Water Footprint

The total amount of water used (both directly and indirectly) in the manufacture of a product or provision of a service. A water footprint might include water from rivers or boreholes, potable water delivered via the mains water supply, reused /recycled grey water, or ‘green' water which is water consumed by a plant from rainfall accumulating in a soil and used in the growth of a plant, and being lost through transpiration by the plant.

For a grounds management perspective, a water footprint might be given for the production of a sports pitch. The supporting services of water consumed by players in changing rooms and other services (such as cafes) could also be apportioned to a sports pitch, water used for cleaning down machinery (ideally this might be water that can be recycled, rather than used from potable water), along with any figures which are available from manufacturers for the production of machinery and materials.

An estimate of the amount of water consumed in the growth of a plant using evapotranspiration rates can also be applied to a sports pitch

The total water used might be measured and reported in litres or m3 per sports pitch, per user, or, per game.
An international standard is also available: ISO 14046:2014 Environmental management — Water footprint — Principles, requirements and guidelines.