ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to evaluate water as a natural resource and to analyse its management in a specific area by emergy analysis. The first part of this study is focused on natural resources analysis. We evaluated the emergy flow that supports an Italian surface water: the Misa river.The second part of the study consists of an evaluation of the domestic water distribution system of 5 municipalities in the area. A preliminary embodied energy accounting and an emergy analysis have been applied in order to underline the role of non-renewable inputs in producing drinking water. We consider all the products and services necessary to extract water from reservoirs, to treat it and, finally, to provide it to consumers. Results obtained underline the strict correlation between the energy cycle and water distribution. Non-renewable inputs represent 64% of the final total emergy value necessary to provide water to consumers.
