Welcome to a new edition of Drops a Month! This month we want to talk about something essential for moving toward sustainability: measuring the water balance.
We don’t see measurement as an end in itself, but as the first step toward transformation. If we don’t know precisely how, where, and how much water we use, it’s difficult to manage, reduce, or replenish its impact.
🌍 What is Water Balance Measurement?
According to the Alliance for Water Stewardship, water balance is the assessment of all water flows including inflows, outflows and storage volumes within a site or, more broadly, a catchment.
We can think of the water balance as a clear snapshot of inputs, outputs, and storage in a system. It helps answer key questions:
- How much water do we use?
- What level of inefficiency do we have and how can we maximize efficiency?
- How is the use of blue, green, and gray water distributed?
Con esta información en mano, las empresas pueden tomar decisiones basadas en datos precisos: desde reducir el uso del agua hasta diseñar estrategias de reposición de agua en las cuencas donde operan, entendiendo el impacto del agua más allá del volumen utilizado.
👉 Descubre más sobre la solución de medición de huella hídrica aquí.
Why is Measuring the Water Footprint Important?
What isn’t measured can’t be managed. In the context of climate crisis and growing water stress, having reliable metrics is the only way to understand the scale of the impact and prioritize action.
Measuring the water footprint makes it possible to:
- Identify critical points of water use and loss.
- Compare scenarios and project improvements.
- Increase transparency in natural resources use.
- Move from intuition to data-driven management..
- Pasar del dato a la acción: implementar medidas concretas de gestión corporativa del agua.
🚀 Measurement as a Starting Point for Action
The water footprint is not just a diagnosis, it’s a map of opportunities. Once the balance is measured, companies can:
- Reduce internal consumption by optimizing processes.
- Know how much water they’re using to then implement replenishment projects in the most vulnerable basins.
In other words, measuring is the first step toward positive impact: without data, there is no transformation.
🎨 The Three Colors of Water
The water footprint is made up of three dimensions:
- :Blue Water Footprint: :freshwater extracted from rivers, lakes, or aquifers.
- Green Water Footprint: rainwater stored in the soil
- Gray Water Footprint: the volume of water required to dilute pollutants to meet quality standards.
Understanding these three layers allows organizations to have a comprehensive view of their dependency and impact on water resources.
⭐️ What Value Does Measurement Bring to an Organization?
Measuring the water footprint is also a business strategy:
- Water risk identification: recognizing where operations depend on overexploited or vulnerable basins.
- Opportunities for innovation: from designing less water-intensive products to collaborative projects with local communities.
- Resilience: companies that understand their water footprint and act accordingly can build models resilient to climate change and water crises.
💧 Novedades de Agrow
Let's go with Agrow's news!
✨ Lanzamiento de Live Water Footprint
En colaboración con Acciona, presentamos Live Water Footprint, la herramienta digital para medir el balance hídrico en tiempo real. Una innovación que permite a las empresas transformar su gestión del agua en decisiones concretas y accionables.
🌊 Agrow en World Water Week – Estocolmo
Nuestros fundadores participaron en el mayor encuentro global sobre agua. Allí organizamos un panel junto a Amazon y BEF sobre soluciones corporativas de gestión hídrica, y además compartimos escenario con Agua Segura, Microsoft, BEF, Water for People y The Nature Conservancy en otra conversación inspiradora.
🌱 Visita a Curacaví, Chile
Nuestro Water Success Manager, Lucas, estuvo en terreno con agricultores de la zona, compartiendo aprendizajes y mostrando cómo la tecnología puede ayudarlos a usar el agua de manera más eficiente y resiliente.
Don’t miss this article about our project with Microsoft “How Technology Returns Water to the Planet.” https://news.microsoft.com/source/emea/features/como-la-tecnologia-devuelve-agua-al-planeta/?lang=es&ocid=AIDNA_LINKEDIN_oo_spl100008362755449 «Cómo la tecnología devuelve agua al planeta».
See you in the next edition, where we’ll continue exploring how technology and collaboration can give more water back to the planet. 💧