Amazon invests $2.4M into water conservation in Arizona
Amazon launched the "Colorado River Basin Collaborative" to invest in water conservation projects, including an initial $2.4 million into irrigation technology for Arizona farmers. This initiative aims to raise $100 million over two years to address water problems in the shrinking Colorado River Basin. Amazon acknowledges its data centers' water footprint and states its Arizona data centers utilize air cooling, not water cooling.
Amazon has initiated the "Colorado River Basin Collaborative," a multi-million dollar program aimed at investing in water conservation efforts for communities dependent on the Colorado River. The online retail giant has already committed 20% of its $100 million two-year fundraising goal and invested $2.4 million into irrigation technology for farmers in Arizona's Lower Colorado River Basin. This technology, developed by Arable, uses AI-powered soil-moisture sensors that rely on Amazon Web Services data centers to help farmers reduce water usage by approximately 20%.
Will Hewes, Amazon's water stewardship lead, emphasized the private sector's responsibility to address water problems, noting that while Amazon does not currently operate water-cooled data centers in the basin, its air-cooled facilities still contribute to its overall water footprint. The company disclosed its data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water globally in 2025 and highlighted the broader water demands of artificial intelligence.
Hewes expressed optimism that the collaborative, alongside a new partnership with the United Nations-backed Water Resilience Coalition, could significantly offset Amazon's water usage and accelerate progress in conservation.