In January 2004, the Santa Clara Valley Water District (District) began a baseline study and survey program of selected commercial, institutional, and industrial (CII) customer subsectors. The objective of the baseline study was to gain a practical understanding of CII water use for the purpose of improving water use efficiency programs. The survey program targeted 225 customers in 11 CII customer subsectors. On-site surveys were used to collect information on facility characteristics, water conservation perceptions, water sources, and selected water uses and appliances. This paper presents the results of this study including characterizing the major water use characteristics of customers in the selected customer groups and a statistical analysis of water use records relative to the survey responses. Benchmark data for the selected customer groups is presented, along with a discussion of the practical implications of the survey results to the District water use efficiency program. Includes tables.