PepsiCo Beverages North America has partnered with the Water Replenishment District (WRD) of Southern California through a $1.5 million grant, which it will utilize to manage and protect local groundwater resources used by more than 4 million residents.
 
“Partnering with the Water Replenishment District of Southern California will not only help enable long-term, sustainable water security for local communities who depend on an accessible and reliable supply of clean, safe water,” Johannes Evenblij, president of PepsiCo Beverages North America’s west division, said. “But it will also be critical in the advancement of our Pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) Net Water Positive ambition to reduce absolute water use and replenish back into the local watershed more than 100% of the water we use. As a food and beverage company, we’re acutely aware of the critical role water plays in the southern California ecosystem, and our community.”
 
The partnership will improve drought resiliency, and pilot WRD’s first inland injection well for utilization of in-ground storage, and will store 325,851 gallons of water per year for municipal and indirect use, drought resiliency, and mitigation.
 
“The Water Replenishment District is proud to be the first public agency to receive a water sustainability grant from PepsiCo,” John D. S. Allen, Water Replenishment District board president, said. “This grant will help build our region’s drought resilience for years to come. The WRD board of directors commend and applaud PepsiCo for their commitment to protecting our watershed.”
 
PepsiCo’s sustainable partnerships focus on water-use efficiency, local replenishment in water-scarce areas, public education, policy advocacy, and adoption of best practices with community partners. Other partnerships the company is engaged in include: a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation to replant two million trees in burn scars of Northern California affected by wildfires in 2018; a partnership with the California Water Action Collaborative to invest in efforts throughout the state to yield positive return for water quality and quantity; and a partnership with the Nature Conservancy to protect the Salt and Verde watersheds of the arid western United States.