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Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar

Karleigh Krieg, Environmental Engineering MS Student, Michigan Tech

Abstract: Introduced in 2002, the water footprint (Hoekstra, 2003) is a valuable tool for understanding the consumption of freshwater resources. Specifically, the water footprint is a volumetric measurement of the water consumption and water pollution associated with a product. It can be helpful for gaining insights into consumer decisions and water allocation policies for sustainable management. Two industries that are often analyzed are the agricultural and forestry sectors, since natural vegetation and agricultural products are recognized as having large water footprints. To calculate the water footprint of growing crops, there are three sub-footprints to consider: green, blue, and gray water footprints. The green water footprint is the amount of precipitation that is stored in the soil for use by plants; The blue water footprint is the consumption of surface water or groundwater used for irrigation; and the gray water footprint is the volume of water required to reduce the concentration of pollutants and meet water quality standards.
Despite its usefulness, the water footprint assessment method has some important limitations. First, as a generic tool, it does not consider water availability and the effects of water consumption on other beneficial uses, such as maintenance of aquatic ecosystems. Second, the method can be data-intensive, and as a relatively new concept, it can be difficult to find practical examples of assessments conducted with limited data. This study seeks to improve the water footprint assessment for agricultural products by considering the local geographic and hydrologic context of water use. The software program CROPWAT, developed by the Food and Agricultural Organization, is used to calculate the crop water use and irrigation requirements, and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is used to determine watershed-scale impacts. The method will be applied to watersheds in the Great Lakes region having a high proportion of agricultural land use, starting with the St. Joseph watershed in southwestern Michigan.

Author Bio: Karleigh Krieg graduated with an Associates in Science from Bay College in May 2016 and a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering from MTU in May 2019. During her graduate education at MTU, Karleigh obtained the Graduate Certificate in Sustainability in May 2020. In addition, she is working in the Biofuels and Bioproducts Laboratory in the Chemical Engineering Department under the supervision of Dr. Rebecca Ong. Here, she developed optimization experiments for the processing of biomass-to-biofuel for the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. Along with this, Karleigh is working with Dr. David Watkins on her master’s degree, where she is analyzing the impacts of agricultural and forestry products on freshwater resources in the southwestern portion of Michigan’s lower peninsula. Outside of academia, Karleigh is involved in the local politics of the Copper Country by serving as the board member of sustainability & project leader for studying the lame-duck sessions in MI legislature for the League of Women Voters of the Copper Country. In her free time, Karleigh enjoys anything DIY, riding her horse, growing herbs & MANY houseplants, and spending time with her husband, son, and cats.