Consumption for the week of July 31-Aug. 6 averaged 171.78 million gallons a day. That period includes four days in which the public had a chance to respond to a water board request Saturday for cutbacks.

When compared with last year, consumption was up slightly — less than a million gallons per day.

Five years of drought and several months of rising use lowered well levels and prompted the request.

Water use was lower during only one of the past five weeks. That was because heavy rain during the week of July 24-30 reduced consumer demand, according to the water board. During that last week of July, water use averaged 167.44 million gallons a day.

The heavy rain was not enough to replenish O‘ahu’s aquifers, which require steady, moderate rainfall nightly to create change. The water board does not expect normal rainfall to resume until the fall.

Water levels measured in the Honolulu District — Moanalua to Hawai‘i Kai — dropped 2.39 feet when compared with May 2002.

Water board officials did not return calls for comment this morning.