Decades of drought and the withdrawal of more water from the Colorado River than it can deliver 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 used to.

A proven and successful model can be found on the Verde River, a tributary of the Salt River in northern Arizona in the Colorado River basin. The Verde River supplies water to local farms and provides up to 40 percent of the state’s surface water for major urban areas in the Phoenix metropolitan area. But its long-term health is threatened by withdrawals, groundwater extraction, global warming and drought.

Companies such as Boeing, REI, Coca-Cola, Meta, Microsoft, Cox, PepsiCo, Google, Procter & Gamble, EdgeCore and Intel have partnered with groups such as The Nature Conservancy, Friends of the Verde River, National Forest Foundation and the Salt River Project to support dozens of resilience projects in the Verde River over the past decade. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) reports that over the past five years, projects in seven irrigation districts have saved nearly 50,000 acre-feet of water—enough to supply 100,000 U.S. households for a year.

The goal of these projects was to create healthier rivers and wetlands, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and increase the efficiency of water supply systems. Here are some examples.

Reducing the risk of forest fires

An excess of small shrubs and trees in the forested headwaters of the Verde River has significantly increased the risk of devastating wildfires that could impact communities and regional water supplies and infrastructure. Partnerships including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and corporate funders have scaled up projects that clear the excess growth and restore healthy forest conditions. This work has reduced fire risk, improved water availability, and increased water security for the region. Corporate partners such as EdgeCore, PepsiCo, Apple, Meta, and Google have been critical to the success of these projects.

“Meta’s water conservation efforts include investing in projects that help set the conditions for sustainable water management,” said Stefanie Woodward, Meta’s director of water conservation. “We are proud to support projects that help restore healthy forest conditions in Verde and support environmental nonprofits and communities in building long-term capacity in Arizona.”

Increased water protection

Aging irrigation ditches carry water from the Verde River to farms in the middle Verde basin. Leakage along many miles of the system increased water withdrawals from the river and made it difficult to irrigate farmland.

Several Verde River irrigation districts have partnered with The Nature Conservancy to install more than 4 miles of irrigation ditches and improve water management by installing new water control structures. The work has resulted in better water conservation and improved water flows. Companies involved in the project include Swire Coca-Cola USA, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Meta, Coors Seltzer, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Advanced Semiconductor Materials (ASM) and Pulliam Trust.

“Together with The Coca-Cola Company, we are supporting conservation organizations along the Verde River to address the critical water issues facing this vital ecosystem,” said Mike Bernier, sustainability director at Swire Coca-Cola. “By funding projects like the Verde Ditch piping, we are helping to implement a long-term solution to reduce spills, which in turn will improve water efficiency and ensure the sustainability of this water source for millions of people downstream.”

Changing water requirements in agriculture

Many traditional crops in the Verde Valley are water intensive and require significant irrigation during the summer months when rivers are low. A partnership that includes: Sinagua malt, TNC and local farmers implemented an innovative program that replaced water-intensive crops like alfalfa with barley, which requires less water in the summer. The project provided a solution that provides breweries with premium Arizona malt while improving water flow 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 donors such as REI, Intel and Forever Our Rivers each funded work to remove invasive arundo and tamarisk plants from the middle Verde River and areas near the Verde’s confluence with the Salt River. These plants crowd out native vegetation and can use water more heavily. Their removal has helped restore habitat, improve biodiversity and allow more water to flow into the Verde River.

Creating the conditions for success

Fund-ready water resilience projects that directly support corporate goals are rare. Understanding the history and context of the work on the Verde River can help companies replicate success in other areas.

Social stronghold: Most projects in Verde were developed in areas where extensive groundwork had already been done by organizations that would later partner with companies. Nonprofit groups and agencies spent time building relationships and trust with landowners, agencies and partners before making corporate investments. A foundation of social infrastructure was in place or ready for expansion.

Take away: Remember that you will need to support key supporting activities such as planning, project design or outreach. It is rare that “actionable projects” are placed in the right places and at the right time to perfectly align with business goals. Understanding and supporting pre-project strategies, including relationship building, can be critical.

Relevance to the community: Making progress requires a shared understanding of water challenges and solutions. There must be an overlap between community, business and conservation goals. On the Verde River, an analysis of water problems, challenges and solutions conducted by TNC and others helped identify areas where community interests overlapped with business and conservation priorities.

Take away: Long-term, large-scale resilience projects require significant community involvement to be successful. Specific corporate goals around leadership, volume or replenishment should be based on a solid understanding of local priorities and context. This includes current public sentiment and the availability, likelihood, cost and timing of projects in a given location.

The long game: Many projects require years of preparation – for example, overhauling and improving centuries-old irrigation ditches that cross many property lines 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 that allowed local partners to gradually build trust and lay the foundation for later success. It took 5 to 10 years to fully develop a pipeline of projects that could be funded and linked to corporate goals.

Take away: Be realistic and educate yourself on the timeline and partnerships needed to succeed. Company timelines should reflect actual conditions and needs on the ground.

Set flexible goals: Goals that rigidly define measures of success can lead to failure to achieve goals—or to company goals that fail to address the real problems and concerns of local communities. For example, a narrow, inflexible goal such as “By 2030, our company will support projects that reduce water pollution by at least 20 percent in all regions where we operate” makes it difficult to adapt to real conditions and needs that reflect evolving water issues and societal priorities in different locations.

Take away: Invest in multiple projects and set objectives that are flexible enough to respond to local conditions, needs and contexts. Don’t expect a single project or limited approach to meet both corporate water objectives and relevant regional needs.

By understanding and applying important lessons learned from across the Colorado River Basin, we can create a more water-secure future. Learn more about how you can Build a water positive community and partners of Implementation of nature-based solutions.

This article was originally published on August 27, 2024 at Trellis.net