Our Standard
All Verified Water projects must pass independent validation and verification for adhering to the rules and requirements of the Water Credit Standard (WCS).
TM
Learn More
The Water Credit Standard (WCS) was developed by our team of water sustainability experts with a 30+ year track record in all aspects water resource management, including both technical and legal. Following best practices for standards for voluntary environmental markets, the WCS has undergone review by qualified and respected subject matter experts. To learn more about the WCS and request a copy of the document, please reach out to schedule a meeting with an expert from the Verified Water team.
Rules & Requirements
The Water Credit Standard's rules and protocols ensure that water replenishment and conservation projects meet the Verified Water Program's high bar for water credit generation. Key requirements for Originators (water credit suppliers) and project actions include:
-
Originators must demonstrate that they have legal control of their freshwater assets.
-
Project actions must be validated by a qualified third-party as "additional", meaning that the action was taken for the purposes of generating Verified Water Credits and would not have happened under “business as usual” circumstances.
-
Project actions must be independently verified for providing additional volumes of freshwater benefits measured against a baseline.
Quality Control and Assurance
Verified Water Program projects are subject to independent auditing by both Verified Water water resource planners and qualified third parties. This ensures that a project meets our standard’s rules and requirements; that its methodologies are properly applied; that it complies with local laws and regulations; and that no local stakeholders experience negative repercussions because of the project.
Outcomes at Scale
The WCS rules and protocols are designed to achieve tangible, traceable, and meaning outcomes to scale water action participation and impact in the following ways:
-
Reduced water consumption through conservation and efficiency actions.
-
Adoption of transparent water use accounting and impact reporting in organizational value chains.
-
A thriving voluntary water credit market that that is socially equitable, beneficial to the environment, and economically driven—especially in high water stress regions.
