Contributed Article/Courtesy Trout Unlimited
PHOENIX – Today, Google announced a $600,000 contribution to a new water replenishment project in Arizona, as part of Google’s broader commitment to responsibly manage water resources in the communities where it builds and operates data centers. This project builds on Google’s existing investments, through partnership with Bonneville Environmental Foundation, in a dozen replenishment and watershed health projects across parts of the Colorado River that feed Arizona communities.
In partnership with Trout Unlimited and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the project will remove and replace three undersized culverts – the tunnels that channel water underneath roadways – along a key tributary of the Salt River. This effort will help restore natural streamflow and reconnect vital habitats for the Apache Trout, the first sportfish ever to be delisted from the Endangered Species Act. Given the Salt River’s role as an important water source for Apache County, Phoenix Valley residents, and the Phoenix metro area, this work will also have benefits for both local and downstream users – reducing the sediment flowing into water treatment plants and reservoirs, and increasing overall water access.
“This project will help to build on the success of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, and Forest Service efforts to protect and support the recovery of the Apache Trout. Additionally, this project will contribute direct ecological benefits to the watershed, creating resilience and increasing the system’s capacity to withstand drought and other climate-related stressors,” said Nathan Rees, Arizona State Director at Trout Unlimited. “We’re grateful for Google’s support of this work and continued commitment to protecting the health of Arizona’s watersheds.”
“Restoring passage and streamflow in this key tributary of the Salt River is a meaningful step forward for the Apache Trout, a conservation success story that continues thanks to the dedication of partners like Trout Unlimited,” said Jason E. Davis, Acting Assistant Regional Director of the Southwest Region’s Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “This project improves stream and ecosystem processes, forest and watershed health, and provides lasting benefits for a variety of aquatic and terrestrial species. This kind of collaborative, locally-led work will support the long-term health of the watershed for fish, wildlife and people.”
“Water is a vital resource, playing a crucial role in transportation, energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and, most importantly, healthy ecosystems & communities,” said Ben Townsend, Global Head of Infrastructure Strategy & Sustainability at Google. “As data centers evolve to support our growing digital world, we have both an opportunity and a responsibility to protect community water resources while investing in watersheds and public water infrastructure to ensure we all have a bright water future. Our goal is to deliver on these commitments, while creating a blueprint for responsible water use across the industry.”
Around the world, Google has committed over $500 million to the development of water, wastewater, and water reuse infrastructure and to the utility partners that deliver water in the communities where Google builds and operates data centers. Globally, Google has 165 water stewardship projects across 97 watersheds.
About Google’s Water Stewardship Efforts
Google is committed to replenishing more freshwater than it consumes, on average, across its offices and data centers by 2030. The company supports watershed health and water stewardship projects in communities where it operates through partnerships focused on ecosystem restoration, water replenishment, infrastructure improvements, and community resilience.
About Trout Unlimited
Trout Unlimited is the nation’s leading conservation organization working to care for and recover rivers and streams and their trout and salmon populations. We bring people together across the country to be champions for their rivers and help make our water cleaner and our communities healthier. Founded by a small band of Michigan anglers in 1959, we have grown into a national organization with more than 350 staff, 400 chapters, and 300,000 members and supporters. We bring science-driven restoration know-how, state and national policy muscle, and local volunteer energy to bear on behalf of clean water, healthy trout and salmon, and thriving communities.
About Google
Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Google Cloud, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
