Selected methods of water resources accounting in the aspect of sustainable development

Fresh water is one of the most important natural resources required by the societies’ proper operation to meet their biological and industrial needs. Thus, water is a key resource, which availability or scarcity, should be considered carefully in strategies of sustainable social, economic and technical development, with full respect to nature and rules of intergenerational justice. Preservation of fresh water resources for the next generations is highly required by the rule of sustainable development, which results in the need for water accounting for industry and services located in the given watershed as well as for the proper, sustainable water management. This paper contains presentation and analysis of five popular methods used in industrial water accounting i.e. Water Footprint, Life Cycle Assessment, Global Water Tool, Water Sustainability Tools and the exemplary industrial method developed by Schornagel. The apllicational abilities of the described methods and the attempt of the presented methods assessment in compliance to the three main priorities of sustainable development were discussed. The set of basic requirements met by the method orientated towards sustainable development was also presented.