Texas Water Action Collaborative

MISSION, CURRENT STATUS, AND GOALS

The Texas Water Action Collaborative (TxWAC) matches companies and funders with conservation projects to positively benefit Texas’ water resources.

TxWAC is piloting in the Upper Trinity River Basin, expanding to the lower Trinity River Basin in Q4 of 2021 – Q1 of 2022, and expanding to another river basin in Texas by Q4 2022 to accelerate new investments in water conservation. Since March of 2021, the collaborative has:

  • announced TxWAC;
  • surveyed corporate and conservation stakeholders;
  • developed processes/frameworks for scoring and prioritizing projects by impact and importance;
  • and began corporate matching to foster connections and secure funding commitments.

The goals of the collaborative pilot are to:

  • Benefit the quality and volume of water of the Trinity River;
  • Spread awareness and education regarding the need for water conservation and projects that have succeeded;
  • Build collaborative relationships to align goals, metrics, and timelines between conservation organizations, corporate entities, and communities;
  • Create a matching methodology for funding, activity, measurement, and reporting of water conservation projects;
  • Build a replicable model for the entire Trinity River Basin and other Texas river systems.

Moving forward, the collaborative will continue to survey all stakeholders, refine the process/frameworks, and match incoming projects to interested funders.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

  • If you have a project/program that needs funding within the Trinity River Basin, please complete the Conservation Efforts Survey.
  • If you want to fund a project/program in the Trinity River Basin, please complete the Company/Funder Survey.
  • If you provide tools and services that provide research, metrics/data scoping, collection, reporting, etc. for conservation projects please complete this survey. Many conservation projects lack the tools and data needed to quantify impact. The information from this survey will be used to create a repository of organizations that provide tools and services, allowing all stakeholders to better navigate this space and find the right fit for their organization/business.

STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS

Contact taylor@texanbynature.org to attend upcoming TxWAC meetings.

HOW IT STARTED

TxWAC was officially announced on World Water Day in March of 2021 after ongoing conversations and collaborations between conservation organizations and corporations in the Upper Trinity River Basin. Texan by Nature was pulled in to develop, facilitate, and operate TxWAC, using the successful model of the California Water Action Collaborative as inspiration.

WHO’S INVOLVED

Texan by Nature facilitates TxWAC in partnership with individuals from the following organizations and companies that make up the TxWAC Planning Team:

TxWAC MEMBERS

At this time, there is no cost to stakeholders who join TxWAC as a member. Those who join the collaborative are joining the conversation and expressing an interest in achieving the goals of TxWAC. Collaborative partners are not guaranteed funding or partnerships as a result of joining. If you are interested in learning more about TxWAC membership, please contact Taylor Keys at taylor@texanbynature.org.

CORPORATE MEMBERS:

CONSERVATION MEMBERS:

FAQS

Why is TxWAC needed in Texas?
Texas’ population of 29 million people is expected to double by 2050, putting pressure on the state’s land, water, wildlife, and infrastructure. As the 10th largest economy in the world and a GDP of $1.9T, new water opportunities and conservation actions are needed to maintain economic leadership.

Why is TxWAC focused on the Trinity River?
The Trinity impacts the two largest human and corporate populations in the state of Texas. The Trinity River Basin extends 715 river miles and drains 18,000 square miles before emptying into Trinity Bay near Anahuac. Approximately 7.5 million people in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex depend on the Trinity River water supply for domestic, industrial, and agricultural use. In addition, the downstream population of 6 million people, including the city of Houston, depend on this water source and are directly impacted by the actions of upstream users.

How is conservation different in Texas than in other states and why is it so important?
Texas is ~95% privately owned. Successful, broad-based voluntary conservation efforts require collaboration between private landowners and other entities. View Texas Land Trends for the Trinity River Basin.

What are TxWAC’s plans for the future?
Expansion and replication. TxWAC would like to welcome additional corporate and conservation partners and create a model that can be replicated on all Texas river systems.

RESOURCES

 

Texan by Nature’s efforts to convene and accelerate statewide initiatives are made possible due to the support from our sponsors that are dedicated to conservation.

2021 support of the Texas Water Action Collaborative is brought to you by:

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