“The Water Council’s Pilot Program has given my small business the opportunity to implement its biogas purification technology in the real world and prove that it works.”
–Bryan Johnson, Principal, Energy Tech Innovations LLC
the water council’s pilot program: VALIDATING AND COMMERCIALIZING YOUNG PRODUCTS
The Pilot Program facilitates in-field testing for water technologies at real-world demonstration sites to accelerate the progression of new products from lab to practical application to commercialization.
The Water Council’s Pilot Program offers water technology innovators the opportunity to conduct in-field, proof-of-concept testing at real-world demonstration sites. Field testing is a critical phase in the progression of new water solutions from the lab to practical application to commercialization. Through the funding support of Wells Fargo, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) and Fund for Lake Michigan, the Pilot Program provides services, potential sites and funding to help validate new, cutting-edge products and move them from prototype to production and manufacturing.
Selected projects must address specific challenges identified by the funding entities while maintaining a cost-efficient, scalable and deployable model. An independent third party establishes and monitors test benchmarks and milestones to ensure accurate measures of success. The Pilot Program is open to all members of The Water Council (TWC), from small to large, established businesses. Since 2015, the program has helped 14 companies to pilot their technologies in Wisconsin.
2021 recipients
Bloom Optix/HAB Alert (Utica, New York) – HABAlert would be the first cost-effective technology for identifying and counting cyanobacteria, which cause harmful algal blooms.
Tomorrow Water/Proteus (Anaheim, California) – The Proteus up-flow media filter technology is designed to improve carbon diversion, energy efficiency and the tolerance of wastewater treatment plants to “peak flow events” in the face of aging sewer systems and erratic weather patterns caused by climate change.
Water Resources Monitoring Group (WRMG) (Lancaster, Wisconsin) – WRMG will field-test a low-cost system called the “Turbidity Tracker” designed to estimate soil loss in real-time from agricultural landscapes.
Water Warriors (Lexington, Kentucky) – Water Warriors will demonstrate the effectiveness of Poseidon Pellets in reducing phosphorus concentrations by addressing runoff and/or stormwater nutrient pollution in early stages, with minimal infrastructure investment.
2019 RECIPIENTS
DMR International (Woodstock, IL) – Offers complementary antimicrobial solutions to reduce pathogens in water systems. This includes NOVEX-AMGTM, a novel antimicrobial additive system for use in numerous types of polymeric hosts, which can be copper- or zinc-based. Plus, PurAsure™ is a water filter media using NOVEX-AMGTM in polymer and/or ceramic hosts to reduce pathogens in water systems.
Gen3Bio (West Lafayette, IN) – Using breakthrough technology, Gen3Bio solutions transform waste algal into an ongoing stream of revenue using a proprietary, efficient low-cost enzymolysis process to extract fats, sugars and proteins from water to produce specialty chemicals.
Roving Blue® (Milwaukee, WI) – Roving Blue builds advanced, portable water purification systems that harness electrolytic ozone, the most advanced way to make aqueous ozone, a disinfectant that is more powerful than chlorine, yet quickly reverts to oxygen.
P4 Infrastructure (Milwaukee, WI) – P4 Infrastructure, a graduate of the BREW Accelerator in 2018, combines civil, mechanical and electrical engineering in pursuit of technology-driven products creating connected and sustainable infrastructure.
2018 RECIPIENTS
Energy Tech Innovations (Mukwonago, WI) – A graduate of the BREW Accelerator in 2016, Energy Tech Innovations has developed a water-based gas treatment that can be applied to wastewater treatment facilities. This treatment converts biogas during the digestion process into a renewable natural gas that lowers energy costs.
Harbor District (Milwaukee, WI) – A non-profit leading the revitalization of Milwaukee’s Inner Harbor, Harbor District designed “Habitat Hotels” that create a habitable space for aquatic species. Using fryer baskets lined with aquatic vegetation, these habitats fit perfectly along the sheet piling and support aquatic life.
OptikTechnik (Milwaukee, WI) – A graduate of the BREW Accelerator in 2015, founders Jose Ramirez and UWM professor Rudi Strickler have designed an automated system that will replace an otherwise manual process in wastewater treatment. Using optical sensors, moisture levels in cake sludge are monitored and regulated and in turn minimizing energy costs and maximizing efficiency within the wastewater treatment process.
STAR Water Solutions (North Sydney, Australia) – Using sustainable materials, STAR Water Solutions has created an advanced bio-filtration system that works in urban, industrial, agriculture and mining markets and lasts 3-4 times longer than the common sand filter.
2017 RECIPIENTS
Stormwater Solutions Engineering, LLC (Milwaukee, WI)– Founded in 2002 to provide drainage and stormwater design to clients of many types, Stormwater Solutions Engineering has a new product innovation called “The StormGUARDen.” The StormGUARDen is a composite material planter placed at the end of an outside downspout that can reduce the potential for overflows to basements that can occur with rain barrels by holding 8x more water. It is a stormwater device that is modular and removable, and designed for easy maintenance.
PaveDrain (Milwaukee, WI) – The new product will be a combination of two proven products and systems; PaveDrain, a permeable paving surface, and MetaMateria, specializing in phosphorous removal. The PaveDrain system has been installed on private and public projects for almost 8 years and has been installed throughout Wisconsin, and the U.S. MetaMateria’s PO4-Sponge has been in the works for over 6 years in the phosphorous removal market focusing mostly on point source (municipal and industrial) applications.
2016 RECIPIENTS
Veolia Water Milwaukee / OptiRTC, Inc. (Milwaukee, WI / Boston, MA) – Rain:Net powered by Opti will actively control and monitor stormwater discharge from Green Infrastructure based on sensor and satellite data and weather forecast information. This technology will enhance the performance of Green Infrastructure by reducing wet-weather discharge. The status and performance of Green Infrastructure outfitted with Rain:Net will be available to view on dynamic web-dashboards.
Solar Water Works (Madison, WI) – Utilizing a solar-powered, catalytic oxidation process for stormwater disinfection, Solar Water Works will measure reaction rate constants for disinfection of two types of bacteria. Data collected will be used for the design and economic analysis of larger-scale stormwater maintenance implementations.
2015 RECIPIENT
Stonehouse Water Technologies, LLC – With growing concerns about the current and future needs for freshwater access globally, Stonehouse Water Technologies has created a cost-effective, modular, mini water filtration system. The “Water POD” (Potable On Demand) solves the problem of a lack of healthy, clean drinking water in underserved and distressed populations where water contamination is a part of daily life. The POD utilizes multiple processes to remove pathogens, such as Cryptosporidium, viruses, bad odor and taste, and reduces a variety of heavy metals such as Arsenic to safe levels.
PILOT PROGRAM Partners
