World Water Day 2024: Create a Positive Ripple Effect with Water Stewardship

Water is a critical resource which needs careful management to achieve the right balance between the needs of the environment, people, and businesses. It forms the basis of sustainable development of societies worldwide, playing a vital role within energy, health, and food sectors as well as biodiversity conservation. However, communities around the world continue to face severe water scarcity, with the growing threats of population growth and climate change on our water supplies holding the potential to spark increasing global and local tension.

So, what does it mean to be a good ‘water steward’? Water stewardship is more than just complying with local regulatory requirements and protecting your water supply. It requires a much wider understanding of the impacts of your water use, at both a site and catchment scale, and working collaboratively not only with regulators but with all stakeholders to address shared water challenges. This all starts by adopting the mindset that your water supply is just one small part of a much larger cycle.

Why is it important?

As water resources hydrogeologists and hydrologists, we work in an often-unpredictable climate and are witness to these changes and complexities associated, including the challenges surrounding water abstraction.

Water stewardship provides a framework for businesses to develop collaborative, rather than adversarial, approaches to water resources management. It facilitates the recognition to contribute to the sustainability and balance of local water resources across multi-sector use. Without such an approach, water tensions rise, and environmental damage kicks in.

Embracing a water stewardship standard sets a precedent for businesses to showcase their commitment to responsibly managing their water supplies and tackle water related challenges at a catchment scale. This commitment not only yields substantial reputational benefits but also underscores a dedication to sustainability.

What we are doing...

We have followed the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard System Training, at the Specialist Level, and we are actively assisting our clients to achieve and maintain AWS certification.

The AWS Standard is one of the leading international standards for sustainable and responsible water use. Our support covers all five elements of the standard, to enable our clients to understand, commit and plan, implement, evaluate, and communicate water stewardship actions.

Dr Phil Ham, our Managing Director, says:

'Water stewardship promotes collaborative approaches to addressing shared water risks, promoting good water governance, and ensuring the responsible sharing of water resources in the interest of both water users and the environment. Water stewardship is applicable to operators in every country around the world.'

About Envireau Water

At Envireau Water, we are a team of expert water scientists and engineers, who provide guidance on the management and regulation of natural water systems across the UK. By working collaboratively with our clients and the regulators, we deliver robust sustainable solutions that meet the requirements of all stakeholders. With an incredibly loyal client base and our ability to work seamlessly throughout the four nations of the UK, many of our clients know us individually and trust us to find resolutions to their water problems for years to come.

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Envireau Water is an RSK Group Company.