Santa Ana Watershed Site Water Targets Pilot

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Quick Info

Countries:	United States of America
Basins:	North Pacific (446) (San Joaquin & Sacramento)
Project SDGs: Includes Sustainable Development Goals from the project and its locations.	Increase Access to Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (SDG 6.1 & 6.2) Water Quality (SDG 6.3) Water Use Efficiency (SDG 6.4) Integrated Water Resource Management (SDG 6.5) Protect and Restore Ecosystems (SDG 6.6) Stakeholder Participation (SDG 6.b) Sustainable Production (SDG 12.4) Climate Resilience and Adaptation (SDG 13.1)
Project Tags: Includes tags from the project and its locations.	Stormwater Management and Flood Control Drought Management Water-Related Vulnerability Assessments Water Recycling and Reuse Safe, Affordable Water Sustainable Withdrawals Replenishment
Services Needed:	No services needed/offered
Desired Partner:	Business
Language:	English
Start & End Dates:	Jan. 01, 2018 » Aug. 01, 2019
Project Website:	ceowatermandate.org/watertargets/wp-content/uploads/sites/30...
Project Source:	User
Profile Completion:	74%

Project Overview

The Pacific Institute, in its role as co-secretariat for the CEO Water Mandate, coordinated a clustered pilot for setting site water targets in the Santa Ana River Watershed (SARW) in southern California. This helped test and inform global guidance under development for setting site water targets. The pilot was done in coordination with the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA), the California Water Action Collaborative (CWAC), and several companies with facilities and operations in the watershed. Companies that took part in this pilot are: Coca-Cola, Ecolab, Hilton (represented by WWF in this pilot), Nestlé USA, Nestlé Waters North America, Niagara Water, PepsiCo, and Target. Several companies participating in the pilot had also undergone or were in the process of pursuing AWS certification, and saw this pilot as a way to complement their AWS work.

The purpose of the pilot was to help participating companies understand the local water context and engage with peer companies, public sector water managers, and other stakeholders in the catchment to align on key water challenges and set meaningful site targets. This target-setting can help companies prioritize actions and investments that address the key water challenges in the region.

Project Results

Below are some learnings based on the experience of the pilot, collected from the project team and pilot testing companies.

1. Use local water management resources (plans and people). Local water planning documents are compendiums of critical information for understanding the catchment context. Engage water managers by inviting them to stakeholder convenings, sharing insights, and asking for their input on the site water target-setting process.

2. Set clear end dates for site water targets and encourage public sector water managers to do the same. There is often a lack of a clear end date for achieving water-related goals in public-sector water planning. In order to be a SMART target, there must be an established time frame.

3. All water issues are interrelated. The six water challenge categories are inextricably connected and therefore can be difficult to assess individually. It is important to acknowledge these connections, but also to break down the challenges into manageable pieces that can be addressed by explicit targets and actions.

4. Site water targets and actions should go beyond the fenceline. The project team and pilot testers acknowledge that, in a catchment as large, complex, and water-challenged as the SARW, each individual site has little impact and within-fenceline actions alone are not sufficient to address the issues at hand. In order to make a substantial positive impact on the catchment, companies should also look to engage in collaborative projects in the communities and local waterways around their site and in their source water catchments.

5. Qualitative goals are okay. There is a marked lack of quantitative water goals at the catchment scale in the SARW. Where there is a dearth of data or quantitative guidance on the desired condition of the catchment, it is better for a company to set qualitative targets than none at all.

6. Depending on organizational structure, the process of setting site water targets can be led by a corporate water team or site-level management, or both. For companies uniquely structured, undergoing organizational changes or facing resource or time constraints, it is possible to participate in site target-setting even if it is not led at the site level. For example, a company may have a water expert who sits at a regional or corporate level who may be best equipped to lead the process.

Project Files

Santa Ana River Watershed Diagnostic English (81.2 kb)

Setting Site Water Targets Informed by Catchment Context, Case Study: Santa Ana River Watershed, California English (0.8 mb)

Primary Contact

Cora Snyder
Senior Researcher
Pacific Institute

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Partner Organizations

California Water Action Collaborative (CWAC) (Organization)

cawateraction.org

Water scarcity in California is rapidly increasing due to unsustainable water use and decreasing supply reliability. Worsening droughts, intensifying wildfires, and degradation of freshwater ecosystems, all amplified by climate change, are further threatening water supplies for people and nature. To … Learn More

CEO Water Mandate (Organization)

www.ceowatermandate.org

The CEO Water Mandate mobilizes business leaders to advance water stewardship, sanitation, and the Sustainable Development Goals – in partnership with the United Nations, governments, peers, civil society, and others. Endorsers of the CEO Water Mandate recognize that they can … Learn More

Ecolab (Organization)

www.ecolab.com

Ecolab is the global leader in water, hygiene and climate technologies and services that protect people and vital resources. With 2019 sales of $13.5 billion and 50,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions and on-site service to promote safe food, maintain … Learn More

Hilton (Organization)

hiltonworldwide.com

Hilton Hotels & Resorts is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of Hilton. Learn More

Nestlé (Organization)

www.nestle.com

• Nestlé’s ambition is to enhance people’s lives through nutrition, health and wellness. We offer healthier and tastier food and beverage choices at all stages of life and at all times of the day. Based on science and Research and … Learn More

Pacific Institute (Organization)

www.pacinst.org

The Pacific Institute envisions a world in which society, the economy, and the environment have the water they need to thrive now and in the future. In pursuit of this vision, the Institute creates and advances solutions to the world’s … Learn More

PepsiCo (Organization)

www.pepsico.com

Water stewardship has long been one of PepsiCo’s top priorities, and it's an important part of building a Positive Value Chain. As one of the first companies of our size to acknowledge water as a human right, we have a … Learn More

The Coca-Cola Company (Organization)

www.coca-cola.com

The Coca-ColaCompany is the world's largest beverage company. The purpose of company is to refresh the world and make a difference. Our vision is to craft the brands and choice of drinks that people love, to refresh them in body … Learn More

WWF (Organization)

www.worldwildlife.org

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment. It is the world's largest independent conservation organization with over 5 million supporters worldwide, working in … Learn More

Jason Morrison

Admin

Peter Schulte

Member

Tien Shiao

Admin

Cora Snyder

Primary Contact

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