The efficacy of water saving efforts in a region is often evaluated using only a single index measuring a specific indus-try or user, seldom examining the overall effect of efforts over the whole of the region. In this paper, a new method, referred to as baseline comparison, is used to evaluate the overall effect of water saving efforts in a region to determine the water utilization rate as well
... [Show full abstract] as the level at which water use is sustainable. The method takes target evapotranspiration (ET) and the theoretical change in groundwater level as the evaluation baseline, which is then compared with two evaluation indices: actual regional evapotranspiration (ET) and actual change in groundwater level calculated by remote sensing. This method is applied in Daxing District of Beijing, producing evaluation results consistent with measurements. A new evaluation method of the overall effect of water saving efforts in a region is proposed.