 The Heihara River Basin, HRB, in northwestern China has experienced increasing water scarcity, leading to a need to quantify its water footprint, WF. This study found that the total WF was 1,768 million cubic meters per year from 2004 to 2006, with agriculture being the main contributor, 96%. Blue, surface and groundwater, WF was 811 million cubic meters per year, while green, soil water, WF was 957 million cubic meters per year. The blue WF exceeded blue water availability during 8 months per year and also on an annual basis, indicating that the HRB's current water use is unsustainable. To address this issue, the authors suggest optimizing crop planting patterns to reduce the WF of crop production. This article was authored by Zee Zeng, J. Lu, P. H. Keiman, and others.