Heidi Paul
Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Nestlé Waters North America

Sustainable Waters Program:

In 2004 Nestlé Waters North America committed another $1 million to support The Nature Conservancy’s Sustainable Waters Program. The funding helps The Conservancy develop and educate people about sustainable water management as well as help support some of the most biologically important fresh water systems. Among the projects made possible by NWNA’s donation to Sustainable Waters Program are initially two pilot projects – one on the Rivanna River in the Charlottesville area of Virginia and the other on Caddo Lake in Texas, each of which  will be supported. The purpose of this program is to find new approaches for storing and diverting water to serve human needs, including drinking water and electricity, without degrading the health of the freshwater systems.

Katahdin Forest Project, Maine
As part of the $1 million commitment, $200,000 is going toward The Nature Conservancy’s 241,000-acre Katahdin Forest Project in Maine. The lands around Mount Katahdin boast thousands of acres of mature forests, some of which have not been harvested in 70 to 100 years. The property includes the Debsconeag Lakes region, which contains the highest concentration of remote ponds in New England and encompasses a 15-mile portion of the “Hundred Mile Wilderness” section of the Appalachian Trail.

The Rivanna Watershed, Virginia
Brian Richter, Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Sustainable Waters Program, said, “We are thrilled to have this generous donation from Nestlé Waters to help us work toward protecting the ecological health of such freshwater systems as the Rivanna River. The lessons we learn from this project can be implemented across the country where a balance of human and environmental water needs is crucial.”

The Nature Conservancy has identified the Rivanna watershed as one of the finest remaining freshwater river and stream systems in the Piedmont. Its swift streams harbor abundant life, including the federally endangered James spiny mussel. And its drinking water sustains a growing population. The river also serves as an important recreational asset, which local residents and tourists use for fishing, canoeing and wildlife watching. While the Rivanna River and its tributaries have so far proven resilient to development that has overwhelmed similar waterways, it now faces unprecedented peril due to the region’s population growth and in some cases, inappropriate use of the river.  

Press Release: June 30, 2005
Nature Conservancy Announces $1 Million Donation from Nestle Waters to Preserve Threatened Waters (Rivanna River) 

Caddo Lake, Texas
The largest natural lake in Texas, Caddo Lake, and surrounding wetlands are a mixed bottomland hardwood forest and shallow bald cypress swamp that border Louisiana and Texas and cover 50 square miles. Long regarded as one of the best remaining examples of this forest type, the area was declared the United States’ 13th Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty that recognizes exemplary wetland systems. A maze of bayous, cypress swamps and ponds, Caddo Lake and its surroundings support the richest array of aquatic creatures in the area, with more than 20 mussel species and 90-plus species of fish, including uncommon species such as the paddlefish.

At Caddo Lake, the Sustainable Waters Program has organized a series of on-site workshops in which scientists, water managers and local community members examine the current and projected demands on the available water and evaluate how the Lake O’ the Pines Reservoir could be operated to meet a broader spectrum of needs. The effort seeks to improve the overall health of the freshwater system affecting Big Cypress Bayou and Caddo Lake downstream while continuing to meet human demands such as drinking water, flood control and recreation.

Press Release: July 8, 2005
Nature Conservancy Announces $1 Million Donation from Nestle Waters to Preserve Threatened Waters (Caddo Lake)