Decades of drought and the Colorado River running beyond its capacity have put both the river and the $1.4 trillion economy it supports at risk. Investing in water resilience is critical for companies operating in the region, but it requires a different approach than many are accustomed to.
The Vedder River, a northern Arizona tributary of the Salt River in the Colorado River Basin, has been tested and succeeded. The Vedder River supplies water to local farms and carries up to 40 percent of the state’s surface water to major urban areas in the Phoenix metropolitan area. But its long-term health is threatened by water withdrawals, groundwater extraction, a warming climate, and drought.
Companies such as Boeing, REI, Coca-Cola, Meta, Microsoft, Cox, PepsiCo, Google, Procter & Gamble, EdgeCore and Intel have partnered with organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Friends of the Vedder River, the National Forest Foundation and the Salt River Project to support dozens of resiliency projects on the Vedder River over the past decade. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) report Over the past five years, projects in seven irrigation districts have saved nearly 50,000 acre-feet of water. That’s enough water to power 100,000 U.S. homes for a year.
These projects work to create healthier streams and wetlands, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and make water systems more efficient. Here are some examples.
Reducing wildfire risk
The overabundance of small brush and trees in the Vedder River headwaters forest significantly increases the risk of devastating wildfires that would impact communities and regional water supplies and infrastructure. Partners including agencies, NGOs, and corporate funders have expanded projects to clear overgrowth and restore healthy forest conditions. This work has reduced fire risk, improved water availability, and increased water security in the region. Corporate partners including EdgeCore, PepsiCo, Apple, Meta, and Google have been critical to the success of these projects.
“Meta’s water stewardship efforts include investing in projects that help create favorable conditions for sustainable water management,” said Stefanie Woodward, Meta’s head of water stewardship. “We are proud to support projects that help restore healthy forest conditions in Verde and empower environmental nonprofits and communities to build long-term capacity in Arizona.”
Strengthen water conservation
Outdated irrigation canals carry water from the Vedder River to farms in the central Vedder basin. Miles of leaks in the system increase the amount of water that can be pumped from the river, making it difficult to irrigate farmland.
Several Verde River irrigation districts worked with The Nature Conservancy to lay more than four miles of irrigation ditches and improve water management by installing new water control structures. The work increased water conservation and improved water flow. Companies involved in the project included Swire Coca-Cola USA, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Meta, Coors Seltzer, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Advanced Semiconductor Materials (ASM), and Principal Trust.
“Together with The Coca-Cola Company, we are supporting conservation groups along the Vedder River to address the critical water challenges facing this vital ecosystem,” said Mike Bernier, Director of Sustainability at Swire Coca-Cola. “By funding projects like the Vedder Pipeline, we are helping to implement a long-term solution that will reduce leaks, increase water efficiency and ensure continued access to this water source for millions of people downstream.”
Changes in agricultural water demand
Many traditional crops in the Vedder Valley are water-intensive and require heavy irrigation during the summer when river flows are low. Sinagua Malt, multinational An innovative program by local farmers to replace water-intensive crops like alfalfa with barley, which requires less water in the summer, offers a solution that will both provide brewers with premium Arizona malt and improve water flows in the Verde River.
Improving river flows
In addition to conservation and efficiency projects, removing invasive plant species can also improve water flow. Companies and funders including REI, Intel and Forever Our Rivers have funded efforts to remove invasive reed and tamarisk plants from the middle Verde River and near the Verde River mouth on the Salt River, respectively. These plants crowd out native vegetation and can use water at a higher rate. Removing them helps restore habitat, improve biodiversity and allow more water to flow through the Verde River.
Laying the foundation for success
Readily fundable water restoration projects that directly support corporate goals are rare. Understanding the history and context of the Verde River effort can help companies replicate success in other areas.
Social Fortress: Most projects in Cape Verde are in areas where much of the groundwork has already been done by organizations that later partner with businesses. Nonprofits and agencies spend time building relationships and credibility with landowners, institutions, and partners before businesses invest. The foundations of social infrastructure are already in place, or ready to expand.
Key points: Consider the need for basic support actions such as support planning, project design or outreach. Few “ready-to-go projects” are perfectly aligned with corporate goals, in the right place and at the right time. Understanding and supporting pre-project strategies, including relationship building, is critical.
Community Relevance: To make progress, there must be a shared understanding of water challenges and solutions. There must be overlap between community, business, and conservation goals. On the Verde River, TNC and others conducted an analysis of water issues, challenges, and solutions that helped identify areas where community interests intersected with business and conservation priorities.
Key points: Long-term, large-scale resilience projects require strong community buy-in to succeed. Specific enterprise management, volume, or recharge targets should be based on a full understanding of local priorities and context. This includes current public sentiment and the availability, possibility, cost, and timing of projects in a particular location.
Long-term game: Many projects require years of preparation—for example, renovating and improving century-old irrigation ditches that spanned many land ownership boundaries required years of trust-building, engineering, problem-solving, and fundraising. In Verde’s case, several philanthropic organizations, including the Walton Family Foundation and the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, provided early funding, enabling on-the-ground partners to gradually build trust and lay the foundation for later success. It took 5-10 years to fully develop a portfolio of projects that could be funded and tied to corporate goals.
Summarize: Be pragmatic and understand the timelines and partnerships needed for success. Company timelines should reflect realities and local needs.
Set flexible goals: Goals with rigidly defined success metrics can result in unmet goals or company goals that fail to address real issues and concerns in local communities. For example, a narrow and rigid goal such as “By 2030, our company will support projects that reduce water pollutants by at least 20% in all regions where we operate” will be difficult to adapt to reflect the changing water challenges and community priorities in different regions.
Key points: Invest in multiple projects and set targets that are flexible enough to respond to local conditions, needs and circumstances. Don’t expect one project or narrow approach to meet both corporate water targets and relevant regional needs.
By understanding and applying important lessons from the Colorado River Basin, we can create a more water-secure future. Learn more about how Building Water-Abundant Communities and cooperate Implementing nature-based solutions.
This article Initial release August 27, 2024, Trellis.net