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A Blue Footprint™ is a measure of the impact of water use by individuals and society on the world’s freshwater resources. We have started to use the “carbon footprint” as the measure of our individual and collective impact on the environment. The Milwaukee Water Council has created the Blue Footprint™ as something comparable for water.

You may be surprised to learn that Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a world water hub for freshwater research, economic development and education. Milwaukee is home to over 120 water-related
companies, including five of the 11 largest water firms in the world. Over 100 academic scientists and researchers are focused on water in this region. The Great Lakes WATER Institute, part of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is the largest academic freshwater research facility on the Great Lakes. Milwaukee also is a member of the United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme, with an "area of expertise" in fresh water. It is one of only 14 cities throughout the world to be accepted into this program.

For the last four years, Milwaukee has hosted a Water Summit, looking at various technology and policy issues concerning the topic of water. Its recent Water Summit was devoted to understanding and exploring the impact of the Blue Footprint™ on our world.

The comprehensive presentation by Mr. Auguste, established that only looking at the volume or amount of water used can result in missing key water resource protection issues. What is needed, he determined, are new decision-making tools providing more informed decision-making for sustainability of our water resources.

In his presentation, Mr. Auguste creates a Water Impact Index, which is a more comprehensive water analysis tool, looking at an assessment of the human footprint on water resources taking
into account consumption, resource stress and quality. The Water Impact Index accounts for the impact on water resources generated by a human activity. It considers how other water users (both humans and ecosystems) could potentially be deprived of this resource.

He also did a simultaneous assessment of the water, carbon and economic impacts to understand their interactions and support more informed decision-making grounded in sustainability.

In one example, he compared the amount of water required to grow peanuts and the amount of water required to grow tomatoes for use in tomato sauce. Peanuts require more water by volume than do tomatoes. But, as he points out, to conclude that peanut farming is more water-intensive would be a mistake. Peanuts are a rain-fed agriculture, whereas tomatoes are grown in water stressed areas using substantial amounts of water-polluting pesticides. Looking at the stress-weighted water footprints of peanuts and tomatoes you find that tomato sauce contributes 10 times more to freshwater depletion.

The presentation also compared the freshwater uses per capita per year in Wisconsin and California. Measured solely by gallons of water, Wisconsin uses more water per capita than does California. But Wisconsin is a water-rich state, bordered by Lake Michigan on its east and by the Mississippi River on its west, whereas California is suffering from significant water shortages. Applying impact assessment factors, California uses more than 50 times more water per capita than does Wisconsin.

Will the Blue Footprint™ lead a path to water-rich states, like Wisconsin, which will become more attractive for people and industries? Logically, yes. But, one thing is certain, the Water Impact Index and a Carbon-Water-Economic Analysis suggested by Mr. Auguste should lead to a new methodology for assessing the impact of water use by individuals and society on the world’s freshwater resources.
 

Barry L. Grossman, a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, is also a member of the Board of Directors and Secretary of the Milwaukee Water Council.