Amazon Announces $20 Million Investment for Colorado River Basin Water Conservation
Amazon has committed $20 million to water conservation projects in the Colorado River Basin and launched an initiative to raise an additional $100 million. This effort comes as tech companies face increased scrutiny over water consumption, with Amazon reporting on its global data center water use and efficiency improvements. A specific project to repair leaks in Orange County, California, is expected to save 189 million gallons of water annually.
Amazon announced a $20 million investment in water conservation projects within the Colorado River Basin and the creation of the Colorado River Basin Collaborative, aiming to raise $100 million over two years for similar initiatives.
This move by Amazon, which will also join the UN-backed Water Resilience Coalition alongside companies like Microsoft and Meta, comes amid significant drought conditions affecting the Colorado River. The river, which supplies 40 million people across seven U.S. states and two Mexican states, has been hit by an unprecedented 26-year drought exacerbated by overuse and climate change. The U.S. Department of the Interior previously approved a plan to significantly reduce water allocations for Arizona, Nevada, and California.
Amazon's water conservation efforts include a specific pledge of $2.2 million over three years for leak identification and repair in Orange County, California, projected to save 189 million gallons of water annually. The company's sustainability report noted that its data centers globally used 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2025 and improved water efficiency by 52% since 2021. However, a 2025 investigation by The Guardian, disputed by Amazon representative Margaret Callahan, claimed the company did not fully account for water used in electricity generation for its environmental goals.