Water neutrality is the idea of balancing the amount of water used or consumed with the amount of water restored or replenished in the same ecosystem. It aims to ensure that there is enough water to meet the needs of both people and the environment without overburdening ecosystems.
A water neutrality statement is a statement which provides evidence that a residential development will achieve water neutrality so that the total water use in the region after the development is equal to or less than the total water use before the development.
Water neutrality can be achieved through a combination of water usage reduction and water supply creation projects. For example, an office building that educates its staff on water conservation and uses a rooftop water collection system to capture rainwater is practicing water neutrality. Other methods include water reuse and offsetting.
Water neutrality is important because global water usage and consumption has been growing at more than twice the rate of population increase over the past century. Many regions are approaching the limit of sustainable water resource delivery, especially in arid areas. Other factors that affect water availability include population growth, urbanization, climate change, extreme weather events, water mismanagement, and aging infrastructure.