How We Help Protect Watersheds

Targeted land protection is a proactive strategy aimed at mitigating potential environmental threats, such as elevated sediment or nutrient levels resulting from shifts in land use. This approach may involve various actions, such as acquiring land to safeguard critical or sensitive areas vital for ecosystem preservation, establishing land use agreements with adjacent property owners, securing conservation easements through purchase agreements, and site security.

Learn about our conservation easements in Colorado and Florida

Road and stormwater management involves the deployment of a range of avoidance and mitigation techniques that aim to reduce the environmental impacts of roads and associated runoff, including those related to negative effects on soils, water, species, and habitats. For example, rain gardens and bioswales both help to slow and filter stormwater runoff from paved areas.

Learn more about our work at the Twin Creek Nature Area in Michigan

Wetlands restoration and conservation revolve around vegetation-focused interventions aimed at revitalizing the hydrology, flora, and soil of previously drained or altered wetlands. These initiatives involve various activities, such as invasive vegetation removal, native landscaping, enhancing shading over ponds to curb algae proliferation, eliminating underground drainage systems, constructing dikes, and filling open ditches.

Read about our wetlands restoration work at Ruby Mountain Springs in Colorado

Fire risk management encompasses a suite of activities aimed at diminishing forest fuels to mitigate the potential for catastrophic wildfires, which pose significant risks to watersheds and drinking water sources. These fires have the potential to strip away vegetation, duff, and organic matter, leaving soil susceptible to erosion during rainstorms. By reducing forest fuels through strategic management practices, such as prescribed burns and vegetation thinning, the likelihood of severe canopy fire events can be diminished, safeguarding the integrity of watersheds and the quality of drinking water sources.

Habitat protection aims to nurture healthy and diverse wildlife habitats around our springs. This may involve promoting wildlife movement and safeguarding habitat bighorn sheep habitat in Colorado through actions like wildlife-friendly fencing and grazing restrictions and improving fish hatchery features with more natural aquatic and riparian environments to enhance the ecosystem.

Read about our efforts to help protect bighorn sheep habitat in Colorado

Education and advocacy aim to enhance educational opportunities related to water stewardship and watershed protection. This may involve incorporating educational signage and educational opportunities for local school districts, colleges, and non-profit groups to educate and inform communities about water quality and quantity protection measures they can take. Developing the water stewards of tomorrow is an integral part of building future water resilience by engaging and empowering communities through leading science and water related practices.

Read about the Ecology School in Maine

BlueTriton partners with independent scientists for comprehensive monitoring of groundwater systems, springs, wetlands, and surface water bodies surrounding our operations. We maintain continuous (e.g., hourly) surveillance of extraction rates, providing regular reports to regulatory agencies and the public. Our monitoring extends to aquifer levels, spring flow, and flow within adjacent wetlands habitats and aquifers, safeguarding the health of these vital water resources through our sourcing and stewardship efforts.

View our site monitoring reports

BlueTriton takes a proactive approach by actively seeking third-party verification and certification of our water stewardship practices at high-water-stress and other priority sites, promoting accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement in our operations. We engage with leading organizations such as the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), The Water Council's Water Stewardship Verified (WAVE) program, and Limnotech, which specializes in volumetric water benefit accounting. Through these partnerships, we are able to confirm that our water management initiatives meet rigorous standards and undergo independent assessment, reinforcing our commitment to responsible water stewardship and sustainable practices.

View our third-party water stewardship verifications

Founded in 2002, the Ice Mountain® Environmental Stewardship Fund (IMESF) is a leading philanthropic effort for watershed enhancement efforts in Michigan's Muskegon River Watershed. Through grants to watershed-based organizations, the fund facilitates conservation, enhancement, and restoration projects. These initiatives aim to enhance the overall physical, chemical, and biological health of the watershed, fostering sustainable improvements for the benefit of local communities and ecosystems.