PEGADA HÍDRICA DO SISTEMA DE ABASTECIMENTO DE ÁGUA DO MUNICÍPIO DE SÃO CARLOS – SP

Abstract

Sanitation systems are among the main interconnectors between water and society. It is noticeable that the greater the understanding of the water resource within the system, the better the management. Following this dialectic, it is known that water consumption goes beyond what is actually calculated and can also be analyzed by the virtual water aspect. Therefore, the objective of this work is to present an analysis of the virtual water of the water supply system in the municipality of São Carlos in the state of São Paulo. Therefore, the estimate of virtual water for urban water supply was calculated according to the Water Footprint Manual. Using data from average water flows treated and distributed by the two water treatment units provided by SAAE-São Carlos, the evaporated water volume was then calculated using the Penman method. After accounting, it turned out that the water footprint of the supply system was estimated at 22,860,960.64 m³ per year, which represents a ratio of 1.44 between virtual water and real water, so that evaporation contributed to 2,320.0 m³ per year and distribution losses represented 7,795,587.57 m³ / year of virtual water.

Keywords: Water Footprint; Sanitation Systems; Virtual Water.