From Fields to Forests: How Amazon is Reviving Spain’s Water Supply

Image Credit: Amazon

Amazon has built a two-kilometre pipeline in Pina de Ebro, Spain, designed to capture agricultural water runoff and use it to nourish a local poplar grove. The project not only supports the trees but also helps reduce water pollution in the Ebro River.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation has warned that global water demand is expected to reach 6,900 cubic kilometres by 2030, a figure projected to exceed sustainable supply by 40%. According to the organisation, careful water stewardship will be essential to bridging this gap in a way that benefits both people and nature.

Water plays a role in almost every part of Amazon’s business. Amazon Web Services, for example, depends on water to cool its data centres. The company has pledged to return more water to the communities it operates in than it consumes by the year 2030.

Sally Fouts, Director of The Climate Pledge at Amazon, said on LinkedIn: “At Amazon, we're committed to being a good water steward everywhere we operate. 

“Along the Ebro River in Spain, we've worked with Mediodes and the local irrigation community to develop a solution that truly matters to residents - a 2km pipeline that redirects agricultural runoff to nourish a community poplar grove.”

Why Spain Is Facing Water Stress

Research by the bank BBVA indicates that a combination of factors is contributing to Spain’s water stress. Climate change is causing droughts to last longer, rainfall to become heavier, heatwaves to occur more often, and wildfires to be more destructive. These conditions are placing a strain on rivers, reservoirs and aquifers, which in turn threaten key sectors such as agriculture, energy and tourism.

BBVA’s study also highlights shortcomings in Spain’s water management. In 2022, 77 per cent of extracted water was either used for agriculture or taken from water-stressed regions. Much of the country’s water infrastructure is outdated, lacks digitalisation, has limited storage capacity and suffers from leaks. The bank estimates that approximately $7 million will need to be invested annually for the next decade to ensure water resilience.

How Amazon’s Pipeline Works

The new pipeline captures nutrient-rich runoff from irrigated farmland that would otherwise flow into the Ebro River. It then redirects this water to a 70-hectare poplar grove. The forest, which once relied on fresh water from the central canal, can now be sustained by water that has already served its primary purpose.

Pablo Subías Cabrera, Secretary of the Pina de Ebro Irrigation Community, says: "Before this project, we faced a complex challenge.

"We needed to provide water for both our agricultural needs and our municipal poplar grove, all while staying within our water consumption limits.

"What makes this solution so effective is that we're using the water twice. We irrigate the crops, and then we irrigate the trees with the same water."

Irrigation communities in Spain operate under strict annual water allocations, set by river basin authorities to manage availability across their territories. For Pina de Ebro, this initiative offers a sustainable way to stretch limited resources.

The grove’s root systems act as natural filters, absorbing nutrients that would otherwise pollute the river. Amazon says this improves water quality while also feeding the trees. The system is expected to save 846 million litres of water from being drawn from the Ebro River each year, reducing the strain on the ecosystem. This project is one of 29 water replenishment initiatives Amazon has launched globally.

Pina de Ebro Mayor Pablo Blanquet Abós says, "This new irrigation system demonstrates a commitment to sustainability while providing landscape and environmental value to our municipality.

"We must acknowledge AWS's collaboration with the territory in Aragon and their firm commitment to optimising water use."

Amazon and The Climate Pledge

The pipeline project aligns with Amazon’s broader climate commitments. The company co-founded The Climate Pledge in 2019 with Global Optimism, setting a target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement goal. Nearly 600 organisations have now signed on.

Signatories to the pledge commit to regularly reporting greenhouse gas emissions, implementing decarbonisation strategies such as energy efficiency and renewable energy use, and offsetting any remaining emissions with credible, measurable and socially beneficial projects.

The Climate Pledge Fund, established by Amazon, supports the development of new technologies and products to accelerate decarbonisation.

BizClik, the media company behind Sustainability Magazine, joined the pledge in August 2025. “We are not waiting for change; we are building it,” said Glen White, the company’s CEO.

The role of water stewardship in corporate sustainability will be explored at upcoming Sustainability LIVE events in cities including London and New York. Chris Walker, Director of Sustainability at AWS, will speak in New York about the route to net zero. At the same time, Hillary Tam, Sustainability Leader for EMEA at AWS, will join the London event to discuss the evolving role of Chief Sustainability Officers.