The Water Quality Trading Solution

Over the last five years, The Freshwater Trust has worked with Willamette Partnership and numerous other organizations, agencies and regulators to build the science and credibility standards necessary to  calculate and quantify the ecosystem services nature provides into “units of good” or credits that can be traded and purchased – by wastewater treatment facilities and power plants to meet regulatory compliance, developers to mitigate their negative environmental impacts and others. Even philanthropists and grant makers could buy certified credits from completed projects as an alternative to traditional grant-making to better meet missions and mandates. In all cases, the credits are generated through broad-based restoration actions that improve overall freshwater health – the end result we seek at The Freshwater Trust.