Sacramento residents used more water this past November than they did during the same month in 2008, despite a new ban on weekday yard watering.

November was the first full month that the city's new watering rules were in effect. During winter months, residents and businesses are supposed to water only on weekends, a change designed to conserve water when plants need less of it anyway.

In theory, the ban should have caused a significant reduction in the city's total water use, since outdoor watering accounts for about 60 percent of all water use in Sacramento.

Yet city water customers consumed about 6 percent more water last month than in November 2008, for a total of nearly 2.6 billion gallons, according to city Utilities Department records.

Only a total figure for citywide usage is available, because about two-thirds of Sacramento's nearly 140,000 water accounts remain unmetered.

City officials were at a loss to explain the increase in water use, but acknowledged there's been widespread inattention to the new watering ban.

"Our waste inspectors are seeing more and more people with their sprinklers on this year," said Jessica Hess, Utilities Department spokeswoman. "I don't know if it's because of the weather, or if people are forgetting."

November was drier in Sacramento than in 2008. But it was also about four degrees colder on average, which should have decreased water demand.

Some residents say they've witnessed wanton inattention to the new watering rules.

East Sacramento resident Dian Costanza says it's easy to find flooded gutters and gushing spinklers when she walks her dog on weekdays. She became so annoyed by disregard for the rule that she knocks on doors if she sees a violation.

"Some people say, 'Mind your own bleeping business,' " she said. "Some people say, 'Thanks for reminding me.' They're real nice, but they still don't do it."

One November weekday, a Bee reporter toured a random two-mile stretch of the city and saw 44 properties watering in violation of the new rule, including two state office buildings. The next day, on a different route, 39 violations were observed.

The city generally does not patrol for water waste. It relies on public complaints to its 311 phone hotline – which jumped to 303 calls last month, a sixfold increase over November 2008.

Hess said the city's two water-waste inspectors respond to 20 to 30 complaints daily.

First violations bring a warning. A second violation costs $25, which is waived upon completion of a water education class. Third and fourth violations cost $100 and $500.

Costanza said the city needs more eyes on the street to enforce the rules. She proposes creating volunteer "citizen marshals" who would give warnings, then notify the city about repeat offenders.

"I see enormous amounts of waste in east Sacramento and it hurts my heart, because this is a great neighborhood," she said.

Water conservation advocates say it is difficult for consumers to grasp how much water they use – and how little they actually need – until they begin paying by volume.

For years, Sacramento resisted imposing water meters on its residents. Now it faces a state mandate to do so by 2025. It also faces a Jan. 1 deadline to begin billing according to consumption for customers who have had meters for at least a year.

As a result, about 29,000 customers, mostly in North Natomas, might see their cost for water go up when they're switched to metered bills in January. Another 8,000 customers make the switch later in the year.

The rest – about 100,000 city water customers – will have meters installed sometime between now and 2025.

Call The Bee's Matt Weiser, (916) 321-1264.