Data for Regression Models to Estimate Water Use in Providence, Rhode Island, 2014-2021

This data release contains input data and programs (scripts) used to estimate monthly water demand for retail customers of Providence Water, located in Providence, Rhode Island. Explanatory data and model outputs are from July 2014 through June 2021. Models of per capita (for single-family residential customers) or per connection (for multi-family residential, commercial, and industrial customers) water use were developed using multiple linear regression. The dependent variables, provided by Providence Water, are the monthly number of connections and gallons of water delivered to single- and multi-family residential, commercial, and industrial connections. Potential independent variables (from online sources) are climate variables (temperature and precipitation), economic statistics, and a drought statistic. Not all independent variables were used in all of the models.

The data are provided in data tables and model files. The data table RIWaterUseVariableExplanation.csv describes the explanatory variables and their data sources. The data table ProvModelInputData.csv provides the monthly water-use data that are the independent variables and the monthly climatic and economic data that are the dependent variables. The data table DroughtInputData.csv provides the weekly U.S. drought monitor index values that were processed to formulate a potential independent variable. The R script model_water_use.R runs the models that predict water use. The other two R scripts (load_preprocess_input_data.R and model_water_use_functions.R) are not run explicitly but are called from the primary script model_water_use.R. Regression equations produced by the models can be used to predict water demand throughout Rhode Island.