Top 12 Water Tech Hotspots In US
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Business
Best Places Identified by the EPA as Water Technology Innovation Cluster -a Way to Solve Water Problems and Create Economic Opportunities
Milwaukee is known as ‘Brew City,' while steel is Pittsburgh's claim to fame. Tacoma is the birthplace of Bing Crosby, while Beyoncé calls Houston home. Tucson is sunny 85 percent of the time, while Cincinnati experienced one of its snowiest winters this year.
Despite their differences, all of these cities have one big thing in common—they are committed to furthering water technology.Those six cities, along with Colorado, Michigan, Massachusetts, Nevada, Northeast Ohio, and Central/Southern California, have been identified by the EPA as water technology innovation clusters—regional groupings of businesses, government, research institutions, and other organizations focused on the future of water.It is expected that additional clusters will be identified as water research and technology efforts grow nationwide.
Many of the identified clusters have existed for some time, but the EPA didn't begin taking an active role in supporting them until 2010. For now, only water clusters have been identified, but plans to identify other types of environmental technology innovation clusters are in the works.
The cluster program grew out of Cincinnati, where the Southwest Ohio/Northern Kentucky/Southeast Indiana cluster is now based. EPA Cincinnati is one of the largest federal research and development water laboratories in the country with more than 180 laboratories. The rest of the clusters were identified because there are similarly robust water research or water technology business hubs, or because they had the potential to become one.
The clusters are working to tackle a variety of barriers to water technology innovation, including patenting and intellectual property protection, regulatory restrictions, access to research and information about new technology, and funding. Water scarcity, reuse, and water-related agriculture challenges are the focus at many of the Western-based clusters, while the Midwest and Eastern clusters are more concerned about aging water infrastructure and preventing combined sewer overflows (CSOs).
Despite the different goals each cluster has, all work closely together.
So far, increased communication between technology providers, research organizations, utilities, and investors has been the biggest success of the cluster program.
Here's a closer look at each of the 12 clusters. This list only includes currently identified clusters, and may not include all that are currently working with the EPA cluster program. The list appears in no particular order.
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