At the end of October, Business for Water Stewardship hosted a corporate fly-in to Washington, DC bringing the business voice on water to members of Congress, congressional staff and federal agencies. The visiting delegation of  concerned corporate leaders had two primary goals: to bring the water stories of major corporate partners to federal policy makers and to promote a smart water policy agenda.

With representation from the Coca Cola Company, SUEZ Water Technologies and Solutions, Salt Lake Chamber, and Stantech we outlined water strategies and programs within their companies related to efficiencies, conservation and stream flow restoration. The companies illustrated for policy makers the corporate connection to water scarcity and risk in the Colorado River Basin, and, for some, how they are investing corporate dollars on the ground to address these issues.

Our policy agenda for this trip included:

• Encouraging continued funding for key federal water programs like WaterSMART and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
• Discussing the emerging idea of redirecting Farm Bill funding and authorizing language to support watersheds, water conservation and irrigation efficiencies in the Colorado River Basin.
• Thanking all who made the recent signing of Minute 323 with Mexico possible.
• An overview of the Drought Contingency Planning process ongoing in Arizona and the need for federal support and future funding.