Amazon makes a $20M bet on the Colorado River

Amazon has launched what it calls one of the biggest corporate water conservation efforts for a single U.S. watershed with a pledge to invest $20 million into the Colorado River Basin.

Executives are calling the program the Colorado River Basin Collaborative. Participating companies, including supermarket giant Aldi and The Coca-Cola Foundation, plan to invest $100 million over the next two years. So far, participating companies have committed $32 million, according to a Monday press release.

The news follows the federal government’s announcement that the Lower Colorado River Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada alone would be forced to accept mandatory cuts to their shares of the river while the Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming would only contribute conserved water on a voluntary basis.

Nevada’s water managers have filed a federal lawsuit saying it’s unacceptable for the federal government to assert a legal authority to slash the state’s share of the river by 71 percent, presenting an existential threat for its water users.

Both elected lawmakers and the basin’s business leaders have called for Congress to come up with billions for projects along the Colorado River such as water recycling and desalination.

Kara Hurst, Amazon’s chief sustainability officer, said in a statement that the investment mirrors the company’s collaborative approach through what it calls The Climate Pledge, a commitment of more than 700 companies to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

Net-zero means that the amount of greenhouse gases emitted is balanced by the amount removed from the atmosphere.

“We’re bringing that same model to the Colorado River because water and climate are deeply connected,” Hurst said. “What sets this apart is also quick action — starting now through 2028, the coalition will deploy funding into projects that are already vetted and ready to go.”

No word yet on Southern Nevada projects

Each company will pursue separate projects in an effort to avoid competing company priorities, the press release said.

Amazon gave two examples of projects it is working on: The first centers around the Municipal Water District of Orange County in California, where Amazon will improve leak detection and fund repairs.

The other is a $2.4 million partnership with an agricultural technology company called Arable, helping Native American farmers in the Lower Colorado River Basin states with irrigation efficiency. Amazon’s sensors give farmers real-time data on when their crops need water, according to the press release.

Asked if any of its projects would center on Southern Nevada, an Amazon spokesman said some of them would but the company is not ready to reveal any details yet. A Southern Nevada Water Authority spokesman said he was aware of Amazon’s announcement but had no sense of how the investment might involve the region or affect the river overall.