Water utilities are facing a new era of pressure — from climate volatility and water scarcity to emerging contaminants and rising regulatory expectations. The question is no longer if source water protection needs to evolve, but how fast we can get ahead of the risks. Karen Frost, executive director of The Water Council, joined a…

Broadcast from the show floor at WEFTEC 2025 in Chicago, this episode of the Water Online Show dives into the people and ideas shaping the future of water technology. Host Angela Godwin sits down with Karen Frost and Katie Kollhoff of The Water Council to explore how a global network of innovators, utilities, and established…

The Water Council seeks AI-native technologies shaping the future of water systems for its spring 2026 Tech Challenge. This challenge focuses on innovations that form the building blocks of a cognitive water ecosystem, improving how water is sensed, treated, moved, recovered and managed through advanced prediction, automation, optimization or decision-making capabilities. The challenge invites water innovators…

From predictive pipe modeling to rainwater monitoring to turning wastewater into fertilizer, the 11 global companies in The Water Council’s BREW 2.0 2026 cohort are solving a wide variety of pressing water challenges. The cohort, representing eight countries in North America and Europe, will receive several weeks of targeted training in topics like sales, company culture, pitching…

Every gallon of wastewater flowing through a municipal sewer contains recoverable energy, nutrients, and water—assets that the linear “flush and forget” model has long treated as problems to dispose of rather than value to recapture. Meet Kevin Shafer, who has spent more than two decades proving otherwise. As executive director of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD)…

The winners of The Water Council’s fall Tech Challenge are helping improve water quality for all, from Wisconsin to Nigeria. Geotek Water Solutions of Jos, Nigeria, is the first African company to win the Tech Challenge, securing the $10,000 first prize. Service ID of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, was named runner-up, winning $5,000. The Tech Challenge connects…

When thinking about sustainability at sports and entertainment venues, water might not be the first subject that comes to mind. Certainly, clean water is critical for venues, vendors and guests for drinking, plumbing, cleaning and more. But venues face rising threats from stormwater runoff, flooding, and other climate-related physical risks impacting operations and insurance premiums….

Wastewater treatment faces a variety of challenges today — emerging contaminants, the need for energy efficiency, aging infrastructure — but it’s also seeing exciting development in wastewater technology. Check out what concerns and excites Kevin Shafer, executive director of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, and how The Water Council is helping MMSD stay on top…

The Great Lakes Economic Development Council (GLEDC) hosted its inaugural “Great Lakes Rising” Conference late last month in Detroit, bringing together leaders from across the U.S. and Canada to accelerate collaboration and investment across the Great Lakes mega-region. This wide swath of territory accounts for nearly a third of combined Canadian and U.S. economic output, employment and trade activity….