PepsiCo Beverages North America announces funding for four additional water replenishment projects driving further progress toward goal of becoming Net Water Positive by 2030

Stuart Mitchell

PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA) has announced a commitment to fund four additional water replenishment projects in California and Florida. These four projects aim to advance PepsiCo’s ambitious efforts to achieve their goal to replenish back into the local watersheds more than 100% of the water used at company-owned and third-party sites in high water-risk areas by 2030, part of the company’s broader vision to become Net Water Positive by 2030. 

“Replenishing regional water supplies is a crucial element of tracking toward our pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) vision of becoming net water positive by 2030, specifically in high water-risk areas where our company operates,” said Lawren Cooper, PepsiCo Beverages North America, Sustainability Director. “With several company facilities relying on water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed, Lower Colorado River watershed, and Florida Everglades watershed, we have a tremendous interest to help replenish the water supply in those areas.”

PBNA’s most recent investments to catalyze replenishment and drive progress towards becoming Net Water Positive by 2030 include two investments in Northern California, one focused on the Shea Island Channel in Redding, California and one on the Mokelumne River Watershed in Sacramento, California. PBNA has also invested in a water replenishment project in Southern California along the Colorado River watershed on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, as well as in stormwater retention ponds throughout the Florida Everglades, with long-time partner The Nature Conservancy.

Stormwater Retention Ponds Project with The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
Florida Everglades
The Nature Conservancy’s Brightstorm program will improve stormwater pond performance in the Florida Everglades watershed by retrofitting ponds with sensors, weather forecasting, and adaptive controls to enhance and improve water quality, help mitigate floods, and restore more natural flows. This is one of more than two dozen projects that PepsiCo is working on with The Nature Conservancy, across North America, Latin America and Africa on water stewardship efforts. PBNA has committed $1,000,000 to the project.

Mokelumne River Watershed Project:
Sacramento-San Joaquin River watershed 
Sacramento, Calif.
In partnership with Blue Forest, the World Resources Institute, and the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority, PBNA’s investment will focus on restoring forest structure, composition, and function in over 2,000 acres of the Mokelumne Basin, part of the greater Sacramento-San Joaquin River system in Sacramento, Calif. A variety of forest thinning and restoration activities will help return forests to a more resilient state. The project will also reduce evapotranspiration from the Mokelumne River basin, increasing the volume of water that is available for local ecosystems and human users downstream. PBNA has committed $440,000 to the project.

Quechan Tribe Water Conservation Project:
Colorado River Watershed
Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, Calif.
The Quechan Tribe Water Conservation Project in the Colorado River watershed on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, Calif. will support several critical improvements to the water management and irrigation infrastructure that supplies water for agriculture use on the reservation.  The investment will allow for the building of a new solar pumping station, retiring a point of diversion on the river, and improving water delivery infrastructure, which will improve water efficiency and reduce diversions from the Colorado River. PBNA has committed $300,000 to the project.

Shea Island Channel Project:
Sacramento-San Joaquin River watershed
Redding, Calif.
An aquatic restoration project in partnership with Chico State Enterprises the Sacramento-San Joaquin River watershed in Redding, Calif., restored three side channels to improve river flow to sustain perennial flow and will also provide habitat for endangered Winter-run Chinook salmon. Funding will also focus on improving river flow and hydrologic connectivity to benefit the endangered salmon. PBNA has committed $300,000 to the project.

These latest announcements build upon PepsiCo’s consistent investments in water replenishment across North America, which have included replacing infrastructure and eliminating loss of water supply in the Guadalupe River and San Antonio River basins, supporting water replenishment projects in the Colorado River Basin, supporting a partnership with Water Replenishment District of Southern California to help protect the state’s most used basins and being recognized as the 2023 Industrial Water Reuse Champions Award by WateReuse Association.

To learn more about PepsiCo pep+ sustainability transformation, visit www.pepsico.com/pepsicopositive.

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