The urgency is growing to address water quality and scarcity issues, as shown in a recent Gallup poll and data released by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Read more in the May update from The Water Council President & CEO Dean Amhaus. Make sure you see all our updates by subscribing to our mailing list.
With summer nearly here, we’re feeling a new energy inside The Water Council and outside our walls when it comes to water technology and water stewardship. As more and more adults are vaccinated, we can turn our attention from keeping the water running during the pandemic to making sure we live in a world with fresh, clean water available to all.
And not a moment too soon. Last week, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration released sobering data showing the average temperature in the U.S. rose nearly half a degree over the last 30 years. That might not seem like much, but it’s enough to cause more catastrophic water events and accelerate water scarcity, making our work in water stewardship more crucial than ever. Meanwhile, a recent Gallup poll shows that water pollution remains the top environmental worry for Americans.
We’ll discuss the link between climate change and water at our annual Water Leaders Summit. You won’t want to miss this virtual event, comprising six sessions on the hottest topics in water July 20-22 and 27-29. We will, of course, discuss what the proposed federal infrastructure bill means for water. You’ll also find out why roads are the critical water topic you didn’t know you needed to hear about and what Robert De Niro, Lady Gaga and Michael B. Jordan have to do with water. Summit registration will open very soon.
The Water Council members receive a discount on summit registration, one of many membership benefits. Not a member yet? Contact Laura Mullen, our new member engagement manager, to learn more. We also are pleased to welcome Stacy Vogel Davis, our new communications director. Contact her if you have member news to share. She also has been furiously updating our social media accounts, so make sure you’re following us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Our veteran staff has been keeping busy, too. Applications for our Tech Challenge and Pilot Program recently closed with strong response, particularly for the Pilot Program. Stay tuned to learn the winners. We recently launched a new initiative to make it easier for European firms to connect with other water professionals in our ecosystem called Overseas Member2Member conversations. Read a summary of the first meeting here.
Matt Howard, our vice president of water stewardship and director of the Alliance for Water Stewardship North America, collaborated with Water Foundry Founder and CEO Will Sarni on an article discussing the trends in water and ESG reporting. He also co-wrote an article with officials from the International WELL Buildings Institute about water stewardship in building construction and management.
AWS training continues to indicate growing interest and prioritization of water stewardship. Both our sessions so far this year sold out. If you’re looking to enhance your knowledge and skillset to advance water stewardship with your clients or your own organization, register for the July session soon! AWS North American-based membership continues to grow, including new members Abbott, Nutrien and Watts Water Technologies. Welcome to the effort to advance the responsible stewardship of freshwater.
Member News & Opportunities:
News: Aqua Membranes, a member of The Water Council and 2021 BREW 2.0 participant, has been backed by computer memory and data storage company Micron.
News: The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is one of several organizations working with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to develop an artificial intelligence-assisted system for resource recovery from municipal wastewater.
News: Evoqua Water Technologies recently released its fifth annual Sustainability Report.
News: Xylem Inc. has announced a partnership with Esri, a supplier of GIS software, to work together on digital transformations for wastewater and clean water systems, environmental monitoring and dewatering applications.
Jobs: Ovarro is seeking two channel sales managers based east of the Mississippi.
Event: MMSD and the Waterway Restoration Partnership is hosting a virtual public information meeting May 18 about the Dredged Material Management Facility Project (DMMF), a key project of the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern (AOC) initiative to restore the health of local rivers and protect Lake Michigan.
Event: The U.S. Commercial Service will hold a virtual coffee chat with the American Institute in Taiwan on May 20 to discuss water and marine-related sectors in Taiwan.
Event: The International Trade Association is holding a webinar June 15 focused on the Israeli government’s “Infrastructure for Growth” program, consolidating more than 200 infrastructure projects across various industries, including environmental technologies, and the opportunities it presents for U.S. companies. Contact Naama.Altman@trade.gov for more information.
Opportunity: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and partners have launched the Water Toxicity Sensor Challenge. The challenge calls on innovators to develop a sensor that can identify whether there are chemical pollutants and natural toxins in various types of water faster and cheaper than current lab methods.
Opportunity: The International Trade Association is organizing an environmental technologies trade mission to Latin America for Oct. 21-29.
