Ask an Expert: Water stewardship and resilience

In this month’s feature, BC expert Dr. Carla De Las Casas shares insight into how public and private water systems are setting and approaching water commitments as part of their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals.

Question: With increased focus on ESG commitments and heightened concerns over water availability, what are you seeing in terms of water stewardship and resilience?

Answer: Many of our public and private sector clients are setting commitments to address water risks and to amplify their water stewardship efforts in surrounding communities and watersheds as part of their focus on ESG. Clients who operate in water scarce regions or in areas affected more directly by climate impacts are especially focused on water.

The water commitments often reflect the operational use of water by our clients, the value of water management to their stakeholders and customers, and the importance of water to their organization’s mission. Commitments can be “inside the fence” (facility optimization), “outside the fence” (beyond the facility and into the watershed and community), or a combination of the two.

Clients are at various stages of their water commitment process. Some have set and met certain commitments while others are just beginning the process of quantifying their water footprints, identifying their goals, and planning how to reach them. The shift to integrate sustainability reporting into annual financial reporting is certainly a driver for many private sector clients. However, drivers across sectors vary widely: stakeholder or investor pressure, climate change impacts, or simply the desire to do the right thing for their employees, communities, and the planet.

There are three key elements that clients are focusing on as they set and work towards their water commitments and goals.

• Water stewardship: Clients are approaching their organization’s water use and management with social, cultural, and environmental goals that adapt for the future. They are telling their “water story” by connecting water use to their product, operations, customers, and ambitions in a way that makes reporting on success valuable to their investors and stakeholders.
• Watershed connections: For many, “outside the fence” goals in watersheds and communities, rely on effective stakeholder understanding and collaboration for success. Because of our involvement with clients in both the public and private sector, Brown and Caldwell serves as a bridge to identify links between corporate and community needs, and watershed-specific water constraints as well as an appreciation for climate and evolving impacts to the watershed.
• Facility optimization: Taking a systematic approach to reaching “inside the fence” goals through projects at the facility level has led to a reduction in freshwater demand and the optimization of water use for clients often with quantitative, measurable outcomes. Additionally, improvements in water efficiency and quality can save money, build resilience, and protect the legal and social license to operate.