15 Years of Where Water Works
February 16, 2024 | Where Water Works

15 Years of where water works

By Dean Amhaus, President & CEO

This month, The Water Council celebrates 15 years as the hub Where Water Works®. We know there is so much more to come when it comes to solving global water challenges through innovation and water stewardship, but this is a good time to look back at what we’ve accomplished since our founding in 2009. Here are a few numbers that demonstrate our impact in that time:

• More than 70 startups have benefited from our training, resources and connections through our BREW and BREW 2.0 accelerators.
• We have facilitated 19 pilot tests of water technology in Wisconsin through more than $850,000 in pilot awards.
• We have awarded $180,000 in funding to 18 innovators from 9 countries through our Tech Challenge in addition to helping major water technology companies discover new solutions worldwide.
• We have partnered with 31 water technology organizations and clusters around the world, helping foster international cooperation and connecting Milwaukee and the U.S. to the global water technology ecosystem.
• More than 2,000 sites are operating with an improved understanding of their water uses, impacts and risks through our work with the Alliance for Water Stewardship and our WAVE: Water Stewardship Verified program.
• We have reached 344 organizations through our water stewardship advisory services, including our work with Suppliers Partnership for the Environment and the American Chemistry Council.
• We developed the world’s first enterprise-wide water stewardship verification scheme, the first water stewardship professional credentialing system and, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the first graduate-level course in applied water stewardship practices.

One of our most important numbers is 154: that’s how many companies and organizations are currently members of The Water Council. Our members are the heart of our organization and the driving force in our mission. Thank you for 15 years of support!

Check out the video above for more reflections on The Water Council’s history, milestones and future.