PORTLAND, OR -- As cannabis and hemp regulation expands globally, its impact on water resources is relatively unknown. However, a partnership between Resource Innovation Institute (RII), the Berkeley Cannabis Research Center and New Frontier Data will change that.
The three organizations will publish The Cannabis Water Report in late 2020. The report will study water practices and usage rates across a range of cultivation methods and geographies and will offer strategic recommendations for governments and other stakeholders.
“Resource Innovation Institute has been exploring cannabis energy issues for years, and now we’re expanding our scope to include the critical subject of water,” said Derek Smith, executive director of RII, a non-profit organization that advances resource efficiency in the cannabis industry through the establishment of standards and best practices. “Like we did for The Cannabis Energy Report, we’ll be assessing real data from actual cultivation operations to determine usage benchmarks for indoor, greenhouse and outdoor cultivation environments. Our intent is to inform government and industry leaders to guide effective decision-making.”
Dr. Van Butsic, co-director of the UC Berkeley Cannabis Research Center, echoed the importance of the report. “Many policymakers are concerned with water withdrawal from salmon-bearing streams in California. This report will help us put cannabis water use in context,” he said.
“As the cannabis industry expands globally, optimizing the resources used to grow cannabis will be vital to improving cost efficiency in an increasingly competitive industry. And in an increasingly drought-prone world, reducing cultivators’ water use is not just good for businesses, it is key to the sustainable growth of the industry,” said Giadha A. DeCarcer, CEO of New Frontier Data.
The Cannabis Water Report will be peer-reviewed by the newly formed Water Working Group of RII’s multi-disciplinary Technical Advisory Council:
Andrew Alfred, LivWell Enlightened Health
Barb Anderson, Washington Dept. of Ecology
Chris Dillis, Berkeley Cannabis Research Center
Rob Eddy, Blue Arrow Botanicals LLC
Matthew Gaboury, House of Cultivar
Hollie Hall, PhD, Compliant Farms Certified
Kyle Lisabeth, Silver Bullet Water Treatment
Richard Miller, Argus Controls
Bob McDonald, Carpinteria Valley Water District
Chuck Nora, Desert Aire
Austa Parker, Denver Water
Sara Schoenhals, HydroLogic
Elizabeth Shilling, Ceres Greenhouses
Andy Souza, TEP Engineering
Madison Walker, Grodan
Cale Winters, Rhythm CSS
Al Zylstra, Dramm Corporation
SOURCE: Resource Innovation Institute
