Amazon pledges $20 million for Colorado River conservation amid water usage transparency concerns

Amazon has committed $20 million to the newly formed Colorado River Basin Collaborative, an initiative aiming to raise $100 million over two years for water conservation efforts, including leak repairs and precision irrigation. While the company highlights this as part of its Climate Pledge, it faces criticism for failing to disclose specific water consumption data for its data centers and warehouses within the basin. Although Amazon reported 2.5 billion gallons in global data center withdrawals for 2025, it has not provided regional breakdowns or accounted for water used by the power plants supporting its operations. AWS maintains that its regional sites are air-cooled, yet the lack of transparency regarding local water impact remains a point of contention. With the basin facing a significant supply-demand gap, critics argue that while the funding is a positive step, Amazon must provide greater transparency to substantiate its sustainability claims.