Water Balance Sankey Diagram: Editable Template
Show water drawn from each source, where a site uses it, and where it ends up: product, evaporation, discharge or reuse. Replace the volumes with your own meter data.
A water balance Sankey follows every cubic metre in and out of a site. Because water is conserved, the inputs and outputs must match, which makes unmetered losses easy to spot.
A site draws 100,000 cubic metres from municipal supply, groundwater and recycled water. It uses water in process, cooling, cleaning and sanitation. Water leaves as product, evaporation, discharge or on-site reuse, and wastewater from every use is collected before it is discharged or reused.
The volumes are invented. Real balances rarely close exactly, so a real chart often needs an Unaccounted node. Name the metering period and boundary on the chart.
How to read this diagram
- 100,000 m³ enter and 100,000 m³ leave: 12,000 in product, 21,000 evaporated, 57,000 discharged and 10,000 reused.
- Process uses 55% of the water; cooling uses 25% but most of it evaporates.
- Wastewater is 67,000 m³, two thirds of intake.
- Reuse of 10,000 m³ is equal to the recycled-water input, showing the loop in a single period.
The data behind it
Invented figures for illustration. Not data about any real business.
| From | To | Amount (m³) |
|---|---|---|
| Municipal supply | Process | 35000 |
| Municipal supply | Cooling | 15000 |
| Municipal supply | Cleaning | 5000 |
| Municipal supply | Sanitary | 5000 |
| Groundwater | Process | 20000 |
| Groundwater | Cooling | 10000 |
| Recycled water | Cleaning | 5000 |
| Recycled water | Sanitary | 5000 |
| Process | In product | 12000 |
| Process | Wastewater | 40000 |
| Process | Evaporation | 3000 |
| Cooling | Evaporation | 18000 |
| Cooling | Wastewater | 7000 |
| Cleaning | Wastewater | 10000 |
| Sanitary | Wastewater | 10000 |
| Wastewater | Discharged after treatment | 57000 |
| Wastewater | Reused on site | 10000 |
The same data as CSV
source,target,value
Municipal supply,Process,35000
Municipal supply,Cooling,15000
Municipal supply,Cleaning,5000
Municipal supply,Sanitary,5000
Groundwater,Process,20000
Groundwater,Cooling,10000
Recycled water,Cleaning,5000
Recycled water,Sanitary,5000
Process,In product,12000
Process,Wastewater,40000
Process,Evaporation,3000
Cooling,Evaporation,18000
Cooling,Wastewater,7000
Cleaning,Wastewater,10000
Sanitary,Wastewater,10000
Wastewater,Discharged after treatment,57000
Wastewater,Reused on site,10000How it works
Define the boundary and period
Decide which site, buildings and months the balance covers.
Gather meter readings
Use inflow, sub-meter and discharge readings in one unit.
Enter the flows
Type sources into uses, and uses into products, losses and wastewater.
Close the balance
Add an Unaccounted node for any difference, and state it.
Frequently asked questions
Why must inputs equal outputs?
Because water is conserved over a period, apart from changes in storage. A gap means a meter is missing or inaccurate, or that storage changed.
Is this a regulatory water report?
No. It presents your measurements. Regulatory reporting has its own rules.
Edit this water Sankey
Open the example as your own chart and enter your meter readings.