Abstract: Water footprint, which is developed from the concept of virtual water, indicates the water quantity in products and services consumed by the inhabitants in a certain area. Virtual water and water footprint are the new focus in the current research of water science and are recognized as important strategies in the solution of the security of food and water resources. Virtual water and water footprint are effective means of measuring the actual hold of water resources by human beings. This paper introduces the concepts of virtual water and water footprint as well as related theory and the computation method. Based on available information and actual data, the amount of virtual water and the total amount of water footprint consumed by residents in Hebei province from 2000 to 2007 are calculated as an example. The results reveal that the per capita amount of water footprint during these 8 years, which is still low though, increased steadily year on year with the consumed virtual water accounting for the largest proportion. The calculation and analysis of the virtual water quantity and the application of water footprint provide theoretical support for Hebei province to manage the water resources sustainably.

Key words: water footprint , virtual water , water resources management , Hebei province