showed that total daily residential water demand during SAH orders in 2020 increased significantly, between 11.80% and 13.65%, relative to the same period in 2018 and 2019, but the changes in water consumption for non-residential properties headed in opposite directions with reductions between -22.53% and -45.08%. In addition, we found that the low-income groups did not change their water consumption even with the lockdown.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined the concept of home, turning it into a multifunctional space where people work, socialize, and seek entertainment. This shift towards remote work has had a significant impact on consumer behavior and resource consumption. A study conducted on water utilities in various states in the US found that water consumption increased during stay-at-home orders, particularly in residential areas, while non-residential properties saw a decrease in water consumption.