New Water Coalition Launched to Invest in Conservation Efforts for the Upper Trinity River
The Texas Water Action Collaborative (TxWAC) has been formed to focus on the Trinity River, which 7.5 million people in Dallas-Fort Worth depend on.
The use of the river extends across domestic, industrial, and agricultural sectors, according to Dallas Innovates. The Trinity River that runs through DFW has been inaccessible due to pollutants like runoff, illegal dumping, and litter.
The Trinity River Basin flows 715 river miles and drains 18,000 square miles before emptying into Trinity Bay near Anahuac in Southeast Texas. Downstream, a population of around 6 million depend on the Trinity as a water source.
“Texas’ population of 29 million people is expected to double by 2050, putting pressure on the state’s land, water, wildlife, and infrastructure,” said Joni Carswell, CEO of Texan by Nature, in a statement from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. “Now more than ever, innovative and collaborative partnerships between industry and conservation organizations are critical to conserve, restore, and maintain Texas’ diverse and bountiful natural resources as well as economic leadership.”
The group will invest in the Upper Trinity River as a means to yield positive return for water quantity and quality, reported Dallas Innovates. The organizations involved are developing best practices, metrics, proposals, and investment matching methodology to create a model that can be used along the Trinity River.
The entire list of founding companies and organizations for TxWAC includes:
- Molson Coors Beverage Company
- Frito-Lay North America and PepsiCo Beverages North America
- Coca-Cola North America and Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages
- Keurig Dr Pepper
- LimnoTech
- Ecolab
- Bonneville Environmental Foundation
- Natural Resources Conservation Service – Texas
- Tarrant Regional Water District
- Trinity River Authority
- Texan by Nature
Conservation organizations that have joined in TxWAC include Texan by Nature, Trinity River Authority, Tarrant Regional Water District, and Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Molson Coors Beverage Company and its previous projects with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will be used as a template for corporate funding opportunities and to develop proposals for conservation organizations that need development assistance and funding in the Upper Trinity River region, according to Dallas Innovates.
“Since 2012, Molson Coors, Tarrant Regional Water District, and the NRCS have been able to provide close to $9 million in collective funding assistance to Texas farmers and ranchers to improve the water supply for more than 45% of state users,” said Kim Marotta, senior director of global sustainability for Molson Coors. “Through collective partnership, we have restored an estimated eight billion gallons of water to the watershed, and we look forward to scaling our impact by working with more organizations through this collaborative.”
Coca-Cola teamed up with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s Business for Water Stewardship Program to bring many private-sector funders to the TxWAC table as well, added Dallas Innovates.
