The purpose of this research was to evaluate the water footprint of the inhabitants of Chimbote and Nuevo Chimbote (Peru) and to highlight its importance as a tool for generating environmental awareness regarding water use (direct and indirect) at the domestic level. To achieve this objective, a sample of 470 people, selected by simple random sampling, was obtained and the water footprint was measured in liters per month per person using a web tool published by the National Water Authority of Peru (ANA). At the same time, the following information was collected from the participants: age, gender and socioeconomic level (SES). After processing the information, a virtual workshop was held to disseminate the results and initiate an environmental awareness campaign in the locality. The results showed that, according to gender or age, the water footprint does not show significant differences (sig. >0.05) but with respect to socioeconomic levels, a significant difference was found between them (sig. <0.05); specifically when comparing NSE B with NSE C and E. It was also determined that the median water footprint was greater than 10000 liters per month with a significance level of 0.00. When considering the totality of the data, 38% of the villagers were identified as having a low water footprint (<=10000 liters per month). For the inferential analysis, without outliers, the observed probability of people with a low water footprint was 41%; despite this, the binomial test dismissed the probability that 50% of the population of Chimbote and Nuevo Chimbote has a low water footprint. Finally, it was concluded that the water footprint of the population of Chimbote and Nuevo Chimbote is at moderate to high levels. The importance of carrying out outreach and environmental awareness programs as alternatives to improve the use of water resources has also been highlighted.