About the Milwaukee Water Council

• Establishing the Milwaukee Region as the global “water hub”
• Providing outreach to water companies looking to move into the area
• Advancing water-related industry, research and business opportunities

Fresh water is quickly becoming the petroleum of the 21st century.  Globally, water consumption is doubling every 20 years, more than two times world population growth.  It’s estimated that about one-third of the global population will not have access to adequate drinking water by 2025.  The water shortage is not only impacting parts of the world like Australia and China, but also right here in the United States in cities like Atlanta and Las Vegas.

Our region lies on the shores of the greatest single source of fresh water on the planet, the Great Lakes.  Lake Michigan, the only Great Lake entirely encompassed by U.S. lands, is a focal point for scientific research and economic development in the Milwaukee Region.

The Milwaukee Region is home to more than 120 companies involved in water-related businesses.  Five of the world's 11 largest water-technology companies have a significant presence in southeastern Wisconsin, including Veolia Water, ITT Corp., GE Water & Process Technologies, and Siemens.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Great Lakes Water Institute is the largest research center of its kind on the Great Lakes, engaging in pioneering scientific research, knowledge transfer and outreach while serving as a national center for innovative freshwater education and training.  The university has also created the graduate-level School of Freshwater Sciences and convene its first classes in fall 2010.

The new Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin on Milwaukee's lakefront connects innovation, science and technology with exploration, the environment and Great Lakes freshwater resources through interactive exhibits and learning programs.  The S/V Denis Sullivan, a 137-foot re-creation of a three-masted, 19th century Great Lakes schooner, summers next to Discovery World and serves as an educational platform and scientific research vessel.

Water Council

The Milwaukee Water Council, co-chaired by Rich Meeusen, Chairman, President & CEO of Badger Meter, Inc. and Paul Jones, Chairman & CEO of A.O. Smith Corp., is working to align the regional freshwater research community and water-related industries to establish the Milwaukee Region as the global hub for freshwater research, economic development and education.

This large concentration of water-related businesses combined with the region's outstanding academic and research institutions create a powerful platform for knowledge transfer and product development focused on freshwater management.

The Global Communications Committee will identify opportunities for development and resources that exist, and find SBIR and other funding sources to help research projects and generate the economic development benefits coming from it. They will work to establish networks and contacts between academic and research facilities and water-related businesses, and are discussing better ways to use science and technology to address our water issues.

The Water Council is using this strong base to advance water-related industry, research and business opportunities. It is also focusing on outreach to water companies looking to move into the area.  The Council will host its fourth Water Summit on July 19, 2010, at the Harbor Lights Room at O'Donnell Park in Milwaukee.